Bible Strands
1 Samuel 6:16
And when the five rulers of the Philistines saw this, they returned to Ekron that same day.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator reports the five Philistine rulers immediately after they witness the ark's journey and the cessation of the plagues. They turn back to Ekron upon seeing the divine signs.
The words — וַ/יָּשֻׁ֥בוּ (va/i.ya.Shu.vu) means "and they returned," paired with עֶקְר֖וֹן (ek.Ron) for Ekron. בַּ/יּ֥וֹם הַ/הֽוּא (ba/i.Yom ha./Hu') literally reads "on the day the same," marking immediate departure.
The thread — The five Philistine rulers appear in Judges 3:3 and are tied to the five cities receiving gold tumors in 1 Samuel 6:4 and 6:17. Ekron is identified as a northern boundary in Joshua 13:3.
Why it lands — The text records a swift retreat after observing divine action. It requires the reader to note the immediate consequence of witnessing God's power without adding moral commentary.
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 when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
Cross-references
- Joshua 13:3 from the Shihor east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)—that of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as that of the Avvites;
- Judges 3:3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.
- 1 Samuel 6:4 “What guilt offering should we send back to Him?” asked the Philistines. “Five gold tumors and five gold rats,” they said, “according to the number of rulers of the Philistines, since the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.
- Judges 16:5 The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
- Judges 16:23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.”
- 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!”
- 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.