Bible Strands
1 Samuel 6:1
When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines seven months,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative reports a temporal milestone during the Philistine captivity, marking the conclusion of a seven-month period before the leaders convene to address the ark's presence.
The words — אֲרוֹן (aron) denotes the sacred chest, while שִׁבְעָה (shiv'ah) specifies the exact duration of its relocation to foreign territory.
The thread — This event continues the captivity narrative of 1 Samuel 5:1 and 1 Samuel 5:3, echoing the theme of divine power held by adversaries found in Psalms 78:61.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that prolonged divine presence in hostile territory precipitates a necessary human response regarding its return.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
Cross-references
- Psalms 78:61 He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.
- 1 Samuel 5:1 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod,
- 1 Samuel 5:3 When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.
- 1 Samuel 5:10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron, but as it arrived, the Ekronites cried out, “They have brought us the ark of the God of Israel in order to kill us and our people!”