What test do the Philistine priests and diviners propose for sending back the ark?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

They tell the Philistines to place the ark and gold offerings on a new cart drawn by two cows that have calved and never worn a yoke, keeping their calves at home. If the cart goes toward Bethsames, they will attribute the affliction to the Lord; otherwise they will call it chance.

Chapter breakdown

The ark of God has been in the Philistines’ land seven months. They call priests and diviners, asking what to do with it and how to send it back to its place. The reply says that if they send it back, they must not send it empty but pay what they owe for sin; then they will be healed and know why his hand does not depart from them. Asked what payment to make, the advisers prescribe five golden emerods and five golden mice according to the number of the Philistine provinces, since the same plague has been on all the people and their lords. They are to make likenesses of their emerods and the mice that destroyed the land, giving glory to Israel’s God to see if he removes his hand from them, their gods and their land. The advisers ask why they harden their hearts as Egypt and Pharao did, recalling that after Pharao was struck he let them go and they departed.

The instructions call for a new cart and two cows that have calved and never worn a yoke. They must be tied to the cart, with their calves shut at home. The Lord’s ark goes on the cart; the gold vessels paid for sin go in a little box at its side, and the cart is sent away. They must watch: if it goes by the way of his own coasts toward Bethsames, he has done this great evil to them; if not, they will know his hand has not touched them and it happened by chance. They follow these instructions, yoking two cows with sucking calves and shutting the calves at home. They put the ark and the box containing golden mice and likenesses of emerods on the cart. The cows take the straight road to Bethsames, lowing as they go, turning neither right nor left. The Philistine lords follow to the borders of Bethsames.

The Bethsamites are reaping wheat in the valley. They lift their eyes, see the ark and rejoice. The cart reaches the field of Josue, a Bethsamite, and stands there by a great stone. They cut the cart’s wood into pieces and lay the cows on it as a holocaust to the Lord. The Levites take down the ark and the box of gold vessels at its side, putting them on the great stone. Bethsames’s men also offer holocausts and sacrifice victims to the Lord that day. The five Philistine princes see this and return to Accaron the same day. The golden emerods returned for sin are one each for Azotus, Gaza, Ascalon, Geth and Accaron. The golden mice are described according to the number of Philistine cities in the five provinces, from fenced city to unwalled village and to the great Abel, the stone on which the ark was set, remaining to that day in Josue the Bethsamite’s field.

The Lord slays men of Bethsames because they have seen his ark: seventy men of the people and fifty thousand of the common people. The people lament the Lord’s great slaughter. Challoner separately explains seen as curiously looking into the ark and says it is likely that the plague reached all the neighboring country as well as Bethsames. That wider reach remains his stated likelihood. Bethsames’s men ask who can stand before the Lord, this holy God, and to whom he will go up from them. They send messengers to Cariathiarim’s inhabitants, saying the Philistines have brought back the ark and asking them to come down and fetch it up to themselves.

The story inside

Seven months in Philistine territory precede the consultation. The priests and diviners give payment instructions, recall Egypt and Pharao and set two possible interpretations of the cart’s route. The Philistines carry out the instructions, and the cows go straight to Bethsames while the lords follow to its borders. Reapers rejoice, the cart stops in Josue’s field and offerings are made; the princes return to Accaron. The source then lists the gold by cities and provinces. The slaughter at Bethsames changes rejoicing to lament, leading to questions about standing before the holy Lord and a message asking Cariathiarim to fetch the ark. Challoner’s explanation of looking into it and likely regional reach remains separate.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The test includes both outcomes. The route toward Bethsames is to be read as the Lord’s action; a different route as chance. The actual straight journey is recorded without adding a theory of the cows’ instincts.
2
Advice and later enumeration both matter. Five golden emerods and five mice are prescribed; later the emerods are listed one for each named city and the mice described by cities across five provinces. Keeping both accounts preserves their exact wording and scope.
3
The casualty figures and note must stay distinct. Scripture gives seventy men and fifty thousand common people. It does not call the seventy elders. Challoner explains curious looking and calls the neighboring-country reach likely, so that explanation cannot become certain Scripture.

Test your recall

How do the cart, cows and separated calves set up the proposed test, what route actually follows, and why do the Bethsamites then ask Cariathiarim to fetch the ark?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 28658–28687
1 Kings Chapter 6 The ark is sent back to Bethsames: where many are slain for looking through curiosity into it. 6:1. Now the ark of God was in the land of the Philistines seven months. 6:2. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? tell us how we are to send it back to its place. And they said: 6:3. If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, send it not away empty, but render unto him what you owe for sin, and then you shall be healed: and you shall know why his hand departeth not from you. 6:4. They answered: What is it we ought to render unto him for sin? and they answered: 6:5. According to the number of the provinces of the Philistines you shall make five golden emerods, and five golden mice: for the same plague hath been upon you all, and upon your lords. And you shall make the likeness of your emerods, and the likeness of the mice, that have destroyed the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel: to see if he will take off his hand from you, and from your gods, and from your land. 6:6. Why do you harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharao hardened their hearts? did not he, after he was struck, then let them go, and they departed?
Lines 28689–28713
6:7. Now, therefore, take and make a new cart: and two kine that have calved, on which there hath come no yoke, tie to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 6:8. And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and lay it on the cart, and the vessels of gold, which you have paid him for sin, you shall put into a little box at the side thereof: and send it away, that it may go. 6:9. And you shall look: and if it go up by the way of his own coasts, towards Bethsames, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, we shall know that it is not his hand hath touched us, but it hath happened by chance. 6:10. They did therefore in this manner: and taking two kine, that had sucking calves, they yoked them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 6:11. And they laid the ark of God upon the cart, and the little box that had in it the golden mice, and the likeness of the emerods. 6:12. And the kine took the straight way, that leadeth to Bethsames, and they went along the way, lowing as they went: and turned not aside neither to the right hand nor to the left: and the lords of the Philistines followed them as far as the borders of Bethsames.
Lines 28715–28738
6:13. Now the Bethsamites were reaping wheat in the valley: and lifting up their eyes, they saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 6:14. And the cart came into the field of Josue, a Bethsamite, and stood there. And there was a great stone, and they cut in pieces the wood of the cart, and laid the kine upon it a holocaust to the Lord. 6:15. And the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that was at the side of it, wherein were the vessels of gold, and they put them upon the great stone. The men also of Bethsames offered holocausts, and sacrificed victims that day to the Lord. 6:16. And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Accaron the same day. 6:17. And these are the golden emerods, which the Philistines returned for sin to the Lord: For Azotus one, for Gaza one, for Ascalon one, for Geth one, for Accaron one: 6:18. And the golden mice, according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fenced city to the village that was without wall, and to the great Abel (the stone) whereon they set down the ark of the Lord, which was till that day in the field of Josue the Bethsamite.
Lines 28740–28755
6:19. But he slew of the men of Bethsames, because they had seen the ark of the Lord, and he slew of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten the people with a great slaughter. Seen.... And curiously looked into. It is likely this plague reached to all the neighbouring country, as well as the city of Bethsames. 6:20. And the men of Bethsames said: Who shall be able to stand before the Lord this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us? 6:21. And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Cariathiarim, saying: The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord, come ye down and fetch it up to you.