1 Samuel 6:3-6

The Ark Returned to Israel

3 They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him b a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why c his hand does not turn away from you." 4 And they said, "What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?" They answered, "Five golden d tumors and five golden mice, e according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 So you must make images of your d tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, f and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps g he will lighten his hand from off you h and your gods and your land. 6 Why should you harden your hearts as i the Egyptians and j Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, k did they not send the people away, and they departed?

  1. Cross References
    Leviticus 5:15 - 16
    If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord, he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering.
  2. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:9
    And watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.
  3. Cross References
    1 Samuel 5:6
    The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
    1 Samuel 5:9
    But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them.
    1 Samuel 5:12
    The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
  4. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:17 - 18
    These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord : one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron.
    Joshua 13:3
    (from the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron), and those of the Avvim.
    Judges 3:3
    These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.
  5. Cross References
    1 Samuel 6:4
    And they said, "What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?" They answered, "Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.
  6. Cross References
    Joshua 7:19
    Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.
  7. Cross References
    1 Samuel 5:6
    The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
    1 Samuel 5:9
    But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them.
    1 Samuel 5:11
    They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people." For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there.
  8. Cross References
    1 Samuel 5:3 - 4
    And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.
    1 Samuel 5:7
    And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.
  9. Cross References
    Exodus 14:17
    And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen.
  10. Cross References
    Exodus 8:15
    But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, ...
    Exodus 8:32
    But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, ...
    Exodus 7:13
    Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he woul...
    Exodus 9:7
    And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the li...
    Exodus 9:35
    So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he di...
    Exodus 10:1
    Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh,...
  11. Cross References
    Exodus 12:31
    Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, "Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.