1 Samuel 6:1-12
The Ark sent back to Beth-Shemesh.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Ark sent back to Beth-Shemesh.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months, in the three cities of the Philistine territory which were named in the preceding chapter.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the Philistines, as represented by their five lords, CALLED FOR THE PRIESTS AND THE DIVINERS, all of whom were supposed to possess soothsaying power to reveal the counsel of the deity, SAYING, WHAT SHALL WE DO TO THE ARK OF THE LORD? What form of procedure was advisable in the circumstances? TEL... [ Continue Reading ]
And they, the soothsayers, SAID, IF YE SEND AWAY THE ARK OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL, SEND IT NOT EMPTY, without some expiatory gift; BUT IN ANY WISE RETURN HIM A TRESPASS-OFFERING, a sacrifice or gift to atone for their offense, to wipe out their debt; THEN YE SHALL BE HEALED, AND IT SHALL BE KNOWN TO YOU... [ Continue Reading ]
Then said they, What shall be the trespass-offering which we shalt return to Him? They answered, Five golden emerods and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, which, in turn, agreed with that of the city-states in the federation; FOR ONE PLAGUE WAS ON YOU ALL AND... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore ye shall make images, carved or engraved likenesses, OF YOUR EMERODS AND IMAGES OF YOUR MICE THAT MAR THE LAND; AND YE SHALL GIVE GLORY UNTO THE GOD OF ISRAEL, confessing that the plagues with which they had been smitten had been laid upon them in justice; PERADVENTURE HE WILL LIGHTEN HIS... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore, then, do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts, Exodus 7:13 ? WHEN HE HAD WROUGHT WONDERFULLY AMONG THEM, carried out His avenging purpose upon them, DID THEY NOT LET THE PEOPLE GO AND THEY DEPARTED? Cf Exodus 12:31 ff. The Philistines were urged to pro... [ Continue Reading ]
Now, therefore, make a new cart, take and prepare in the proper manner, AND TAKE TWO MILCH KINE ON WHICH THERE HATH COME NO YOKE, Cf Deuteronomy 21:3, AND TIE THE KINE TO THE CART, hitching them before the cart to draw it, AND BRING THEIR CALVES HOME FROM THEM, holding them back in the barn;... [ Continue Reading ]
and take the ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold which ye return Him for a trespass-offering, the five golden boils and the five golden mice, IN A COFFER, a small chest, BY THE SIDE THEREOF; AND SEND IT AWAY THAT IT MAY GO, giving the strange draft-animals their hea... [ Continue Reading ]
And see, if it, the cart as thus prepared, GOETH UP BY THE WAY OF HIS OWN COAST TO BETH-SHEMESH, within the territory of Israel, THEN HE, the God of Israel, HATH DONE US THIS GREAT EVIL; BUT IF NOT, THEN WE SHALL KNOW THAT IT IS NOT HIS HAND THAT SMOTE US; IT WAS A CHANCE THAT HAPPENED TO US. The cr... [ Continue Reading ]
And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home;... [ Continue Reading ]
and they laid the ark of the Lord upon the cart and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, headed directly for the highway leading to the nearest city of Israel, just beyond the boundary, AND WENT ALONG THE HIGHWAY, keeping to the road, LOWING AS THEY WENT, because they wanted their calves, AND TURNED NOT ASIDE TO THE RIGHT HA... [ Continue Reading ]
And they of Beth-shemesh, which was a city set aside for priests on the boundary between Judah and Dan, Joshua 15:10; Joshua 21:16, WERE REAPING THEIR WHEAT-HARVEST IN THE VALLEY, about the beginning of June; AND THEY LIFTED UP THEIR EYES, AND SAW THE ARK, AND REJOICED TO SEE IT, very much pleased t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ARK ACCEPTED, BUT THE PEOPLE SLAIN... [ Continue Reading ]
And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone, the cows came to a halt there of their own free will; AND THEY, the inhabitants of the city, CLAVE THE WOOD OF THE CART AND OFFERED THE KINE A BURNT OFFERING UNTO THE LORD.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the Levites, who also were living in the city, TOOK DOWN THE ARK OF THE LORD, had taken it down as soon as they received news of the joyful happening, AND THE COFFER THAT WAS WITH IT, WHEREIN THE JEWELS OF GOLD WERE, AND PUT THEM ON THE GREAT STONE; AND THE MEN OF BETH-SHEMESH, in a second sacri... [ Continue Reading ]
And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, being witnesses of this Revelation of the God of Israel, THEY RETURNED TO EKRON THE SAME DAY, having followed the instructions of their priests.... [ Continue Reading ]
And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass-offering unto the Lord, as expiatory gifts: FOR ASHDOD ONE, FOR GAZA ONE, FOR ASKELON ONE, FOR GATH ONE, FOR EKRON ONE, these being the five city-states of the Philistines;... [ Continue Reading ]
and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities and of country villages, every city and town in the five states thus being represented by a figure, evidently because the plague of the mice had extended over the enti... [ Continue Reading ]
And he, God, SMOTE THE MEN OF BETH-SHEMESH, BECAUSE THEY, overcome by a blasphemous curiosity, HAD LOOKED INTO THE ARK OF THE LORD, in a manner which did not agree with the holiness of Jehovah, to whom the ark was dedicated, EVEN HE SMOTE OF THE PEOPLE FIFTY THOUSAND AND THREESCORE AND TEN MEN. AND... [ Continue Reading ]
And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall He go up from us? They were afraid to keep the ark in their own midst after the great tragedy had occurred.... [ Continue Reading ]
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, a city of Judah somewhat farther to the east, SAYING, THE PHILISTINES HAVE BROUGHT AGAIN THE ARK OF THE LORD; COME YE DOWN AND FETCH IT UP TO YOU. The Beth-shemites felt that they were no better than the men who had been killed, and they... [ Continue Reading ]