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1 Samuel 6:3

Sin

1 When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines seven months,

2 the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how to send it back to its place.”

They replied, “If you return the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means return it to Him with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why His hand has not been lifted from you.”

4 “What guilt offering should we send back to Him?” asked the Philistines. “Five gold tumors and five gold rats,” they said, “according to the number of rulers of the Philistines, since the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.

5 Make images of your tumors and of the rats that are ravaging the land. Give glory to the God of Israel, and perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land.

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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
They replied, “If you return the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means return it to Him with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why His hand has not been lifted from you.”
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.
WEB
They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, don’t send it empty; but by all means return a trespass offering to him. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.”
ASV
And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but by all means 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.
DARBY
And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; ye must at any rate 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.
BLB
And they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty. But you⁺ shall by all means return [it] to Him [with] a guilt offering. Then you⁺ will be healed, and it will be known to you⁺ why His hand has not turned aside from you⁺.”
ÅB
De svarte: Dersom dere sender Israels Guds ark bort, må dere ikke sende den uten gaver, men dere skal gi ham et skyldoffer til vederlag; da skal dere bli legt, og dere skal få vite hvorfor hans hånd ikke viker fra dere.
OTB
De svarte: "Hvis dere sender tilbake Israels Guds ark, må dere ikke sende den tom, men sørg for å sende med et skyldoffer. Da vil dere bli helbredet, og dere vil forstå hvorfor Hans hånd ikke har vendt seg bort fra dere."
B1930
De svarte: Dersom I sender Israels Guds ark bort, må I ikke sende den uten gaver, men I skal gi ham et skyldoffer til vederlag; da skal I bli lægt, og I skal få vite hvorfor hans hånd ikke viker fra eder.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Exodus 23:15

    You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread as I commanded you: At the appointed time in the month of Abib you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, because that was the month you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before Me empty-handed.

    Read in context

  • Deuteronomy 16:16

    Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed.

    Read in context

  • 1 Samuel 6:9

    but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance.”

    Read in context

  • Exodus 34:20

    You must redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb; but if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one shall appear before Me empty-handed.

    Read in context

  • 1 Samuel 5:7

    And when the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, because His hand is heavy upon us and upon our god Dagon.”

    Read in context

  • Job 34:31–32

    Suppose someone says to God, ‘I have endured my punishment; I will offend no more.

    Read in context

  • Leviticus 5:15–19

    “If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering.

    Read in context

  • Leviticus 7:1–7

    “Now this is the law of the guilt offering, which is most holy:

    Read in context