1 Samuel 6:14 kjv
And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD.
1 Samuel 6:14 nkjv
Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
1 Samuel 6:14 niv
The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
1 Samuel 6:14 esv
The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
1 Samuel 6:14 nlt
The cart came into the field of a man named Joshua and stopped beside a large rock. So the people broke up the wood of the cart for a fire and killed the cows and sacrificed them to the LORD as a burnt offering.
1 Samuel 6 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 25:10-22 | "They shall make an ark of acacia wood... inside and out you shall overlay it with pure gold..." | Divine instructions for the Ark's construction |
| Num 4:15 | "...the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them... not touch holy things, lest they die." | Proper Ark handling by Levites only |
| 2 Sam 6:3-7 | "...they put the ark of God on a new cart... when they came to the threshing floor of Nachon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark... the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah..." | Improper Ark handling leads to judgment |
| 1 Chr 15:2 | Then David said, "No one is to carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the LORD has chosen them..." | Affirmation of Levite responsibility |
| Josh 21:16 | "...and Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands; four cities." | Beth-shemesh identified as a Levitical city |
| Gen 8:20-21 | Then Noah built an altar to the LORD... offered burnt offerings... and the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma... | Early example of a pleasing burnt offering |
| Lev 1:3-17 | "If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish..." | Laws for whole burnt offerings |
| Lev 6:9-13 | "The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night... fire on the altar must be kept burning." | Perpetual burnt offering instruction |
| 1 Sam 5:1-5 | "When the Philistines captured the ark of God... Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD." | Defeat of Dagon by God's power |
| 1 Sam 6:7-9 | "Now then, get a new cart and two milk cows that have never been yoked and send them straight to Kiriath-jearim..." | Philistine test to confirm God's hand |
| 1 Sam 6:12 | "The cows went straight to Beth-shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing as they went, and did not turn aside..." | Miraculous nature of the journey |
| 1 Sam 6:19-20 | "But he struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh... for looking into the ark of the LORD." | Consequence of irreverence for the Ark |
| Psa 78:60-61 | "He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mortals, and delivered his power to captivity, his glory into the hand of the foe." | God allowing the Ark's temporary capture |
| Is 55:11 | "...So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire..." | God's word and purpose unfailingly fulfilling |
| Matt 12:6 | "I tell you that something greater than the temple is here." | Christ's supremacy over physical worship elements |
| John 4:21-24 | "...true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him." | Transition from physical altars to spiritual worship |
| Heb 9:3-4 | "Behind the second curtain was a tabernacle... containing the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant..." | Ark as a holy object within the Tabernacle |
| Heb 10:1-4 | "For since the law has but a shadow... it can never, by the same sacrifices continually offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near." | Limitation of animal sacrifices to truly cleanse |
| Rom 12:1 | "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." | Believer's spiritual sacrifice |
| Eph 5:2 | "...and Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." | Christ as the ultimate perfect sacrifice |
1 Samuel 6 verses
1 Samuel 6 14 Meaning
The Ark of the Covenant, returned by the Philistines, miraculously arrived in Beth-shemesh, a Levitical city. It stopped at a specific field where the residents dismantled the cart that brought it, sacrificing both the wood and the very cows that had drawn the Ark. This action served as a burnt offering to the LORD, marking the Ark's return and demonstrating worship of the true God.
1 Samuel 6 14 Context
This verse is pivotal in the narrative of the Ark of the Covenant's return from Philistine captivity, which began in 1 Samuel chapter 4. After seven months of the Ark bringing divine judgment upon the Philistine cities of Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron, the Philistine lords sought to return it. As a test to discern if the calamities were indeed from the God of Israel, they placed the Ark on a new cart drawn by two unyoked milk cows whose calves were kept from them. Against natural instinct, these cows miraculously traveled directly to Beth-shemesh, a Levitical city in Judah. Verse 14 describes the specific actions of the Beth-shemesh inhabitants upon receiving the Ark, demonstrating an act of worship and thanksgiving to the LORD for its return and the validation of His power over their pagan gods. However, the subsequent verses will highlight their error of looking into the Ark, resulting in a severe plague.
