1 Samuel 6
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
1 Samuel 6
NJB (MT versing) The Ark Returned to Israel The Ark Returned to Israel The Voluntary Return of the Ark (6:1-7:2) The Return of the Covenant Box Return of the Ark 6:1-9 6:1-9 6:1-9 6:1-2 6:1-9 6:3 6:4-9 6:10-12 6:10-16 6:10-12 6:10-12 6:10-11 6:12 The Ark At Beth-shemesh 6:13-16 6:13-16 6:13-16 6:13-16 6:17-18 6:17-19 6:17-18 6:17-18 6:17-19 6:19-21 The Ark at Kiriath Jearim 6:19-7:1 6:19 The Covenant Box at Kiriath Jearim The Ark at Kiriath-Jearim 6:20-7:1 6:20-7:1 6:20-7:1 Etc.
1 Samuel 6:1-9
6:1 "the ark" See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT. ▣ "Lord" See SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D. ▣ "seven" See SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE, #4. 6:2 "the diviners" See note at Deut. 18:14 and SPECIAL TOPIC: DIVINER. 6:3 "do not send it empty" This is the Piel IMPERFECT (BDB 1018, KB 1511) used in a JUSSIVE sense. A sacrificial gift was required by custom. ▣ "you shall surely return to Him" This is an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB from the same root (BDB 996, KB 1427), which denotes intensity. ▣ "a guilt offering" See SPECIAL TOPIC: GUILT OFFERING. 6:4 The fact that the offering was five golden hemorrhoids and five golden mice supports the LXX addition in 1 Sam. 5:6; see note there. 6:5 What a shocking verse. The pagan Philistines who won the battle and captured the ark, now must give glory to Israel's God in hopes that He will ease His hand (v. 5) from you from your gods from your land heal them (v. 3) ▣ "you shall give glory to God" This would mean recognize Israel's God's greatness and power the UBS Handbook, p. 136, suggests in this sacrificial context "glory" means a tribute a gift of honor (i.e., Jer. 13:16) 6:6 Obviously the Philistines had heard about what happened to the Egyptians (cf. Josh. 2:9-11). ▣ "harden your hearts" See full note at Exod. 4:21. 6:7 The Philistines are doing everything they know to placate YHWH. golden offerings new cart young untrained cows 6:8 "in a box by its side" Notice they were afraid to open the box (unlike the Israelites of Beth-shemesh, cf. v. 19). The NOUN "box" (BDB 919, KB 84) is found only in vv. 8,11,15 in all the OT. BDB suggests "box" or "chest." KB suggests "saddlebag" from Arabic root. Josephus, Antiq. 6.1.2, calls it a "bag." ▣ "Then send it away that it may go" The superstition of the Philistines is obvious. These cows should have turned back to their calves (cf. v. 7) but they did not. This was a sign (v. 9) to the Philistines. 6:9 "Beth-shemesh" This name means "house/temple of the Sun" (BDB 112). There are four towns in the OT that go by this pagan-oriented name. city in Naphtali ‒ Josh. 19:38; Jdgs. 1:33 city in Issachar ‒ Josh. 19:22 city in SW Judah ‒ Josh. 15:10; 1 Sam. 6:9,12,13,14,19,20; 1 Kgs. 4:9; 2 Kgs. 14:13; it was a Levitical city (cf. v. 15) city in Egypt ‒ Jer. 43:13 In this context #3 is meant.
1 Samuel 6:10-12
6:12 "did not turn aside to the right or to the left" This Semitic idiom is usually used of the Israelites obeying fully YHWH's directions to them (i.e., the Mosaic Law, cf. Num. 20:17; Deut. 2:27; 5:32; 17:11; Josh. 1:7). Only here is it used of YHWH's guidance and direction of animals.
1 Samuel 6:13-16
6:15 "The Levites took down the ark" Only Levites were meant to handle and transport the ark (cf. Num. 4:15; Deut. 10:8; 31:9,25,26; 1 Chr. 15:2). ▣ "burnt offerings" See SPECIAL TOPIC: BURNT OFFERINGS.
1 Samuel 6:17-18
6:17 "guilt offering" See SPECIAL TOPIC: GUILT OFFERINGS. 6:18 NASB, NRSV, NJB, REB, JPSOA, LXX "The large stone" NKJV, Peshitta "the large stone of Abel" The MT has "the greater Abel" (BDB 5), which means meadow ‒ BDB 5 (אבל) stone ‒ BDB 6 (אבן) place name "Abel" of unknown location "Abel," the root means "mourning" (BDB 5), so maybe it refers to the village mourning over the 70 people YHWH struck Josephus, Antiq. 6.1.3, "a certain rock which was in the plain" The context supports #2 and #5, which became a memorial stone of this major historical event (i.e., the return of the ark). ▣ NASB, NRSV, TEV, NJB "is a witness" "even as far as" "stands witness" "as far as" LXX, Peshitta " ‒omits‒ " The MT has a PREPOSITION (BDB 723 II), which can denote a future time. Some translations see it as a reference to a geographical place where the large stone was located a reference to the future witness (i.e., linked to "to this day") of the large stone and the sacrifices made there because of the return of the ark of Israel The UBS Text Project, p. 100, gives option #1 an "A" rating. ▣ "to this day" This phrase implies a later period. It could refer to later in Samuel's life later in the United Monarchy later revisions, done by Ezra, in the post-exilic period
1 Samuel 6:19-21
6:19 YHWH's holiness must not be compromised even by Israelites. The ark was sacred (cf. v. 20). It was to be covered when transported (i.e., Num. 4:5-6) and surely never opened by non-Levites! ▣ "struck down" This VERB (BDB 645, KB 697, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw) appears in this verse three times. ▣ NASB, NKJV, JPSOA, NET "50,070 men" NKJV footnote "seventy men of the people and fifty oxen of a man" NRSV, TEV, NJB, REB "seventy men of them" Josephus "seventy persons of the villages" The MT has "seventy men, fifty thousand men." The UBS Text Project, p. 161, gives this large number a "C" rating (considerable doubt). This doubt is not based on Hebrew MSS evidence but the unusually large and very specific number of men in a small town (i.e., Beth-shemesh). Possibly the problem is the meaning of the word "thousand" an early MS error; see Gleason Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, p. 169 SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (eleph) SPECIAL TOPIC: TEXTUAL CRITICISM