1 Samuel 6:2

1 Samuel 6:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And 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.
• New International Version (NIV)the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place."
• New King James Version (NKJV)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.”

Context of 1 Samuel 6:2

1The Philistines had the Lord's Covenant Box in their country for seven months. Then they called their priests and their magicians to meet with them. The people asked them, ‘What must we do with the Lord's Covenant Box? Tell us how we should send it back to its home.’ 3The priests and magicians answered, ‘Send the Covenant Box of Israel's God back with a special offering. You must not send it back without anything. Send an offering so that their God will forgive you. Then you will get well again. You will understand why he has continued to punish you.’ 4The people asked, ‘What offering should we send to their God, so that he will forgive us?’ The priests and magicians replied, ‘You must send gold images of five tumours and five mice. You must make five images of each one because the Philistines have five rulers. They have the same disease that all of you have.

1 Samuel 6:2 word by word

וַיִּקְרְא֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים לַכֹּהֲנִ֤ים וְלַקֹּֽסְמִים֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר מַֽה־נַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה לַאֲר֣וֹן יְהוָ֑ה הוֹדִעֻ֕נוּ בַּמֶּ֖ה נְשַׁלְּחֶ֥נּוּ לִמְקוֹמֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the Philistinesפְּלִשְׁתִּיpelishtîy · PhilistineH6430
• calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
• for the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
• and the divinersקָסַםqâsam · to divineH7080
• sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• What shall we doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• to the arkאֲרוֹן'ârôn 'ârôn · arkH727
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• tellיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• us wherewith we shall sendשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• it to his placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 6:2

• Genesis 41:8In the morning, Pharaoh had trouble in his mind. So he told all the magicians and the wise men in Egypt to come to him. Pharaoh told them about his dreams. But no one could tell Pharaoh what his dreams meant.
• Exodus 7:11Then Pharaoh called for his wise men and his magicians to come to him. The Egyptian magicians did the same thing as Aaron. They used their secret magic to do it.
• Isaiah 47:12So continue with your magic, if you want to. Say your magic words. You have always used that magic, since you were young. Perhaps your magic will help you. Perhaps you will frighten your enemies!
• Daniel 2:2He told his servants that they must bring the magicians, enchanters, diviners and wise men to him. He wanted them to explain his dream. So they came in and they stood in front of the king.
• Daniel 5:7The king called for his enchanters, his wise men and his diviners to come. When they arrived, the king said to them, ‘Who can read these words? Who can tell me what they mean? Whoever can do that, I will make him great. I will put valuable purple clothes on him and he will have a gold chain around his neck. I will make him the third ruler in the kingdom.’
• Matthew 2:4Then Herod asked all the leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law to meet with him. He asked them, ‘Where will God's Messiah be born?’
• Micah 6:6‘I come to meet with the Lord,’ you say. ‘I must know what to bring when I come. I bend down to worship him. I must know what to offer when I bend down. He is God and he is greater than everything. Perhaps he would like it if I burn young cows one year old for him.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 6:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The diviners - קסמים kosemim, from קסם kasam, to presage or prognosticate. See Deuteronomy 18:10. In what their pretended art consisted, we know not.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2The word for “priest” here is the same as that used for the priests of the true God; that for diviners is everywhere used of idolatrous or superstitious divining. Three modes of divination are described Ezekiel 21:21-22, by arrows, by teraphim, and by the entrails of beasts. (Compare Exodus 7:11; Daniel 2:2).Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2priests and diviners: Fortune telling was part of the Philistine religion (see 1 Samuel 28:7; Deuteronomy 18:10–14).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-32-3. the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners--The designed restoration of the ark was not, it seems, universally approved of, and many doubts were expressed whether the prevailing pestilence was really a judgment of Heaven. The priests and diviners united all parties by recommending a course which would enable them easily to discriminate the true character of the calamities, and at the same time to propitiate the incensed Deity for any…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 6:2

• Kirjath-Jearim
• Miracles

In the dictionaries

• Philistines
• Along
• David
• Divination
• Ekron
• Harden
• Return
• Samuel, Books of
• Soothsayer
• Ark of the Covenant

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings