1 Samuel 6 5

1 Samuel 6:5 kjv

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 6:5 nkjv

Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land.

1 Samuel 6:5 niv

Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory to Israel's god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land.

1 Samuel 6:5 esv

So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land.

1 Samuel 6:5 nlt

Make these things to show honor to the God of Israel. Perhaps then he will stop afflicting you, your gods, and your land.

1 Samuel 6 verses

1 Samuel 6 5 Meaning

This verse details the Philistine diviners' instruction to their people to make golden effigies of their afflictions – the tumors and mice plaguing their land – and send them back with the Ark of the Covenant as a guilt offering to the God of Israel. This act was intended as a public acknowledgment of the Lord's hand in their suffering, in the hope that He might relieve His severe judgment upon them, their false gods, and their territory.

1 Samuel 6 5 Context

This verse is situated in a critical juncture for the Philistines, following seven months of divine judgment after they captured the Ark of the Covenant (1 Sam 6:1). Chapter 5 details the Ark's devastating presence in Philistine cities: in Ashdod, Dagon's idol falls before it and the people are afflicted with tumors (1 Sam 5:1-7); then in Gath and Ekron, similar plagues and widespread death ensue (1 Sam 5:8-12). In response to these unprecedented calamities, the Philistines consult their pagan priests and diviners to determine how to placate the God of Israel and remove the Ark from their land (1 Sam 6:2). Verse 5, therefore, records their diviners' instructions, which merge Israelite concepts of a guilt offering with pagan practices of votive images, underscoring the Philistines' desperation and their forced acknowledgement of YHWH's overwhelming power.

1 Samuel 6 5 Word analysis

• So you must make (וַעֲשִׂיתֶם - wa-ʿăsîṯem): This is a command from the Philistine priests and diviners, reflecting a necessity perceived to avert further calamity. It's an act of appeasement.
• images (צְלָמִים - tsĕlamîm): Transliteration: tselem. Meaning: likenesses, figures, models, images. While tselem can refer to idols (Gen 1:26; Num 33:52), here it specifies representations of their afflictions. It's a common practice in ancient paganism for votive offerings to deities as signs of gratitude for healing or appeals for relief from specific ailments.
• of your tumors (טְחֹרֵיכֶם - ṭĕḥôrêkem): Transliteration: techorim. Meaning: swellings, boils, hemorrhoids, or buboes. This term specifically refers to the painful and destructive affliction (possibly a form of bubonic plague) that manifested in the Philistine cities after the Ark's arrival.
• and images of your mice (וְעַכְבְּרֵיכֶם - wĕ-ʿakbĕrêkem): Transliteration: ʿakbarim. Meaning: mice, or possibly rats. These creatures are specifically linked to the "ravaging" of the land and are considered another facet of the divine judgment, potentially spreading disease or devastating crops. The "images" of mice implies effigies rather than live animals.
• that ravage the land (הַמַּשְׁחִיתִים אֶת־הָאָרֶץ - ham-mašḥîṯîm ʾeṯ-hāʾāreṣ): The Hebrew verb shaḥat (שחת) means to spoil, destroy, ruin, or corrupt. This highlights the destructive nature of the mice, indicating significant economic devastation or direct plague transmission beyond simple presence.
• and give glory (וּנְתַתֶּם כָּבוֹד - u-nəṯattem kāḇôḏ): Transliteration: kavod. Meaning: glory, honor, weight, reverence. To "give glory" is to attribute worth, power, and respect. For the Philistines, this means a compelled, pragmatic acknowledgment of the God of Israel's supremacy and might over their situation and their own gods.
• to the God of Israel (לֵאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל - lêʾlōhê yiśrāʾēl): This is a crucial distinction. They are commanded to give glory not to Dagon or any other Philistine deity, but specifically to the God associated with Israel, YHWH. This shows a coerced recognition of His unparalleled power.
• Perhaps he will lighten (אוּלַי יָקֵל - ʾūlay yāqēl): "Perhaps" indicates uncertainty or a glimmer of hope. The diviners acknowledge God's sovereign power but express the possibility, not certainty, of Him ceasing His hand. "Lighten" (qal) implies the removal of a burden or a lessening of the affliction.
• his hand on you (אֶת־יָדוֹ מֵעֲלֵיכֶם - ʾeṯ-yāḏô mêʿalêkem): The "hand of the Lord" (יַד יְהוָה - yad YHWH) is a common biblical idiom for divine action, intervention, or judgment (e.g., Ex 9:3, Ps 32:4, Acts 13:11). Here, it signifies the crushing judgment of God upon them.
• and your gods (וְאֶל אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - wĕ-ʾel ʾĕlōhêkem): The judgment wasn't solely on the Philistines but also implicitly on their deities, evidenced by Dagon's fall (1 Sam 5:3-4), signifying their powerlessness before YHWH.
• and your land (וְאֶל אַרְצְכֶם - wĕ-ʾel ʾarṣḵem): The scope of God's judgment is comprehensive, affecting the people, their religion, and their entire physical environment (through the mice plague and agricultural damage).

• Images of your tumors and images of your mice: This phrase clearly connects the specific plagues to the pagan ritual of votive offerings, compelling a visual representation of the afflictions. It's a pragmatic action born out of fear and superstition, yet subtly aligns with a form of "restitution."
• Give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand on you and your gods and your land: This grouping forms the theological core. It articulates the Philistines' grudging admission of God's supremacy, the desired outcome, and the vast extent of God's judgment. The "perhaps" reveals the limitation of their understanding and their lack of a covenant relationship with YHWH, relying on ritual rather than genuine repentance.

1 Samuel 6 5 Bonus section

• Polemical Statement: The narrative in 1 Samuel 5-6 serves as a powerful polemic against polytheism and the efficacy of pagan gods. By instructing the Philistines to give glory to YHWH, their own religious leaders concede His ultimate authority over their own deities (Dagon in particular) and their well-being. This publicly declares the emptiness of their idols.
• The Nature of the "Guilt Offering": While the offering includes valuable materials (gold, specified in 1 Sam 6:4), it diverges from the detailed Mosaic law concerning asham (guilt offering), which required confession and actual restitution. The Philistine offering is external and symbolic, yet conceptually parallel, revealing a universal understanding of making amends to a wronged deity, however pagan its execution. It represents the value the Philistines placed on relief from the plagues, effectively buying off the divine judgment in their eyes.
• Foreshadowing of Divine Sovereignty: This episode reinforces a consistent biblical theme: God's control extends far beyond the borders of Israel and the scope of His covenant people. He demonstrates His power over other nations, their false gods, and the natural world, emphasizing that all creation ultimately falls under His dominion and is subject to His will and judgment.

1 Samuel 6 5 Commentary

This verse is profoundly significant, demonstrating God's sovereign power over both physical ailments and pagan deities. The Philistine priests' instruction, ironically, leads their people to an implicit confession of YHWH's superiority. While common pagan practice involved making votive offerings as prayers or thanks for healing, here these symbols of the Philistines' misery – the gold tumors and mice – serve as a mandated "guilt offering" to a God they neither worshipped nor fully understood, yet undeniably feared. This forced tribute to the "God of Israel" is a remarkable testimony to His inescapable presence and judgment. It illustrates that even the enemies of God's people must acknowledge His hand, and His judgment is comprehensive, affecting people, their false gods, and their land, thereby humbling the proud and demonstrating His unique authority.