Lectionary Calendar
Monday, December 29th, 2025
the Monday after Christmas
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

1 Samuel 6:1

Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ark;   Kirjath-Jearim;   Miracles;   Thompson Chain Reference - Ark;   Philistines;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ark of the Covenant;   Months;   Philistines, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Beth-Shemesh;   Ekron;   Gaza or Azzah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ark;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Samuel, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ekron;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Beth-Shemesh;   Philistines;   Samuel, Books of;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Judah, Territory of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abimelech;   Ekron;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for March 2;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory for seven months,
Hebrew Names Version
The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Pelishtim seven months.
King James Version
And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
Lexham English Bible
Now the ark of Yahweh had been in the territory of the Philistines for seven months,
English Standard Version
The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
New Century Version
The Philistines kept the Ark of God in their land seven months.
New English Translation
When the ark of the Lord had been in the land of the Philistines for seven months,
Amplified Bible
Now the ark of the LORD had been in the country of the Philistines for seven months.
New American Standard Bible
Now the ark of the LORD had been in the territory of the Philistines for seven months.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So the Arke of the Lorde was in the countrey of the Philistims seuen moneths.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now the ark of Yahweh had been in the fields of the Philistines seven months.
Contemporary English Version
After the sacred chest had been in Philistia for seven months,
Complete Jewish Bible
The ark of Adonai was in the country of the P'lishtim for seven months.
Darby Translation
And the ark of Jehovah was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Philistines kept the Lord 's Holy Box in their land for seven months.
George Lamsa Translation
AND the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
Good News Translation
After the Lord 's Covenant Box had been in Philistia for seven months,
Literal Translation
And the ark of Jehovah was in the field of the Philistines seven months.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thus was the Arke of the LORDE in the londe of the Philistynes seuen monethes.
American Standard Version
And the ark of Jehovah was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the arke of the Lord was in the countrey of the Philistines seuen monethes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
King James Version (1611)
And the Arke of the Lord was in the countrey of the Philistines seuen moneths.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the ark was seven months in the country of the Philistines, and their land brought forth swarms of mice.
English Revised Version
And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
Berean Standard Bible
When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines for seven months,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor the arke of the Lord was in the cuntrei of Filisteis bi seuene monethis;
Young's Literal Translation
And the ark of Jehovah is in the field of the Philistines seven months,
Update Bible Version
And the ark of Yahweh was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
World English Bible
The ark of Yahweh was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
New King James Version
Now the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
New Living Translation
The Ark of the Lord remained in Philistine territory seven months in all.
New Life Bible
The special box of the Lord had been in the country of the Philistines seven months.
New Revised Standard
The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, that the ark of Yahweh was in the country of the Philistines, seven months.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now the ark of God was in the land of the Philistines seven months.
Revised Standard Version
The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
THE MESSAGE
After the Chest of God had been among the Philistine people for seven months, the Philistine leaders called together their religious professionals, the priests, and experts on the supernatural for consultation: "How can we get rid of this Chest of God , get it off our hands without making things worse? Tell us!"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now the ark of the LORD had been in the country of the Philistines seven months.

Contextual Overview

1 Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months. 2 And the Philistines sent for the priests and those who were wise in secret arts, and said to them, What are we to do with the ark of the Lord? How are we to send it away to its place? 3 And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it without an offering, but send him a sin-offering with it: then you will have peace again, and it will be clear to you why the weight of his hand has not been lifted from you. 4 Then they said, What sin-offering are we to send to him? And they said, Five gold images of the growths caused by your disease and five gold mice, one for every lord of the Philistines: for the same disease came on you and on your lords. 5 So make images of the growths caused by your disease and of the mice which are damaging your land; and give glory to the God of Israel: it may be that the weight of his hand will be lifted from you and from your gods and from your land. 6 Why do you make your hearts hard, like the hearts of Pharaoh and the Egyptians? When he had made sport of them, did they not let the people go, and they went away? 7 So now, take and make ready a new cart, and two cows which have never come under the yoke, and have the cows yoked to the cart, and take their young ones away from them: 8 And put the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the gold images which you are sending as a sin-offering in a chest by its side; and send it away so that it may go. 9 If it goes by the land of Israel to Beth-shemesh, then this great evil is his work; but if not, then we may be certain that the evil was not his doing, but was the working of chance.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 2864, bc 1140, An, Ex, Is, 351

the ark: 1 Samuel 5:1, 1 Samuel 5:3, 1 Samuel 5:10, 1 Samuel 5:11, Psalms 78:61

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
And God gave them his blessing and said to them, Be fertile and have increase, and make the earth full and be masters of it; be rulers over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing moving on the earth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. Or "in the field" c of the Philistines; hence Procopius Gazaeus observes, that none of the cities daring to receive the ark, they left it without under the open air, so thinking they should be delivered from their calamity. But the word is often used for country, and is generally so understood here; the Targum is,

"in the cities of the Philistines;''

in one or other of them, first for a while in Ashdod, and then for some time in Gath, and last in Ekron, and in all seven months from the time of its being taken; and it being in wheat harvest when it was returned, 1 Samuel 6:13, these seven months will carry us back to the beginning of winter, or towards the end of autumn, when the battles between Israel and the Philistines were fought, and the ark was taken. Josephus d says it was with the Philistines four months only, contrary to the text.

c בשדה εν αγρω, Sept. "in agro", Pagninus, Montanus. d Antiqu. l. 6. c. 1. sect. 4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER VI

After the ark had been seven months in the land of the

Philistines, they consult their priests and diviners about

sending it to Shiloh, 1, 2.

They advise that it be sent back with a trespass-offering of

five golden emerods, and five golden mice, 3-6.

They advise also that it be sent back on a new cart, drawn by

two milch kine from whom their calves shall be tied up; and

then conclude that if these cows shalt take the way of

Beth-hemesh, as going to the Israelitish border, then the LORD

had afflicted them, if not, then their evils were accidental,

7-9.

They do as directed; and the kine take the way of Beth-shemesh,

10-13.

They stop in the field of Joshua; and the men of Beth-shemesh

take them, and offer them to the Lord for a burnt-offering,

and cleave the wood of the cart to burn them, and make sundry

other offerings, 14, 15.

The offerings of the five lords of the Philistines, 16-18.

For too curiously looking into the ark, the men of Beth-shemesh

are smitten of the Lord, 19, 20.

They send to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, that they may

take away the ark, 21.

NOTES ON CHAP. VI


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile