1 Samuel 6:1

Contemporary English Version

After the sacred chest had been in Philistia for seven months,

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.

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.

Bible in Basic English
Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for 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 After the sacred chest had been in Philistia for seven months, ² the Philistines called in their priests and fortunetellers, and asked, "What should we do with this sacred chest? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs!" ³ "Don't send it back without a gift," the priests and fortunetellers answered. "Send along something to Israel's God to make up for taking the chest in the first place. Then you will be healed, and you will find out why the Lord was causing you so much trouble." ⁴ "What should we send?" the Philistines asked. The priests and fortunetellers answered: There are five Philistine rulers, and they all have the same disease that you have. ⁵ So make five gold models of the sores and five gold models of the rats that are wiping out your crops. If you honor the God of Israel with this gift, maybe he will stop causing trouble for you and your gods and your crops. ⁶ Don't be like the Egyptians and their king. They were stubborn, but when Israel's God was finished with them, they had to let Israel go. ⁷ Get a new cart and two cows that have young calves and that have never pulled a cart. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take the calves back to their barn. ⁸ Then put the chest on the cart. Put the gold rats and sores into a bag and put it on the cart next to the chest. Then send it on its way. ⁹ Watch to see if the chest goes on up the road to the Israelite town of Beth-Shemesh. If it goes back to its own country, you will know that it was the Lord who made us suffer so badly. But if the chest doesn't go back to its own country, then the Lord had nothing to do with the disease that hit us—it was simply bad luck.

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
God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal 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