Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 6:9

And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, [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.

9. his own coast ] His own border, as in 1Sa 6:12. See ch. 1Sa 5:6, note. “ His ” refers to the Ark. The neuter possessive pronoun “ its ” is not found in the original edition of the E. V. See The Bible Word-Book, p. 272.

to Beth-shemesh ] = “ House of the Sun,” probably the same as Irshemesh = “ City of the Sun ” (Jos 19:41). It was a priestly city (Jos 21:16) on the border of the tribe of Judah (Jos 15:10), about 12 miles S.E. of Ekron. Its position is identified by the modern village of Ain Shems (= “Fountain of the Sun”) in the Wady es Srr, and is described by Robinson as “a noble site for a city, a low plateau at the junction of two fine plains,” the “valley” in which the Beth-shemeshites were reaping their wheat ( 1Sa 6:13). “Here are vestiges of a former extensive city, consisting of many foundations and remains of ancient walls of hewn stone Enough yet remains to make it one of the largest and most marked sites which we had anywhere seen.” Biblical Researches, II. 224.

Beth-shemesh was the scene of Amaziah’s defeat by Jehoash (2Ki 14:11-12): and with other towns was taken from Ahaz by the Philistines (2Ch 28:18). Its name, and that of Har-cheres = “Mount of the Sun” (Jdg 1:35), which was evidently in the neighbourhood, point to an ancient sun-worship in the country.

then he hath done us this great evil ] Observe the completeness of the test. If cows unaccustomed to the yoke drew the cart quietly; if in spite of their natural instincts they deserted their calves; if without human guidance they went straight to the nearest Israelite town; the obvious conclusion must be that they were controlled by a supernatural power, and that that power was the God of Israel. Compare Gideon’s ‘signs,’ consisting of phenomena contrary to expectation (Jdg 6:37 ff.).

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Bethshemesh was the first Israelite town they would come to, being on the border of Judah. (See the marginal reference.)

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

1Sa 6:9

It was a chance that happened to us.

The ministry of chance

The world believes in chance, and without doubt there is some ground for its belief, but whether that ground constitutes a real foundation we may doubt. What does chance mean? It means that it is something which happens, falls out, without being foreseen or intended. Nothing happens unforeseen by the Great Mind that rules over all. All chance is direction which thou canst not see; but though we do not see it the direction was not the less there.

1. The doctrine of chance has been applied to the formation of the world. It has been said that the world is the result of the interaction of the atoms through all the past Eternity, at last falling by chance into an orderly arrangement. Let us suppose an immense number of alphabets were thrown together–a sufficient number of them, for instance, to make up the Bible, say a million of letters or so–and that someone were to be appointed to throw them up every second through a hundred million of years, is there any likelihood that they would come down once in such an order as to make the Bible, or a single book of the Bible, or a single chapter of the Bible, or a single verse? Neverse Yet that is just what Lucretius supposed to happen with the making of the world from the interaction of the atoms. There must be intelligence; there must be design to elicit that which we call the world. The Greek word which we translate world signifies something arranged, something orderly, and hence beautiful.

2. Tendencies, that is, laws, are capable of being observed and provided for. And this is the great business of man, as Bacon observed, Man the minister and interpreter of nature, does and understands as much as his observations on the order of nature, either with regard to things or the mind, permit him, and neither knows nor is capable of more. That is, he is to find out just what order that is which God has given to nature, and guide himself accordingly. If things were only to fall out by chance it would be utterly impossible to foresee or to guide ourselves in view of any event. If we found that the hard brick of today was soft as its original clay tomorrow, and that without any perceptible reason; or the strong timber was attacked with a weakness at varying and uncertain intervals; or that the slate which threw oft the rain of yesterday was become a sieve to the torrent of today; or that the window which was translucent had suddenly become opaque; if we could assign no reason for these sudden changes, and all other things were alike in this, we should be utterly incapable of any useful work. If the human mind were powerful enough to take in and calculate all the various forces which enter into the movements of each, it would be able to show the reasons for the slightest change in the direction and force of the wind, of the smallest flock of the cloud, and of every flash of the aurora of the north sky, and of every variation in the health of the hypochondriac. It is yet possible that science may be able to predict what was, in former days, only possible to prophecy.