1 Samuel 6 14 Word analysis
- "And the cart came": (וְהָעֲגָלָה תָּבֹא,
vehaagalah tavo`). The definite article "the" highlights this specific Philistine cart, central to their test. Its arrival, ending its divinely guided journey, signified God's control. Notably, this method of transport was improper according to Mosaic law (Num 4:15), a deviation later seen in Israel (2 Sam 6). - "into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh": (אֶל־שְׂדֵה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַבֵּית־הַשִּׁמְשִׁי,
el-sedeh Yehoshua habbet-hashimshi).שָׂדֶה(sadeh) denotes a specific landowner's cultivated field, precise in location. "Beth-shemesh" (בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ), meaning "house of the sun," was a Levitical city (Josh 21:16), making it a logical destination for the Ark's return. The city's name itself might allude to past pagan sun worship, contrasted by the arrival of the Ark of YHWH. - "and stood there": (וַתַּעֲמֹד שָׁם,
vatamod sham`). This signifies the absolute precision of the divinely guided journey, stopping exactly as God willed. It confirmed the Philistines' test (1 Sam 6:9), that the plagues were indeed from the God of Israel. - "where there was a great stone": (וְשָׁם אֶבֶן גְּדוֹלָה,
ve-sham even gedolah).אֶבֶן(even) is a stone, andגְּדוֹלָה(gedolah) means great. This large stone likely served as an impromptu altar or a memorial marker. Large stones often marked significant divine encounters or covenants in biblical narratives (e.g., Gen 28:18; Josh 24:26). - "and they clave the wood of the cart": (וַיְבַקְּעוּ אֶת־עֲצֵי הָעֲגָלָה,
vayvakeu et-atsei haagalah).בָּקַע(baqa) means to split or cleave, implying the dismantling of the cart. This act repurposed a common object that had been instrumentally used by God into fuel for a sacred act, emphasizing its complete dedication. It symbolizes the transformation of the common for the holy. - "and offered the kine a burnt offering": (וַיַּעֲלוּ אֶת־הַבָּקָר עֹלָה,
vayyaalu et-habbaqar olah).עֹלָה(olah) signifies a whole burnt offering, where the entire animal is consumed by fire on the altar, symbolizing complete dedication to God and propitiation. Theבָּקָר` (baqar) – the cows that performed the miracle – were offered, signifying an appropriate response of worship to God's manifested power. - "unto the LORD": (לַיהוָה,
la-YHWH). The prepositionלְ(le) directs the offering exclusively to YHWH, the God of Israel, unequivocally acknowledging His sovereignty and power demonstrated throughout the Ark's captivity and return, directly contrasting with the Philistine's defeated deities.
1 Samuel 6 14 Bonus section
The act of offering the very cows that drew the Ark is highly symbolic. These were not sacrificial animals by ordinary standards, being cows unaccustomed to yoking and unnaturally separated from their calves. Their sacrifice, along with the cart, acknowledges the miraculous and dedicates the unique instruments of God's redemptive act back to Him. This goes beyond standard Levitical sacrifices; it is a spontaneous, reverent response to an extraordinary display of divine power, signifying that everything involved in God's manifest works is rightly due to Him. The selection of a Levitical city as the Ark's destination further indicates God's desire for the Ark to return to its proper custodians and location for the continuation of His worship.
1 Samuel 6 14 Commentary
This verse captures the pivotal moment of the Ark's return to Israel, validating the miraculous journey the cows undertook, confirming God's sovereign hand over His creation and over pagan deities. The spontaneous actions of the Beth-shemesh inhabitants—dismantling the cart and sacrificing the cows—represent a fitting, albeit ad hoc, act of thanksgiving and worship. The whole burnt offering (olah) symbolizes complete surrender and dedication, sanctifying the instruments that God used for His purposes. This act of immediate, unhesitant devotion contrasts with the later lack of reverence by some Beth-shemesh residents who looked into the Ark (1 Sam 6:19). It underscores the biblical principle that genuine faith responds to divine intervention with sacrificial worship and consecration of all, even what seems common, to the Lord.