Bible Strands
1 Samuel 6:12
And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the Philistine rulers observing the cows as they pull the cart carrying the ark of the LORD toward the border of Beth-shemesh. This occurs immediately after the ark and the gold objects are placed on the cart and released.
The words — The Hebrew וַ/יִשַּׁ֨רְנָה (va./yi.Shar.nah) literally means "and they were straight," while בִּ/מְסִלָּ֣ה (bi/m.si.Lah) translates to "on a highway."
The thread — The concept of remaining on the designated path appears in Numbers 20:19, where Israel promises to stay on the main road while passing through Edom's territory.
Why it lands — The text records that the animals moved directly toward Beth-shemesh without deviation, a pattern the Philistine rulers witnessed at the city's border.
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 kine took the straight way to the way of Beth–shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth–shemesh.
Cross-references
- Numbers 20:19 “We will stay on the main road,” the Israelites replied, “and if we or our herds drink your water, we will pay for it. There will be no problem; only let us pass through on foot.”