1 Samuel 6:17 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
1 Samuel 6:17
And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
gold · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
emerods
טְחֹרֵ֣יte.cho.Rei
H2914
a boil or ulcer (from the inflammation) · noun, common masculine plural construct
Philistines
פְלִשְׁתִּ֛יםfe.lish.Tim
H6430
a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth · noun, gentilic masculine plural absolute
returned
הֵשִׁ֧יבוּhe.Shi.vu
H7725
to turn back (hence · verb, hiphil perfect, 3rd person common plural
offering
אָשָׁ֖ם'a.Sham
H817
guilt · noun, common masculine singular absolute
LORD
לַֽיהוָ֑הla.Yah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · preposition + proper noun, a title
Ashdod
לְאַשְׁדּ֨וֹדle.'ash.Dod
H795
Ashdod · preposition + proper noun, a place name
one
אֶחָ֜ד'e.Chad
H259
properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute
Gaza
לְעַזָּ֤הle.'a.Zah
H5804
Azzah · preposition + proper noun, a place name
one
אֶחָד֙'e.Chad
H259
properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute
Askelon
לְאַשְׁקְל֣וֹןle.'ash.ke.Lon
H831
Ashkelon · preposition + proper noun, a place name
one
אֶחָ֔ד'e.Chad
H259
properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute
Gath
לְגַ֥תle.Gat
H1661
Gath · preposition + proper noun, a place name
one
אֶחָ֖ד'e.Chad
H259
properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute
Ekron
לְעֶקְר֥וֹןle.'ek.Ron
H6138
Ekron · preposition + proper noun, a place name
one
אֶחָֽד'e.Chad
H259
properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
2 Samuel 1:20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the unci…
Judges 1:18 Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.
Judges 16:1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
Judges 16:21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in t…
1 Samuel 5:1 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod.
1 Samuel 5:8 They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? A…
1 Samuel 5:10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, The…
1 Samuel 6:4 Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice,…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 6:10-18
We are here told,
I. How the Philistines dismissed the ark, Sa1 6:10, Sa1 6:11. They were made as glad to part with it as ever they had been to take it. As God had fetched Israel out of the house of bondage, so now he fetched the ark out of its captivity, in such a manner as that Egypt was glad when they departed, Psa 105:38. 1. They received no money or price for the ransom of it, as they hoped to do, even beyond a king's ransom. Thus it is prophesied of Cyrus (Isa 45:13), He shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward. Nay, 2. They gave jewels of gold, as the Egyptians did to the Israelites, to be rid of it. Thus the ark that was carried into the land of the Philistines, a trophy of…
And these are the golden emerods . . . and the mice--There were five representative images of the emerods, corresponding to the five principal cities of the Philistines. But the number of the golden mice must have been greater, for they were sent from the walled towns as well as the country villages.
Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 6:17
These are the golden emerods - Each of these cities, in what may be called its corporate capacity, sent a golden emerod.
John Gill on 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.
Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 6:15-18
Sa1 6:15 contains a supplementary remark, therefore הורידוּ is to be translated as a pluperfect. After sacrificing the cart, with the cows, as a burnt-offering to the Lord, the inhabitants of Bethshemesh gave a further practical expression to their joy at the return of the ark, by offering burnt-offerings and slain-offerings in praise of God. In the burnt-offerings they consecrated themselves afresh, with all their members, to the service of the Lord; and in the slain-offerings, which culminated in the sacrificial meals, they sealed anew their living fellowship with the Lord. The offering of these sacrifices at Bethshemesh was no offence against the commandment, to sacrifice to the Lord at t…
The Church Fathers
29. What all these things signify has been set forth at length above. But what does it mean that when the debt owed to the ark is commanded to be paid for sin, five golden hemorrhoids and five mice are named together; yet when what was owed is declared to have already been paid, individual cities are reported to have each paid one separately? But they are named together above because the adornment of all members was being shown together, in the exchange of good works; but here, when the debt paid to the ark is described, it is carefully shown that individual cities offered one golden hemorrhoid each and one mouse each: so that indeed it may be suggested to the converted sinner that he should abandon sins once for all, and not seek again through habitual depravity what he has left behind. For individual cities pay back one hemorrhoid and one mouse each, when converted sinners do not repeat sins once washed away by the tears of repentance. Whence also Sacred Scripture admonishes, saying: "Do not repeat a word in your prayer" (Sirach 7:15). For he repeats a word in prayer who has tried to purge sins by prayers, yet does not cease to commit others for which he must pray. He indeed does not offer one hemorrhoid and one mouse to God for his offense: because even if he is pricked with repentance, he multiplies the foul deeds which, in confessing to God, he presents before Him. When therefore the cities of the Philistines, or individual provinces, are described as having paid back one hemorrhoid and one mouse, what else does this signify but the perfection of true conversion? For he is perfectly converted who, once he has lamented what he had done wickedly, does not repeat what he would have to lament again. Therefore he offers one hemorrhoid and one mouse for sin who so mourns past deeds committed that he perfectly guards against future ones. And because this form of conversion must be observed in the holy Church by the wise as much as by the unlearned, by the strong as much as by the weak, the payment of this debt is rightly said to extend from the walled city even to the village without a wall. For no one established within the holy Church is free to sin, for no one is it harmless to commit wicked deeds. Wherefore the Lord threatens through the prophet, saying: "The soul that sins, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). For walled cities are minds surrounded by the…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Ashkelon — =Askelon=Ascalon, was one of the five cities of the Philistines (Josh. 13:3; 1 Sam. 6:17). It stood on the shore of the Mediterranean, 12 miles north of Gaza. It is mentioned on an inscription at…
Ashkelon, Askelon — Apocrypha As’calon (migration), one of the five cities of the Philistines, (Joshua 113:3; 1 Samuel 6:17) a seaport on the Mediterranean, 10 miles north of Gaza. Samson went down from Timnath to…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Gath — A wine-vat, one of the five royal cities of the Philistines (Josh. 13:3) on which the ark brought calamity (1 Sam. 5:8, 9; 6:17). It was famous also as being the birthplace or residence of Goliath (1…
Gaza — Called also Azzah, which is its Hebrew name (Deut. 2:23; 1 Kings 4:24; Jer. 25:20), strong, a city on the Mediterranean shore, remarkable for its early importance as the chief centre of a great…
Ark Of The Covenant · Miracles connected with: Manner of its restoration — Miracles connected with: Manner of its restoration
Ashdod · A city of the Philistines — A city of the Philistines
Ashkelon · Emerods (tumors, R. V.) of — Emerods (tumors, R. V.) of
Gath · 13:3; — 13:3;
Philistines · Country of: Had many flourishing cities — Country of: Had many flourishing cities
Tumor · A morbid swelling (R. V.) — A morbid swelling (R. V.)
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
guilt offering: See study note on 6:3. • Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron: These five major Philistine cities were located on or near the Great Trunk Road. This major ancient trade route connected Egypt with Mesopotamia via the coastal plain of Canaan. Each city was governed by a king-like ruler (6:16).
Rashi on 1 Samuel 6:13
And they rejoiced to see. They were going to see how it came alone, and out of their joy, they behaved with levity, for they did not gaze at it with awe and respect.6They violated the commandment “and they shall not come in to see when the holy is being covered and [they will not] die,” in Bamidbar 4:20.
