A new cart ... kine on which there hath come no yoke - This was so ordered in reverence to the ark, and was a right and true feeling. See Mark 11:2; Matthew 27:60. For the supposed special virtue of new things, see Judges 16:7, Judges 16:11. read more
1 Samuel 6:5. Of your mice that mar the land By this it appears that their county was infested by mice, which had eaten their corn in the field, and other fruits of the earth, though no mention is made of this before. And give glory to the God of Israel That is, acknowledge, by this present, that he is the inflicter of these plagues, and has power to remove them, begging his pardon and seeking for healing from him. And hereby give him the glory of his power in conquering you, who seemed... read more
1 Samuel 6:6. Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts They express themselves thus, either because some opposed the sending home the ark, though most had consented to it; or because they thought they would hardly send it away in the manner prescribed, by giving glory to God, and taking shame to themselves. read more
1 Samuel 6:7. Make a new cart, &c. It was in honour of the ark that they employed nothing about it that had ever served for any other use. And there was another reason for choosing such kine as are here mentioned; that it might be more manifest that they were led by the God of Israel, if they went directly into his country. For untamed heifers are apt to run back, or to wander, and keep no certain and constant paths, as oxen accustomed to the yoke do; and therefore were very unlikely to... read more
The ark returns (5:1-7:1)Although God used the Philistines to judge Israel, he would not allow them to dishonour him. He showed that the capture of the ark did not mean that he was inferior to the Philistine god Dagon (5:1-5). Wherever the ark went it brought trouble to the Philistine people. A plague of mice seems to have spread a painful and deadly disease throughout the country, bringing widespread suffering and death (6-12; cf. 6:5).The Philistines felt fairly certain that the ark was the... read more
hand . See note on 1 Samuel 5:6 . read more
a new cart . This was done in ignorance of God's requirement (Numbers 4:15 ; Numbers 7:9 ; Numbers 10:21 ). They could not have complied with the Law, even if they had known it; hence, no judgment fell on them. But contrast David's "new cart", and see note on 2 Samuel 6:3 . read more
1 Samuel 6:5. Ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land— "It was an ancient rite," says Mr. Locke, "that in case a city or country was infected with any plague of diseases or noxious creatures, the talismans were consulted, and desired to erect an image of the plague, under a certain influence of celestial configuration; and this was the cause why the Philistine astrologers gave counsel that golden images should be made of the hemoroides, and the mice that... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 6:7
Make a new cart, and take, etc. The Hebrew is, "Now take and make you a new cart, and two milch kine." The transposition of the A.V. throws undue stress upon the verb make, whereas the Hebrew simply means that both the cart was to be new, and the heifers untrained and unbroken to the yoke. Both these were marks of reverence. Nothing was to be employed in God's service which had been previously used for baser purposes. No animal was deemed fit for sacrifice which had laboured in the field.... read more