3. But it may be asked, What do you make of a miracle? Is not that such a breach of the order and continuity of nature as would be equivalent to the intrusion of chance? We say no, for a miracle is only the operation of a higher law–it is only the result of the influence of the Great Mechanic, who, surely, should not be left out of our calculation of what is possible in this complex world of ours. Science should modestly admit that there may be direction which she cannot see–that there is a Providence which shapes our ends, rough hew them as we will–that outside the framework of nature there is an intelligent Mind, and that there may be reasons for its interference just as strong as those which operate on the factory director to mend a broken wheel or to reduce a too violent motion. This sphere, called in our imperfect vocabulary that of miracle, is far removed from that of chance, where uncertainty, doubt, and incapacity ever reign. But it may be suggested here that we should enter into some inquiry about prayer, and about its power to resist the usual order of nature, and thus, as it were, to set aside the government of law. Now, here I would say that, in connection with prayer, we must bear in mind that with its answer, in the Scriptures, the ministry of angels is closely associated. Verily, it is a poor science which takes cognizance alone of the seen and tangible, the weighable and measurable, while there are around us in the ambient ether, or within us in the recesses of the mind, the ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation. But it is to be observed, that whatever is done by these ministering spirits, is done, not to the production of confusion in the world, but in entire accordance with the lower laws which science observes. To our thought there can be no disorder introduced, when the superior forces are taken into account. Let us take the case of the resurrection of Christ. Science, which took no account of the Spirit of holiness, no account of the Spirit of God with which He was filled above measure, said it was not possible that He should rise again; but the Apostle tells us, it was not possible that He should be holden of death. God was in Him with such presence and power that death was overcome, and life, violently taken away, was restored. Without the Divine power in Christ, the scientific men of the day were perfectly right in assuming the impossibility of the resurrection; but (and here is no chance, but the presence of mighty cause) they were all astral in thinking that there was no resurrection for Him. It was absolutely certain that He should rise again; there was a cause mightier than death operating to His restoration. All this is certainly according to law, as Paul says: The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. It may be observed that, at least, in those cases which have been dwelt upon by pious persons as answers to prayers, naturalists have invariably reasoned that the same results would have happened without the intervention of prayer at all–which means that they, at least, did not find that any disorder occurred by any power which prayer exercised. These interventions in answer to prayer, by angelic agency or otherwise, seem to give no reason to affirm that chance has any scope or play in the world. This being understood, we may also say a word regarding the frequency of such spiritual agencys operations. Are they of frequent, or only of casual and fitful occurrence? Were they confined to Palestine and prophetic periods, or are they in operation at all times and spheres of the world? It reply, we say, without doubt, they are always working as they are always living, and working according to law, that is, according to the direction of God. But we may surely affirm that they do not interfere with any law of nature, nor are they to be relied on in answer to any prayer offered up to guard us against calamities which we might have avoided, or which we have brought on ourselves by want of proper foresight.

4. There being no such thing, then, as chance, and no violation of the laws of matter by higher power, it is clearly our duty to know what those laws are–especially those which regulate the business, trade, profession, or calling of each. It may be that, after we have done our best, we shall still be ignorant of many things which it greatly concerns us to know, our ignorance of the same bringing to us loss, disaster, even death. But that we might, by exercising foresight, avoid great calamities is certain. One-half, two-thirds, three-fourths of the accidents that occur, destructive of life and limb, should have been avoided. Why should scaffolds be continually falling, dashing human beings to the earth shattered corpses, when a rope of sufficient thickness, or a pole of sufficient firmness, would have prevented the catastrophe? Why should the shop fall under its load, when a trifling bond would have hem its walls perpendicular? Why should a house be burned, when a little care would have cured a defective flue? Why should the ship sink in the ocean, when a good lookout would have avoided collision with the iceberg or the other ship crossing the course. Be it observed, not one of these nor similar accidents but might have been foreseen and prevented. In every case the material employed followed explicitly the laws of its own being. The falling scaffold, the sinking building, the burning city, all took place according to law. When any great disaster happens to a building, we cannot, on that account, say that Heaven is enraged against it, or that it is a judgment on it for the immoralities there nurtured. The judgment is against the folly, the perverseness, the sin of imprudence, carelessness, want of foresight, or wickedness implied in the faulty construction for the sake of gain. Say not that those on whom the tower of Siloam fell were greater sinners than the others in Jerusalem on whom no such judgment came. What we are concerned with is the vast importance of prudence and care in regard to every building where human lives might, with such provision, be imperilled.

5. But still there is one thought which it is important for us to impress upon you. Place yourselves in no peril to which duty does not call–nay, let us broaden the injunction, walk in no path to which duty does not beckon the way, though absolutely safe. We have no promise that we shall have safety save in the paths of right–nay, not even of bodily safety there. Though the outer man perish the inner man will live unhurt amid the war of elements, the wrack of matter, and the crash of worlds. (J. Bonnet, D. D.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 9. A chance that happened to us] The word mikreh, from karah, to meet or coalesce, signifies an event that naturally arises from such concurring causes as, in the order and nature of things, must produce it.

Thus a bad state of the atmosphere, putrid exhalations, bad diet, occasioned by any general scarcity, might have produced the disease in question; and to something of this kind they would attribute it, if the other evidences did not concur. This gives us the proper notion of chance; and shows us that it is a matter as dependent upon the Divine providence, as any thing can be: in short, that these occurrences are parts of the Divine government.

