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1 Samuel 6:20

Beth-shemesh
God's holiness

18 The number of gold rats also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers—the fortified cities and their outlying villages. And the large rock on which they placed the ark of the LORD stands to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

19 But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.

The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom should the ark go up from here?”

21 So they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up with you.”

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Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom should the ark go up from here?”
KJV
And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
WEB
The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?”
ASV
And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
DARBY
And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
BLB
And the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the face of YHWH, this holy God? And to whom shall it go up from us?”
ÅB
Og mennene i Betsemes sa: Hvem kan holde stand for Herrens, denne hellige Guds åsyn, og til hvem skal han dra opp fra oss?
OTB
Og mennene i Bet-Semes sa: "Hvem kan stå i Herrens nærvær, denne hellige Gud? Til hvem skal arken gå herfra?"
B1930
Og mennene i Betsemes sa: Hvem kan holde stand for Herrens, denne hellige Guds åsyn, og til hvem skal han dra op fra oss?

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Malachi 3:2

    But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.

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  • 2 Samuel 6:9

    That day David feared the LORD and asked, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?”

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  • Revelation 6:17

    For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

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  • Leviticus 11:45

    For I am the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

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  • 2 Samuel 6:7

    And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there beside the ark of God.

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  • 1 Chronicles 13:11–13

    Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.

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  • 1 Samuel 5:8–12

    So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” “It must be moved to Gath,” they replied. So they carried away the ark of the God of Israel.

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  • Luke 5:8

    When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.”

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