Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 6:3
And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.
3. send it not empty ] Cp. Exo 23:15. All religions regard offering as a necessary part of worship.
in any wise ] i.e. “at all events,” “certainly.” Wise means “way of acting,” “manner,” “mode.”
return him a trespass offering ] A satisfaction or compensation in return for the injury done him by the removal of the Ark.
it shall be known to you ] If the removal of the plague followed the restoration of the Ark with due propitiation, they would know for certain that its detention was the cause of the continuance of the plague. They were not yet convinced that their misfortune was more than “a chance” ( 1Sa 6:9).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Send it not empty – See the marginal references. The pagan idea of appeasing the gods with gifts, and the scriptural idea of expressing penitence, allegiance, or love to God, by gifts and offerings to His glory and to the comfort of our fellow worshippers, coincide in the practical result.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
1Sa 6:3
Send it not empty.
Superstition the ape of true devotion
These superstitious priests can counsel them not to send away the ark of God empty, but to give it a sin offering. They had not lived so far away from the smoke of Jewish altars, but that they knew God was accustomed to manifold oblations. No Israelite could have said better; superstition is the ape of true devotion, and if it look not to the ground of both many times it is hard, by the very outward acts, to distinguish them. Nature itself teacheth us that God loves a full hand. He that hath been so bountiful to us as to give us all looks for a return of some offering from us. If we present Him with nothing but our sins how can we look to be accepted? The sacrifices under the Gospel are spiritual; with these must we come into the presence of God if we desire to carry away remission and favour. (Bishop Hall.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 3. Send it not empty] As it appears ye have trespassed against him, send him an offering for this trespass.
Why his hand is not removed] The sense is, If you send him a trespass-offering, and ye be cured, then ye shall know why his judgments have not been taken away from you previously to this offering.
It is a common opinion, says Calmet, among all people, that although the Supreme Being needs nothing of his creatures, yet he requires that they should consecrate to him all that they have; for the same argument that proves his independence, infinitude, and self-sufficiency, proves our dependence, and the obligation we are under to acknowledge him by offering him due marks of our gratitude and submission. Such sentiments were common among all people; and God himself commands his people not to appear before him without an offering, Ex 23:15: None shall appear before me empty.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Empty, i.e. without a present; which they judged necessary, from the common opinion and practice both of Jews and Gentiles.
Return him a trespass-offering; thereby to acknowledge our offence, and obtain his pardon.
It shall be known to you; you shall understand what is hitherto doubtful, whether he was the author of these calamities, and why they continued so long upon you. Compare 1Sa 6:7-9.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And they said, if ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty,…. As they perceived they had either resolved upon, or at least were inclined to do; and which they also thought advisable and therefore would have them by no means send it away as it was, but with some presents along with it; for the meaning of this word “empty” is not that they should take care that all that were in it when taken should go with it, and nothing be taken out of it, or it be stripped of its contents; but that some gifts and offerings should be sent along with it: perhaps they might have some notion of, or respect unto a law in Israel, Ex 23:15 or might say this from a common principle received among Heathens, that deities were to be appeased by gifts e:
but in any wise return him a trespass offering; here again they seem to have some notion of the sorts and kinds of sacrifice among the Israelites; and advise to a trespass offering, to make satisfaction and atonement for the offence they had committed in taking away the ark; and that they should make restoration not only by returning the ark, but by sending an expiatory offering along with it:
then ye shall be healed; of the disease with which they were smitten; for it seems it still continued on them, at least on many:
and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you; which was because the ark was detained by them; but when that should be sent home, and they be healed upon it, then it would be a plain case that the reason why the disease was inflicted and continued was because of that.
e “Munera crede mihi”, &c. Ovid. de arte amandi, l. 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(3) Send it not empty.The advice was to propitiate with gifts the powerful Hebrew Deity, whom they imagined was offended and angry at the insult offered Himthe being placed in an inferior position in the Dagon temple.
The priests and diviners evidently thought that the Hebrew Deity, in some way resident in the golden chest, was a childish, capricious deity, like one of their own loved godsDagon, or Beelzebub, lord of flies. Their people had insulted Him; He had shown Himself powerful enough, however, to injure His captors, so the insults must cease, and He must be appeased with rich offerings.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Send it not empty That is, send it not without an offering. Compare Exo 23:15.
Return him a trespass offering The Hebrew is emphatic by all means return him a trespass offering. On the trespass offering see Lev 5:6. They doubtless meant to render the God of Israel this offering as a satisfaction for their offence in carrying his ark out of its own land.
Then ye shall be healed It is better to render this as a conditional sentence, then may ye be healed, etc., for from 1Sa 6:9 we infer that these diviners still suspected that it was only by chance that they were smitten.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
(3) And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. (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, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. (5) 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. (6) Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? (7) Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: (8) And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. (9) And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us: it was a chance that happened to us.
There is somewhat very remarkable in this account. It is plain from what is here said, that the Philistines were well acquainted with Israel’s history, in the Egyptian bondage and overthrow of Pharaoh. And it is as plain also that they had ideas, (and which they must have gathered from the law of Moses) of the doctrine of trespass-offerings. Alas! how many are there in the present hour, that possess an head knowledge of the glorious truths of the gospel, but who, like both the Egyptians and Philistines, remain forever strangers to the heartfelt influence of them. The experiment they made, by way of ascertaining the certainty that their affliction was from God, for taking and detaining the ark, was suited to the genius of the day, and hears an apt correspondence to carnal minds in all ages. But we must not confine such things to the mere carnal world of unbelievers only; God’s people have been found to seek signs, by way of gaining conviction. Such for instance, as Abraham’s servant, and Gideon the son of Joash. Gen 24:12 , etc. Jdg 6:36 , etc.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Sa 6:3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.
Ver. 3. If ye send away the ark. ] Which they were full loath to do, but that they could neither will nor choose, and therefore kept it seven months, in hope that in some time their plagues might assuage, and they might keep from the Israelites their enemies that wherein they reposed so much confidence, and whereby they took so much encouragement.
Send it not empty.
But in any wise return him a trespass offering.
Then ye shall be healed.
“ Litatur minimo thuris honore Deus. ”
a Epist. 17.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
then ye
Contra. Heb 9:22.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
empty: Exo 23:15, Exo 34:20, Deu 16:16
a trespass: Lev 5:6, Lev 5:15-19, Lev 6:6, Lev 7:1-7
known: 1Sa 6:9, 1Sa 5:7, 1Sa 5:9, 1Sa 5:11, Job 10:2, Job 34:31, Job 34:32
Reciprocal: Exo 8:19 – This is Jon 1:11 – What
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 6:3. Send it not empty They answer directly to the question, first in general; that it must not be sent back without some offering. In any wise return him a trespass-offering As an acknowledgment that they had offended the God of Israel by bringing his ark from its proper place; for which they begged his pardon by this offering. Then ye shall be healed, &c. Le Clerc renders this sentence, Then if ye shall be healed, it shall be known, or manifest unto you, why his hand is not removed from you. And it is evident this is the meaning of the words. For these diviners were not sure whence these plagues came; but they thought in this way they should either be healed or know that the ark was not the cause of their sickness. It shall be known You shall understand what is hitherto doubtful, whether he is the author of these calamities, and why they are continued so long upon you.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
6:3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him {b} a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.
(b) The idolaters confess there is a true God, who punishes sin justly.