1 Samuel 6:1

New King James Version

Now the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines 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.

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.

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 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 seven months. ² And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we should send it to its place." ³ So they said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means return it to Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you." ⁴ Then they said, "What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?" They answered, "Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. ⁵ Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. ⁶ Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart? ⁷ Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. ⁸ Then take the ark of the LORD and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. ⁹ And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us--it happened to us by 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
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves 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