The word chance, though often improperly used to signify such an occurrence as is not under the Divine government, is of itself, not only simple, but expressive; and has nearly the meaning of the Hebrew word: it comes from the French cheoir, or escheoir, to fall out, to occur, to fall to. Hence our law-term escheat, any lands that fall to the lord of the manor by forfeiture, or for want of heirs: i.e., these are the occurrences which naturally throw the lands into the hands of the lord.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

His own coast, or, border, i.e. the way that leadeth to his coast or border, viz. the country to which it belongs.

Then he hath done us this great evil; which they might well conclude, if such heifers should, against their common use and natural instinct, go into a strange path, and regularly and constantly proceed in it, without any mans conduct.

It was a chance that happened to us: this evil came to us from some influences of the stars, or other unknown causes; which was a weak and foolish inference, depending upon a mere contingency, it being uncertain whether God would please to give them this sign, and probable that he would deny it, both to punish their superstition, and to harden their hearts to their further and utter destruction. But wicked men will sooner believe the most uncertain and ridiculous things, than own the visible demonstrations of Gods power and providence.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

9-12. Beth-shemeshthat is,”house of the sun,” now Ain Shems [ROBINSON],a city of priests in Judah, in the southeast border of Dan, lying ina beautiful and extensive valley. JOSEPHUSsays they were set a-going near a place where the road divided intotwothe one leading back to Ekron, where were their calves, and theother to Beth-shemesh. Their frequent lowings attested their ardentlonging for their young, and at the same time the supernaturalinfluence that controlled their movements in a contrary direction.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And see if it goeth up by the way of its own coast to Bethshemesh,…. The nearest city to the land of the Philistines, which lay on their borders, and the borders of the tribe of Judah,

[See comments on Jos 15:10]. Now the lords of the Philistines are directed by their priests to observe, whether these kine, that drew the cart on which the ark was, took the direct road to the borders of the land of Israel, and to Bethshemesh, the nearest city that lay on that coast: if so, they might conclude then,

he hath done us this great evil; that is, the God of Israel, whose ark this was; he had inflicted the disease of the emerods on them, and sent such numbers of mice into their fields, that had destroyed the increase of them:

but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that hath smote us; but that there is some other cause of it:

it was a chance that happened to us; and so might have been the case if the ark had never been taken or detained, and to be imputed to fate, or to the stars, or some secret causes they know not of.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(9) It was a chance that happened to us.The priests and diviners were not certain whether the plague had been sent by the offended God of Israel or had visited Philistia in the ordinary course of nature. This strange experiment would satisfy the minds of the Philistine people. If the cows, contrary to their expectation, kept on the road to Bethshemesh, this would be a sign that they were driven and guided by a Divine power, and it would be clear to all that the Ark was a dangerous possession, and that they were well rid of it. They would be assured then that the scourge they were suffering from came from the angry Israelite Deity. If, on the other hand, the animals, left to themselves, returned to their own stalls, which, evidently, the diviners expected would be the casethen the Philistines might safely retain the Ark, being confident that their late sufferings were simply the results of natural causes. It will be remembered (1Sa. 6:7) that these were milch cows, whose calves were shut up in the stall. The diviners felt quite sure that the cows, left to their own instincts, would, unless driven by some Divine power, come back to their young ones in the stall. What the priests and diviners advised was done, and the next two verses (10 and 11) relate how the restoration of the Ark was carried out in the way prescribed above.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

9. His own coast The land of the ark, the same as his place, in 1Sa 6:2.

Beth-shemesh Situated about seven miles southeast of Ekron; it was a border city of the tribe of Judah, (Jos 15:10.) and one allotted to the Levites. Jos 21:16. It was identified by Dr. Robinson, in 1838, with the modern Ain Shems.

A chance An accident; a fortuitous event.

There still lingered in some minds the thought that possibly the ark was not the cause of their troubles.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

1Sa 6:9 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.

Ver. 9. By the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh. ] That is, The house of the sun, which, haply, had sometime been there worshipped, as at Heliopolis in Egypt, Jer 43:13 called now Dameta. This Bethshemesh was in the tribe of Judah, and in the way to Shiloh, where the ark had formerly stood; but now and henceforward it was, “Go ye up to my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.” Jer 7:12 God suffered the Philistines to lay it waste, as he did the Chaldees, Romans, and now the Turks to deal by that whole country; Ut ostenderet se non propter locum gentem, sod propter gentem locum elegisse, saith Theodoret. a

It was a chance that happened to us. ] This was a string that the heathens much harped upon, denying, or at least doubting of, the divine providence, and ascribing events to fate and blind fortune. The Jews tell us, that when Jeroboam’s hand was dried up, the false prophets told him that this was but by chance: and so kept him from thinking of God that had smitten him. Still the devil is suggesting the same thing to the sons of men – viz., that their crosses are but common events, such as had a time to come in, and must have a time to go in, &c.; whereas nothing in the world cometh to pass without God’s providence and decree, as is excellently set forth in Eze 1:4 . See Trapp on “ Eze 1:4 “

a Quest. 1, in Daniel.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)