1 Samuel 6:9
in 1 Samuel 6but 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.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And see; if it goeth up by the way of its own border to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.
KJV
And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth–shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 6
Commentary
10 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Bethshemesh was the first Israelite town they would come to, being on the border of Judah. (See the marginal reference.)
This site's exposition
prepare one new cart with two milk cows
on 1 Samuel 6:7-9
The priests' test is “one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked”. Cows fresh from calving would by instinct turn back for their young. A straight road to Beth-shemesh would show “it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster”.
This site's exposition
but keep watching it
The priests leave room for chance. Adam Clarke explained the word chance as a disaster arising from ordinary causes, such as bad air or poor food. John Wesley observed that cows taking the road to Beth-shemesh against their instinct, away from their calves, would show the hand of the LORD.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
For this reason he [Paul] says, "Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, to them that are without law, as without law, to those that are under the Law, as under the Law." Thus does God too, as in the case of the wise men, He does not conduct them by an Angel, nor a Prophet, nor an Apostle, nor an Evangelist, but how? By a star. For as their art made them conversant with these, He made use of such means to guide them. So in the case of the oxen, that drew the ark. "If it goeth up by the way of his own coast, then He hath done us this great evil," as their prophets suggested. Do these prophets then speak the truth? No; but he refutes and confounds them out of their own mouths.
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 3, Chapter 4 · Written before 604.
proposed
13. Bethshemesh, as we have already said, is interpreted as "house of the sun." The preachers observe the released ark to see whether it proceeds on a straight path toward Bethshemesh, because even when subjects are released to their own judgment, prelates must examine whether they convert the good of liberty to the advancement of the heavenly journey. But it must also be carefully noted that the ark rightly ascends toward Bethshemesh when it does not abandon the road of the border territory while traveling.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
His own coast - Or Border, that is, the way that leadeth to his coast, or border, namely, the country to which it belongs. Then he, &c. - Which they might well conclude, if such heifers should against their common use, and natural instinct, go into a strange path, and regularly and constantly proceed in it, without any man's conduct.
15 And the Levites took down the ark of the L ORD , and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the L ORD .
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:92%@v15
And see if it goeth up by the way of its own coast to Bethshemesh,.... The nearest city to the land of the Philistines, which lay on their borders, and the borders of the tribe of Judah; see Gill on Jos 15:
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Beth-shemesh--that is, "house of the sun," now Ain Shems [ROBINSON], a city of priests in Judah, in the southeast border of Dan, lying in a beautiful and extensive valley.
A chance that happened to us - The word מקרה mikreh, from קרה karah, to meet or coalesce, signifies an event that naturally arises from such concurring causes as, in the order and nature of things, must produce it. Thus a bad state of the atmosphere, putrid exhalations, bad diet, occasioned by any general scarcity, might have produced the disease in question; and to something of this kind they would attribute it, if the other evidences did not concur. This gives us the proper notion of chance; and shows us that it is a matter as dependent upon the Divine providence, as any thing can be: in short, that these occurrences are parts of the Divine government. The word chance, though often improperly used to signify such an occurrence as is not under the Divine government, is of itself, not only simple, but expressive; and has nearly the meaning of the Hebrew word: it comes from the French cheoir, or escheoir, to fall out, to occur, to fall to. Hence our law-term escheat, any lands that fall to the lord of the manor by forfeiture, or for want of heirs: i.e., these are the occurrences which naturally throw the lands into the hands of the lord.
The words behind it
26 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּרְאִיתֶ֗ם | ureitem | and you will see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| דֶּ֨רֶךְ | derekh | [the] way of | H1870 → | 707 times |
| גְּבוּל֤וֹ | gevulo | own territory its | H1366 → | 240 times |
| יַֽעֲלֶה֙ | yaaleh | it will go up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| בֵּ֣ית | beit | Beth | H1053 → | 42 times |
| שֶׁ֔מֶשׁ | shemesh | Shemesh | H1053 → | 42 times |
| ה֚וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| עָ֣שָׂה | ʾasah | he has done | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| לָ֔נוּ | lanu | to <the> us | ||
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָרָעָ֥ה | haraah | the harm | H7451 → | 662 times |
| הַגְּדוֹלָ֖ה | hagedolah | <the> great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| הַזֹּ֑את | hazot | <the> this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| וְאִם־ | veim- | and if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| לֹ֗א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| וְיָדַ֙עְנוּ֙ | veyada'nu | and we will know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לֹ֤א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָדוֹ֙ | yado | hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| נָ֣גְעָה | nageah | it touched | H5060 → | 150 times |
| בָּ֔נוּ | banu | <in> <the> us | ||
| מִקְרֶ֥ה | mikreh | chance | H4745 → | |
| ה֖וּא | hu' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| הָ֥יָה | hayah | it happened | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לָֽנוּ׃ | lanu | to <the> us |
וּרְאִיתֶ֗םand you will see
ureitemH7200 →1300 times
אִם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
דֶּ֨רֶךְ[the] way of
derekhH1870 →707 times
גְּבוּל֤וֹown territory its
gevuloH1366 →240 times
יַֽעֲלֶה֙it will go up
yaalehH5927 →890 times
בֵּ֣יתBeth
beitH1053 →42 times
שֶׁ֔מֶשׁShemesh
shemeshH1053 →42 times
ה֚וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
עָ֣שָׂהhe has done
ʾasahH6213 →2628 times
לָ֔נוּto <the> us
lanu
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָרָעָ֥הthe harm
haraahH7451 →662 times
הַגְּדוֹלָ֖ה<the> great
hagedolahH1419 →526 times
הַזֹּ֑את<the> this
hazotH2063 →603 times
וְאִם־and if
veim-H518 →1069 times
לֹ֗אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
וְיָדַ֙עְנוּ֙and we will know
veyada'nuH3045 →945 times
כִּ֣יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
לֹ֤אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יָדוֹ֙hand his
yadoH3027 →1618 times
נָ֣גְעָהit touched
nageahH5060 →150 times
בָּ֔נוּ<in> <the> us
banu
מִקְרֶ֥הchance
mikrehH4745 →
ה֖וּאit
hu'H1931 →1879 times
הָ֥יָהit happened
hayahH1961 →3559 times
לָֽנוּ׃to <the> us
lanu
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ecclesiastes 9:11I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 9:23
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.
- Proverbs 21:30–31
There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
- Lamentations 3:37–38
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
- Job 5:11–14
He sets the lowly on high, so that mourners are lifted to safety.
- Ecclesiastes 3:17
I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.”
- Jeremiah 9:23
Through
Joshua 15:10The border curled westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, ran along the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), went down to Beth-shemesh, and crossed to Timnah.
it leads to
- Judges 14:1
One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he saw a young Philistine woman.
- Judges 14:1
Through
1 Samuel 6:3They 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…
it leads to
- 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…
- Deuteronomy 16:16
Through
2 Samuel 1:6“I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,” he replied, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and the cavalry closing in on him.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 28:4
The Philistines came together and camped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and camped at Gilboa.
- 1 Samuel 28:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this verse
On this chapter
About 1 Samuel
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 3, Chapter 4; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Titus 3; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.