1 Samuel 6:5

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.”

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.

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?

⁷ Now, therefore, prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.

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: 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.
KJV: Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
WEB: Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his hand from you, from your gods, and from your land.
ASV: Wherefore ye shall make images of your tumors, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
DARBY: And ye shall make images of your hemorrhoids, and images of your mice that destroy the land, and give glory to the God of Israel: perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
BLB: And you⁺ shall make images of your⁺ tumors and images of your⁺ rats that are ravaging the land, and you⁺ shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps He will lighten His hand from upon you⁺ and from upon your⁺ gods and from upon your⁺ land.

ÅB: Dere skal gjøre bilder av deres bylder og bilder av musene som ødelegger deres land, og gi Israels Gud ære; kanskje han da tar sin tunge hånd bort fra dere og fra deres gud og fra deres land.
OTB: Så lag modeller av byllene og rottene som herjer landet deres, og gi ære til Israels Gud. Kanskje vil Han løfte sin hånd fra dere, deres guder og deres land.
B1930: I skal gjøre billeder av eders bylder og billeder av musene som ødelegger eders land, og gi Israels Gud ære; kanskje han da tar sin tunge hånd bort fra eder og fra eders gud og fra eders land.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Joshua 7:19
So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
Read in context
1 Samuel 5:6–7
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 5:11
Then the Ekronites assembled all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel. It must return to its place, so that it will not kill us and our people!” For a deadly confusion had pervaded the city; the hand of God was heavy upon it.
Read in context
1 Samuel 5:3–4
When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.
Read in context
Isaiah 42:12
Let them give glory to the LORD and declare His praise in the islands.
Read in context
John 9:24
So a second time they called for the man who had been blind and said, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”
Read in context
Joel 1:4–7
What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.
Read in context
Jeremiah 13:16
Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.
Read in context