1 Samuel 6:17

17 Soothly these be the golden arses, which the Philistines yielded to the Lord for their trespass; Ashdod yielded one; Gaza one; Askelon one; Gath one; Ekron one;

1 Samuel 6:17 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 6:17

And these are the golden emerods, which the Philistines
returned for a trespass offering unto the Lord
Along with the ark:

for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon, one, for Gath one, for Ekron
one;
which were the five principalities of the Philistines that belonged to the five lords before mentioned; and each of these were at the expense of a golden emerod, and sent it along with the ark to make atonement for the offence they had been guilty of in taking and detaining it.

1 Samuel 6:17 In-Context

15 And the deacons took down the ark of God, and the little coffer that was beside it, wherein the golden vessels were; and they putted those upon the great stone. And the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt sacrifices, and offered slain sacrifices in that day to the Lord. (And the Levites took down the Ark of God, and the small box that was beside it, which held the gold vessels; and they put them on the great stone. And the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt sacrifices, and slain sacrifices, to the Lord that day.)

16 And [the] five princes of Philistines saw, and turned again into Ekron in that day. (And the five princes of the Philistines saw it, and then returned to Ekron that day.)

17 Soothly these be the golden arses, which the Philistines yielded to the Lord for their trespass; Ashdod yielded one; Gaza one; Askelon one; Gath one; Ekron one;

18 and the Philistines yielded golden mice by the number of cities of Philistines of [the] five provinces, from a walled city unto an unwalled town, and unto the great stone that was called Abel, on which they putted the ark of the Lord, the which stone was there unto that day in the field of Joshua of Bethshemesh. (and they also gave gold mice by the number of the Philistines? cities governed by the five princes, from a walled city unto an unwalled town. And the great stone that was called Eben, on which they put the Ark of the Lord, is there unto this day, in the field of Joshua of Bethshemesh.)

19 Forsooth the Lord smote of the men of Bethshemesh, for they had seen the ark of the Lord, and he smote of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand of the poor-all . And the people mourned, for the Lord had smitten the people with [a] great vengeance. (But the Lord struck down the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked inside the Ark of the Lord, and so he struck down seventy men of the people there. And the people mourned, for the Lord had struck down the people with such a great slaughter.)