1 Samuel 6:4

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.”

³ 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.”

“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.

⁶ Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When He afflicted them, did they not send the people on their way as they departed?

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: “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.
KJV: Then 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.
WEB: Then they said, “What should the trespass offering be which we shall return to him?” They said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, for the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
ASV: Then said they, What shall be the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden tumors, 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.
DARBY: Then they said, What is the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden hemorrhoids, and five golden mice, the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague is upon them all, and upon your lords.
BLB: And they said, “What [is] the guilt offering that we shall return to Him?” And they answered, “The number of the lords of the Philistines—five golden tumors and five golden rats—for one plague [is] on all of you and on your⁺ lords.

ÅB: Da sa de: Hva er det for et skyldoffer vi skal gi ham til vederlag? De svarte: Fem bylder av gull og fem mus av gull, etter tallet på filistrenes høvdinger; for det er en og samme plage som har rammet alle, også deres høvdinger.
OTB: Filisterne spurte: "Hva slags skyldoffer skal vi sende til Ham?" De svarte: "Fem gullbyller og fem gullrotter, i samsvar med antallet av filisternes herskere, fordi den samme plagen rammet dere alle og deres herskere.
B1930: Da sa de: Hvad er det for et skyldoffer vi skal gi ham til vederlag? De svarte: Fem bylder av gull og fem mus av gull, efter tallet på filistrenes høvdinger; for det er en og samme plage som har rammet alle, også eders høvdinger.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Joshua 13:3
from the Shihor east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)—that of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as that of the Avvites;
Read in context
1 Samuel 6:17–18
As a guilt offering to the LORD, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.
Read in context
Judges 3:3
the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.
Read in context
1 Samuel 5:6
Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity, ravaging them and afflicting them with tumors.
Read in context
1 Samuel 5:9
But after they had moved the ark to Gath, the LORD’s hand was also against that city, throwing it into great confusion and afflicting the men of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.
Read in context
1 Samuel 5:12
Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.
Read in context
Exodus 12:35
Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing.
Read in context
1 Samuel 6:5
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.
Read in context