1 Samuel 6:4
New International Version
The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?” They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.

New Living Translation
“What sort of guilt offering should we send?” they asked. And they were told, “Since the plague has struck both you and your five rulers, make five gold tumors and five gold rats, just like those that have ravaged your land.

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
“What guilt offering should we send back to Him?” asked the Philistines. “Five gold tumors and five gold rats,” they said, “according to the number of rulers of the Philistines, since the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.

King James Bible
Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

New King James Version
Then they said, “What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.

New American Standard Bible
Then they said, “What is to be the guilt offering that we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice corresponding to the number of the governors of the Philistines, since one plague was on all of you and on your governors.

NASB 1995
Then they said, “What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of you and on your lords.

NASB 1977
Then they said, “What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of you and on your lords.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then they said, “What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of you and on your lords.

Amplified Bible
Then they said, “What shall the guilt offering be which we shall return to Him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords (governors) of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of you and on your lords.

Christian Standard Bible
They asked, “What guilt offering should we send back to him? ” And they answered, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice corresponding to the number of Philistine rulers, since there was one plague for both you and your rulers.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They asked, “What restitution offering should we send back to Him?” And they answered, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice corresponding to the number of Philistine rulers, since there was one plague for both you and your rulers.

American Standard Version
Then said they, What shall be the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden tumors, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

Contemporary English Version
"What should we send?" the Philistines asked. The priests and fortunetellers answered: There are five Philistine rulers, and they all have the same disease that you have.

English Revised Version
Then said they, What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden tumours, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The Philistines asked, "What kind of guilt offering should we give him?" The priests answered, "Five gold tumors and five gold mice for the [five] Philistine rulers because all of you and your rulers suffer from the same plague.

Good News Translation
"What gift shall we send him?" the people asked. They answered, "Five gold models of tumors and five gold mice, one of each for each Philistine king. The same plague was sent on all of you and on the five kings.

International Standard Version
They asked, "What is the guilt offering that we should send back to him?" "Five gold tumors and five gold mice," they answered, "according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, since the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.

Majority Standard Bible
?What guilt offering should we send back to Him?? asked the Philistines. ?Five gold tumors and five gold rats,? they said, ?according to the number of rulers of the Philistines, since the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.

NET Bible
They inquired, "What is the guilt offering that we should send to him?" They replied, "The Philistine leaders number five. So send five gold sores and five gold mice, for it is the same plague that has afflicted both you and your leaders.

New Heart English Bible
Then they said, "What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him?" They said, "Five golden tumors, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on you and your lords.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said they, What shall be the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

World English Bible
Then they said, “What should the trespass offering be which we shall return to him?” They said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, for the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they say, “What [is] the guilt-offering which we send back to Him?” And they say, “The number of the princes of the Philistines—five golden lumps, and five golden muroids—for one plague [is] to you all, and to your princes,

Young's Literal Translation
And they say, 'What is the guilt-offering which we send back to Him?' and they say, 'The number of the princes of the Philistines -- five golden emerods, and five golden mice -- for one plague is to you all, and to your princes,

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will say, What the trespass that we shall turn back to him? And they will say, The number of the princes of Philisteim, five gold tumors, and five gold mice: for one smiting upon them all and upon your princes.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They answered: What is it we ought to render unto him for sin? and they answered:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they said, “What is it that we ought to repay to him because of transgression?” And they responded:

New American Bible
When asked further, “What reparation offering should be our amends to God?” they replied: “Five golden tumors and five golden mice to correspond to the number of Philistine leaders, since the same plague has struck all of you and your leaders.

New Revised Standard Version
And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for the same plague was upon all of you and upon your lords.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they said, What sort of offerings shall we bring to it? They answered, Five golden boils and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was upon you all and upon your lords.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they said: “What offerings shall we bring to him?” And they said, “The number of the Tyrants of the Philistines five tumors of gold and five mice of gold, because one plague is for you and for the Tyrants
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then said they: 'What shall be the guilt-offering which we shall return to Him?' And they said: 'Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they say, What is the offering for the plague which we shall return to it? and they said,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Ark Returned to Israel
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 healed, and you will understand why His hand has not been lifted from you.” 4“What guilt offering should we send back to Him?” asked the Philistines. “Five gold tumors and five gold rats,” they said, “according to the number of rulers of the Philistines, since the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. 5Make images of your tumors and of the rats that are ravaging the land. Give glory to the God of Israel, and perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land.…

Cross References
Exodus 12:35-36
Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing. / And the LORD gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.

Exodus 7:8-12
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, / “When Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a serpent.” / So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. ...

Exodus 8:1-15
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. / But if you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. / The Nile will teem with frogs, and they will come into your palace and up to your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls. ...

Exodus 9:1-7
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. / But if you continue to restrain them and refuse to let them go, / then the hand of the LORD will bring a severe plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. ...

Exodus 10:21-29
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.” / So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days. / No one could see anyone else, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings. ...

Numbers 21:6-9
So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died. / Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Intercede with the LORD so He will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses interceded for the people. / Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” ...

Deuteronomy 28:27
The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors and scabs and itch from which you cannot be cured.

Joshua 6:17-19
Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent. / But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it. / For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.”

1 Samuel 5:6-12
Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity, ravaging them and afflicting them with tumors. / And when the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, because His hand is heavy upon us and upon our god Dagon.” / So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” “It must be moved to Gath,” they replied. So they carried away the ark of the God of Israel. ...

2 Kings 5:1-14
Now Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight and highly regarded, for through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. And he was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. / At this time the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel, and she was serving Naaman’s wife. / She said to her mistress, “If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy.” ...

