1 Samuel 6:8

8 And you must take the ark of Yahweh and place it on the utility cart with the gold objects that you [are] returning to him as a guilt offering. You must place [them] in the container beside [the ark] and then send it [off] so that it goes away.

1 Samuel 6:8 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 6:8

And take the ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart
Which was dispensed with in these uncircumcised Philistines, there being no other to do this service:

and put the jewels of gold;
or rather "vessels of gold" ^F16; the five golden emerods, and the five golden mice:

which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side
thereof;
in a basket, as the Syriac version: in a scrip, as the Arabic; in a purse, or bag, as Josephus ^F17; which latter is probable enough:

and send it away, that it may go;
that is, set it a going, without any driver or guide; but leave it to take its course of itself to the land of Israel. Josephus ^F18 says it was set in a place where three ways met, that it might take which it might; and the taking of the right way must be a strong evidence of its being under the direction of God.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 (bhzh ylk) "vasa aurea", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus
F17 Antiqu. l. 6. c. 1. sect. 2.
F18 Antiqu. l. 6. c. 1. sect. 2.

1 Samuel 6:8 In-Context

6 Why should you harden your hearts like [the] Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their heart? Is it not just like when he dealt with them wantonly so that they sent them away and they left?

7 So then, {prepare} one new utility cart and two milking cows that have never had a yoke on them, and you must harness the cows to the utility cart and then turn their calves from following them to their stall.

8 And you must take the ark of Yahweh and place it on the utility cart with the gold objects that you [are] returning to him as a guilt offering. You must place [them] in the container beside [the ark] and then send it [off] so that it goes away.

9 You must watch; if it goes up by the way of its territory to Beth Shemesh, he has caused this great disaster to [come on] us. But if not, then we will know his hand has not struck us; it [was by] chance [that] this happened to us.

10 So the men did so; they took two milking cows and harnessed them to the utility cart, but they shut up their calves in the stall.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or perhaps "chest" or "bag"