Lectionary Calendar
Monday, August 25th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Green's Literal Translation

1 Samuel 6:1

And the ark of Jehovah was in the field of the Philistines 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,
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 And the ark of Jehovah was in the field of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for priests and for those divining, saying, What shall we do to the ark of Jehovah? Let us know with what we shall send it to its place. 3 And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, you shall not send it away empty. For turning back you shall return a guilt offering back to Him. Then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand has not turned away from you. 4 And they said, What shall be the guilt offering which we shall send back to Him? And they said, The number of the rulers of the Philistines, five golden hemorrhoids, and five golden mice. For one plague has been on all of you, and on your rulers. 5 And you shall make images of your hemorrhoids, and images of your mice that are corrupting the land, and shall give honor to the God of Israel. It may be that He will lighten His hand from off you and from off your gods, and from off your land. 6 And why do you harden your heart as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their heart? When He dealt ruthlessly with them, did they not send them away? And they went. 7 And now, take and make one new cart, and two suckling cows, on which a yoke has never gone up. And you shall tie the cows to the cart, and cause their young ones to return home from them. 8 And you shall take the ark of Jehovah and put it on the cart, and the vessels of gold which you shall return to Him for a guilt offering. Put them in a coffer in its side and send it away; and let it go. 9 And watch; if it goes up by way of its own border, to Beth-shemesh, He has done this great evil to us. And if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that touched us; it was an accident to us.

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 blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the seas, and over birds of the heavens, and over all beasts creeping 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