2 Kings 7:3-8
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die? / If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ we will die there from the famine in the city; but if we sit here, we will also die. So come now, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.” / So they arose at twilight and went to the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the outskirts of the camp, there was not a man to be found. ...

Isaiah 66:19-20
I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory. So they will proclaim My glory among the nations. / And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as a gift to the LORD on horses and chariots and wagons, on mules and camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “just as the Israelites bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.”

Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Neither are you able to do good—you who are accustomed to doing evil.

Ezekiel 14:21
For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem My four dire judgments—sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague—in order to cut off from it both man and beast?

Matthew 2:11
On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.


Treasury of Scripture

Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which 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 one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

Five golden

1 Samuel 6:5,17,18
Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land…

1 Samuel 5:6,9
But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof…

Exodus 12:35
And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

you all [heb] them

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Caused Disease Emerods Hemorrhoids Images Lords Mice Offering Philistine Philistines Plague Rats Rulers Struck Trespass Trespass-Offering Tumors
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Caused Disease Emerods Hemorrhoids Images Lords Mice Offering Philistine Philistines Plague Rats Rulers Struck Trespass Trespass-Offering Tumors
1 Samuel 6
1. After seven months the Philistines take counsel how to send back the ark
10. They bring it on a new cart with an offering unto Beth Shemesh
19. The people are smitten for looking into the ark
21. They send to them of Kiriath Jearim to fetch it














What guilt offering should we send back to Him?”
The Philistines, having captured the Ark of the Covenant, are now seeking to appease the God of Israel due to the calamities that have befallen them. The term "guilt offering" in Hebrew is "אָשָׁם" (asham), which signifies a restitution or compensation for wrongdoing. This reflects the Philistines' recognition of their transgression against the God of Israel and their desire to make amends. In the ancient Near Eastern context, offerings were a common practice to appease deities, indicating a universal understanding of divine justice and the need for reconciliation.

Five gold tumors and five gold rats,”
The choice of "gold tumors" and "gold rats" as offerings is deeply symbolic. The Hebrew word for "tumors" is "עֳפָלִים" (ophalim), which refers to the afflictions that plagued the Philistines. The use of gold, a precious metal, signifies the value and seriousness of the offering. The "rats" are mentioned in connection with the devastation of the land, possibly indicating a plague or infestation. This dual offering represents both the physical and environmental calamities experienced by the Philistines, acknowledging the comprehensive nature of their suffering and their earnest attempt to address it.

according to the number of the Philistine rulers
The Philistines were organized into a pentapolis, consisting of five major cities: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. Each city was governed by a ruler, and the offering of five gold items corresponds to these five leaders. This reflects the collective responsibility and unity of the Philistine leadership in addressing the crisis. It also underscores the widespread impact of the divine judgment, affecting all levels of Philistine society.

because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers
The phrase highlights the indiscriminate nature of the divine judgment, affecting both common people and leaders alike. This serves as a reminder of the sovereignty and impartiality of God, who judges all people regardless of status. The Hebrew word for "plague" is "מַכָּה" (makkah), which can mean a blow or a strike, emphasizing the severity of the affliction. This acknowledgment by the Philistines of the shared suffering underscores their desperation and the urgency of their need for divine mercy.

(4) Five golden emerods, and five golden mice.--It was a general custom in the nations of antiquity to offer to the deity, to whom sickness or recovery from sickness was ascribed, likenesses of the diseased parts; so, too, those who had escaped from shipwreck would offer pictures, or perhaps their garments, to Neptune, or, as some tell us, to Isis. (See, for instance, Horace, Carm. i. 5.) Slaves and gladiators would present their arms to Hercules; captives would dedicate their chains to some deity. This practice has found favour in more modern times. In the fifth century Christians--Theodoret tells us--would often offer in their churches gold or silver hands and feet, or eyes, as a thank-offering for cures effected in reply to prayer. Similar votive offerings are still made in Roman Catholic countries.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“What
מָ֣ה (māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

guilt offering
הָאָשָׁם֮ (hā·’ā·šām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 817: Guilt, a fault, a sin-offering

should we send back to Him?”
נָשִׁ֣יב (nā·šîḇ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

asked the Philistines.
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Five
חֲמִשָּׁה֙ (ḥă·miš·šāh)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 2568: Five

gold
זָהָ֔ב (zā·hāḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2091: Gold, something gold-colored, as oil, a clear sky

tumors
טְחֹרֵ֣י (ṭə·ḥō·rê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6076: A tumor, a mound, fortress

and five
וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה (wa·ḥă·miš·šāh)
Conjunctive waw | Number - masculine singular
Strong's 2568: Five

gold
זָהָ֑ב (zā·hāḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2091: Gold, something gold-colored, as oil, a clear sky

rats,”
עַכְבְּרֵ֣י (‘aḵ·bə·rê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5909: A mouse

they said,
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“[according to] the number
מִסְפַּר֙ (mis·par)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4557: A number, definite, indefinite, narration

of rulers
סַרְנֵ֣י (sar·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5633: An axle, a peer

of the Philistines,
פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים (p̄ə·liš·tîm)
Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia

since
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

the same
אַחַ֛ת (’a·ḥaṯ)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

plague [has struck]
מַגֵּפָ֥ה (mag·gê·p̄āh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4046: A blow, slaughter, plague, pestilence

both you
לְכֻלָּ֖ם (lə·ḵul·lām)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

and your rulers.
וּלְסַרְנֵיכֶֽם׃ (ū·lə·sar·nê·ḵem)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 5633: An axle, a peer


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OT History: 1 Samuel 6:4 Then they said What shall be (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 6:3
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