1 Samuel 6:18

18 y ratones de oro conforme al número de todas las ciudades de los filisteos pertenecientes a los cinco cardinales, en rescate por los de las ciudades fuertes y por los moradores de los campos, hasta la gran piedra sobre la cual pusieron el arca del SEÑOR. Tienen esto en memoria en el campo de Josué, bet-semita hasta hoy

1 Samuel 6:18 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 6:18

And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities
of the Philistines belonging to the five lords
That is, as many golden mice as there were cities under the jurisdiction of the five lords, which are the same before mentioned:

both of fenced cities and of country villages;
walled and unwalled towns; it seems by this, as it was but reasonable it should be, that the several villages adjacent and belonging to the five principal cities contributed their part towards the expense of the five golden emerods, and five golden mice, since they were afflicted both in their persons, and especially in their fields, as well as those in the cities; though Kimchi and others think that the country villages sent each of them a golden emerod, and a golden mouse, fearing the presents of the five cities would not serve for them; and therefore, though the priests and diviners only ordered five of each, according to the number of the principal cities, yet they of themselves sent more: all the country villages that reached

even unto the great stone of Abel;
the Targum is,

``unto the great stone'';

and so the Septuagint version, reading Eben instead of Ebal; or "lamed" is put for "nun", as "nun" for "lamed", ( Nehemiah 13:7 Nehemiah 13:8 ) . The Vulgate Latin version is unto great Abel, taking it for a city, as does Procopius Gazaeus, who calls it the great city Abel, through which they carried the ark of the Lord; so Jerom ^F25, who takes it to be the same with Bethshemesh, called Abel because of the mourning in it for the men of Bethshemesh after slain; or to distinguish it from another Abel is called "great", ( 2 Samuel 20:15 ) but it seems plainly to be the same with the great stone, ( 1 Samuel 6:14 1 Samuel 6:15 ) , here called Eben Gedolah, here Abel Gedolah, by the change of a letter, having its latter name by anticipation from the great mourning hereafter made, next mentioned:

whereon they set down the ark of the Lord;
when it was taken out of the cart, as also the coffer in which were the presents, ( 1 Samuel 6:15 ) ,

which: stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua the
Bethshemite:
the supplement, which stone remaineth, seems necessary, lest it should be thought the ark remained there unto the time of the writing this book, which was not true, for it was soon after this fetched to Kirjathjearim; but the stone remained, and might be seen; and posterity in following times were told that was the stone on which the ark was put when it returned to Israel.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Trad. Heb. ut supra. (Hieron. Trad. Heb. in lib. Reg. fol. 75. D.)

1 Samuel 6:18 In-Context

16 Lo cual viendo los cinco cardinales de los filisteos, se volvieron a Ecrón el mismo día

17 Estas pues son las hemorroides de oro que pagaron los filisteos al SEÑOR en expiación por su culpa: por Asdod una, por Gaza una, por Ascalón una, por Gat una, por Ecrón una

18 y ratones de oro conforme al número de todas las ciudades de los filisteos pertenecientes a los cinco cardinales, en rescate por los de las ciudades fuertes y por los moradores de los campos, hasta la gran piedra sobre la cual pusieron el arca del SEÑOR. Tienen esto en memoria en el campo de Josué, bet-semita hasta hoy

19 Entonces hirió Dios de los de Bet-semes, porque habían mirado el arca del SEÑOR; hirió en el pueblo setenta varones y cincuenta mil hombres. Y el pueblo se puso de luto, porque el SEÑOR había herido al pueblo de tan gran plaga

20 Y dijeron los de Bet-semes: ¿Quién podrá estar delante del SEÑOR el Dios santo? ¿Y a quién subirá desde nosotros