1 Samuel 6

1 Samuel · Chapter 6

1 Samuel 6:12

1And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.2And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.3And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.4Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.5Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.6Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?7Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:8And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.9And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us: it was a chance that happened to us.10And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:11And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.12And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.13And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.14And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD.15And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.16And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.17And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;18And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite.19And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.20And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?21And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
12And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.And the kine took the straight way by the way to Beth-shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh.

In context

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Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and they were straightוַיִשַּׁ֨רְנָהva-yi-SHAR-nahH3474
to smooth

יָשַׁר (ya.shar) 1) to be right, be straight, be level, be upright, be just, be lawful, be smooth 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go straight 1a2) to be pleasing, be agreeable, be right (fig.) 1a3) to be straightforward, be upright 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to make right, make smooth, make straight 1b2) to lead, direct, lead straight along 1b3) to esteem right, approve 1c) (Pual) to be made level, be laid smoothly out 1d) (Hiphil) to make straight, look straight

the cowsהַפָּר֜וֹתha-pa-ROTH6510
heifer

פָּרָה (pa.rah) cow, heifer

in the roadבַּדֶּ֗רֶךְba-DE-rekhH1870L
way: conduct

דֶּ֫רֶךְ (de.rekh) : conduct/lifestyle 1) way, road, distance, journey, manner 1a) road, way, path 1b) journey 1c) direction 1d) manner, habit, way 1e) of course of life (fig.) 1f) of moral character (fig.)

onעַל־'al-H5921A
upon

עַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) …

[the] road ofדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙de-rekhH1870J
way: conduct

דֶּ֫רֶךְ (de.rekh) : conduct/lifestyle 1) way, road, distance, journey, manner 1a) road, way, path 1b) journey 1c) direction 1d) manner, habit, way 1e) of course of life (fig.) 1f) of moral character (fig.)

Bethבֵּ֣יתbeitH1053G
Bethshemite

בֵּית־הַשִּׁמְשִׁי (bet hash.shim.shi) Bethshemite or Beth-shemeshite = "house of the sun" an inhabitant of Beth-shemesh Another spelling of bet she.mesh (בֵּית שֶׁ֫מֶשׁ "Beth-shemesh" H1053)

Shemeshשֶׁ֔מֶשׁSHE-meshH1053G
Bethshemite

בֵּית־הַשִּׁמְשִׁי (bet hash.shim.shi) Bethshemite or Beth-shemeshite = "house of the sun" an inhabitant of Beth-shemesh Another spelling of bet she.mesh (בֵּית שֶׁ֫מֶשׁ "Beth-shemesh" H1053)

on a highwayבִּמְסִלָּ֣הbim-si-LAHH4546
highway

מְסִלָּה (me.sil.lah) highway, raised way, public road

oneאַחַ֗ת'a-CHATH0259
one

אֶחָד (e.chad) 1) one (number) 1a) one (number) 1b) each, every 1c) a certain 1d) an (indefinite article) 1e) only, once, once for all 1f) one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one 1g) first 1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal)

they wentהָלְכ֤וּha-le-KHUH1980I
to go

הוּךְ (hukh) (P'al) to go, come, walk, be brought Aramaic of ha.lakh (הָלַךְ ": walk" H1980)

continuously to goהָלֹךְ֙ha-loKhH1980M
to go: went

הָלַךְ (ha.lakh) : went/go[away] 1) to go, walk, come 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, go away 1a2) to die, live, manner of life (fig.) 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to walk 1b2) to walk (fig.) 1c) (Hithpael) 1c1) to traverse 1c2) to walk about 1d) (Niphal) to lead, bring, lead away, carry, cause to walk

and lowedוְגָע֔וֹve-ga-'OH1600
to low

גָּעָה (ga.ah) (Qal) to low, bellow (of cattle)

and notוְלֹא־ve-lo'-H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

they turned asideסָ֖רוּSA-ruH5493I
to turn aside: remove

סוּר (sur) : remove 1) to turn aside, depart 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to turn aside, turn in unto 1a2) to depart, depart from way, avoid 1a3) to be removed 1a4) to come to an end 1b) (Polel) to turn aside 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to cause to turn aside, cause to depart, remove, take away, put away, depose 1c2) to put aside, leave undone, retract, reject, abolish 1d) (Hophal) to be taken away, be removed

right [hand]יָמִ֣יןya-MINH3225G
right

יָמִין (ya.min) 1) right, right hand, right side 1a) right hand 1b) right (of direction) 1c) south (the direction of the right hand when facing East) Also means: ya.min (יָמִין ": south" H3225H)

and left [hand]וּשְׂמֹ֑אולu-se-MOLH8040G
left

שְׂמֹאל (se.mo.l) 1) the left, the left hand, the left side 1a) left 1b) left hand 1c) north (as one faces east)

and [the] rulers ofוְסַרְנֵ֤יve-sar-NEIH5633A
lord

סֶ֫רֶן (se.ren) lord, ruler, tyrant

[the] Philistinesפְלִשְׁתִּים֙fe-lish-TIMH6430G
Philistine

פְּלִשְׁתִּי (pe.lish.ti) Philistine = "immigrants" an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan Another spelling of pe.le.shet (פְּלֶ֫שֶׁת "Philistia" H6429)

[were] goingהֹלְכִ֣יםho-le-KHIMH1980N
to go: went

הָלַךְ (ha.lakh) : went/go[away] 1) to go, walk, come 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, go away 1a2) to die, live, manner of life (fig.) 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to walk 1b2) to walk (fig.) 1c) (Hithpael) 1c1) to traverse 1c2) to walk about 1d) (Niphal) to lead, bring, lead away, carry, cause to walk

after themאַחֲרֵיהֶ֔ם'a-cha-rei-HEMH0310A
after

אַחַר (a.char) 1) after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time) 1a) as an adverb 1a1) behind (of place) 1a2) afterwards (of time) 1b) as a preposition 1b1) behind, after (of place) 1b2) after (of time) 1b3) besides 1c) as a conjunction 1c) after that 1d) as a substantive 1d1) hinder part 1e) with other prepositions 1e1) from behind 1e2) from following after

toעַד־'ad-H5704
till

עַד (ad) prep 1) as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as 1a) of space 1a1) as far as, up to, even to 1b) in combination 1b1) from...as far as, both...and (with 'min' -from) 1c) of time 1c1) even to, until, unto, till, during, end 1d) of degree 1d1) even to, to the degree of, even like conj 2) until, while, to the point that, so that even Aramaic equivalent: ad (עַד "till" H5705)

[the] border ofגְּב֖וּלge-VULH1366G
border: boundary

גְּבוּל (ge.vul) : boundary 1) border, territory 1a) border 1b) territory (enclosed within boundary) 1c) region, territory (of darkness) (fig.) Also means: ge.vul (גְּבוּל ": area" H1366H)

Bethבֵּ֥יתbeitH1053G
Bethshemite

בֵּית־הַשִּׁמְשִׁי (bet hash.shim.shi) Bethshemite or Beth-shemeshite = "house of the sun" an inhabitant of Beth-shemesh Another spelling of bet she.mesh (בֵּית שֶׁ֫מֶשׁ "Beth-shemesh" H1053)

Shemeshשָֽׁמֶשׁ׃SHA-meshH1053G
Bethshemite

בֵּית־הַשִּׁמְשִׁי (bet hash.shim.shi) Bethshemite or Beth-shemeshite = "house of the sun" an inhabitant of Beth-shemesh Another spelling of bet she.mesh (בֵּית שֶׁ֫מֶשׁ "Beth-shemesh" H1053)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.