Tree of Life Version
1 Samuel 6:3
3So they said, “If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel back, do not send it empty. For you must surely return it with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will be revealed to you why His hand has not been removed from you.”
1 Samuel 6:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And 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.
- New International Version (NIV)They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift; by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you."
- New King James Version (NKJV)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.”
Context of 1 Samuel 6:3
1After the ark of Adonai had been in the country of the Philistines seven months, 2the Philistines summoned the priests and the diviners saying, “What should we do with the ark of Adonai? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.” So they said, “If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel back, do not send it empty. For you must surely return it with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will be revealed to you why His hand has not been removed from you.” 4“What guilt offering should we return to Him?” they asked. So they said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice—according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on each of you and on your lords. 5So you will make images of your tumors and images of your mice that mar the land, and you must give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps He will lighten His hand off of you, your gods and your land.
Read all of 1 Samuel 61 Samuel 6:3 word by word
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ אִֽם־מְשַׁלְּחִ֞ים אֶת־אֲר֨וֹן אֱלֹהֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אַל־תְּשַׁלְּח֤וּ אֹתוֹ֙ רֵיקָ֔ם כִּֽי־הָשֵׁ֥ב תָּשִׁ֛יבוּ ל֖וֹ אָשָׁ֑ם אָ֤ז תֵּרָֽפְאוּ֙ וְנוֹדַ֣ע לָכֶ֔ם לָ֛מָּה לֹא־תָס֥וּר יָד֖וֹ מִכֶּֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- If ye send awayשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
- the arkאֲרוֹן'ârôn 'ârôn · arkH727
- of the Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- it not emptyרֵיקָםrêyqâm · emptilyH7387
- but in any wiseשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- him a trespass offeringאָשָׁם'âshâm · guilt (offering)H817
- then ye shall be healedרָפָאrâphâ' râphâh · to healH7495
- and it shall be knownיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- to you why his handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- is not removedסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: turn asideH5493
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 6:3
- Exodus 23:15You are to observe the Feast of Matzot. For seven days you will eat matzot as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Aviv, for that is when you came out from Egypt. No one is to appear before Me empty-handed.
- Exodus 34:20A firstborn donkey you are to redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you are to break its neck. You must redeem all your firstborn sons. No one should appear before Me empty-handed.
- Deuteronomy 16:16Three times a year all your males are to appear before Adonai your God in the place He chooses—at the Feast of Matzot, the Feast of Shavuot, and the Feast of Sukkot. No one should appear before Adonai empty-handed—
- Leviticus 5:6Then he is to bring his trespass offering to Adonai for his sin that he committed: a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, as a sin offering. So the kohen is to make atonement for him over his sin.
- Leviticus 6:6Fire is to be kept burning on the altar continually—it must not go out.
- Leviticus 7:1“This is the Torah of the trespass offering. It is most holy.
- 1 Samuel 6:9Then watch—if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then it was He who inflicted on us this great harm. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it just happened to us by chance.”
- 1 Samuel 5:7When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay with us, for His hand has dealt harshly against us as well as against our god Dagon.”
- Job 10:2I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me; tell me why You contend with me.’
- Job 34:31“Suppose someone says to God, ‘I have born chastisement, but I will not act wickedly any more.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 6:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Send it not empty - As it appears ye have trespassed against him, send him an offering for this trespass. Why his hand is not removed - The sense is, If you send him a trespass-offering, and ye be cured, then ye shall know why his judgments have not been taken away from you previously to this offering. It is a common opinion, says Calmet, among all people, that although the Supreme Being needs nothing of his creatures, yet he requires that they should…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Send it not empty - See the marginal references. The pagan idea of appeasing the gods with gifts, and the scriptural idea of expressing penitence, allegiance, or love to God, by gifts and offerings to His glory and to the comfort of our fellow worshippers, coincide in the practical result.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The Philistines probably did not know about Israelite worship rules. A Philistine guilt offering was likely a payment to their god. It was to avoid his anger. This differs from the idea of atonement in Leviticus 16.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 6:3
In the dictionaries
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
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