1 Samuel 6

Places

• Ashdod
• Ashkelon
• Beth Shemesh
• Ekron
• Gath
• Gaza
• Kiriath Jearim

Period

The event in this chapter happened at the end of judges period in Israel, about 1100 BC.

The Ark returned to Israel (6:1–19)

The Philistines realized that the Ark of the Covenant had to be returned to Israel to stop the plagues (verse 2, cf. 1 Samuel 5:11), so they consulted their priests and diviners to avoid further humiliation (verses 1–9). Two issues were raised in verse 3:

1. What was the appropriate offering to accompany the ark?
2. Was it really YHWH who had humiliated them?

The answer for the first concern is to send gifts (cf. Exodus 3:21) on the basis of value ('gold'), corresponding to the victims ('five' for the five lords of the Philistines) and representing the plagues ('tumors' and 'mice'). The gifts are called 'guilt offering (ʼašām), serving a double function: as a sacrifice to ensure that YHWH would 'lighten his hand' and as a compensatory tribute to YHWH. They learned from the Exodus tradition 'not to be obstinate and prevent the return of the ark' (verse 6).

The answer to the second concern was sought by the use of divination (verses 7–9), utilizing untrained cows, separated from their young calves (therefore inclined to return home), and released unguided, so when the cows went straight to the territory of Israel (in the direction of border city Beth-shemesh; verses 10–18), the Philistines were convinced that the plagues came from YHWH and their gifts were acceptable (verses 16–18). The Israelites celebrated the return of the ark, and utilized the cows to be an appropriate sacrifice for the removal of ritual 'contamination', as the animals and the cart were new, unused, and therefore ritually clean (cf. Numbers 19:2). The sacrifice was performed on a 'large stone of Abel' in the field of an unknown Joshua (verse 18), which afterward also became the resting place for the ark (verse 15).

Verse 1

And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

• "In the country": or "in the field" denoting a place outside 'under the open air', because apparently none of the Philistine cities dared to host the ark and the people thought it would deliver them from their calamity. However, Targum states "in the cities of the Philistines", that is, from one city to the other.
• "Philistines": a group of people coming from the northeastern Mediterranean area (which includes the island of Crete; cf. Amos 9:7) and entering "Palestine" (which is derived from "Philistine") around 1200 BCE.
• "Seven months": the ark was returned during the wheat harvest (1 Samuel 6:13), so the battles between Israel and the Philistines which led to the capture of the ark happened at the end of autumn or the beginning of winter. Josephus states that the ark was with the Philistines four months only.

Verse 5

Therefore you will make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land. And you will give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps He will lighten His hand from off you, even from off your gods and from off your land.

• "Tumors" (KJV: emerods): or "bleeding piles", or more probably "boils". The mention of "mice" together with "tumors" indicates that the outbreak (cf. 1 Samuel 5:6) could be bubonic plague.

The Ark at Kirjath Jearim (6:20–21)

Similar to what happened to the Philistines, the ark caused plagues for Israelites when they did not show due respect to it, so the ark was moved from Beth-shemesh to Kiriath Jearim ("city of the forests"), probably due to its previous connection with Baal-worship (cf. 'city of Baal', Joshua 18:14, and 'Baalah', Joshua 15:9, 10). The custodian of the city was Eleazar, son of Abinadab, both had names that often appear in levitical lists.

Verse 21

And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD. Come down, and take it up to you."

• "Kiriath Jearim": now identified with Deir el-Azar (Tel Qiryat Yearim), a place near Abu Ghosh on a hill about 7 miles west of Jerusalem.