1 Samuel 6 · Verse 4

1 Samuel 6:4

Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
1 Samuel 6:4, King James Version

1 Samuel 6:4 in other translations

BSB“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.
WEBThen they said, “What should the trespass offering be which we shall return to him?” They said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, for the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
ASVThen said they, What shall be the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden tumors, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
YLTAnd they say, ‘What is the guilt-offering which we send back to Him?' and they say, ‘The number of the princes of the Philistines--five golden emerods, and five golden mice--for one plague is to you all, and to your princes,
DARBYThen they said, What is the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden hemorrhoids, and five golden mice, the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague is upon them all, and upon your lords.
BBEThen they said, What sin-offering are we to send to him? And they said, Five gold images of the growths caused by your disease and five gold mice, one for every lord of the Philistines: for the same disease came on you and on your lords.
WebsterThen said they, What shall be the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

What does 1 Samuel 6:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. Five golden emerods--Votive or thank offerings were commonly made by the heathen in prayer for, or gratitude after, deliverance from lingering or dangerous disorders, in the form of metallic (generally silver) models or images of the diseased parts of the body. This is common still in Roman Catholic countries, as well as in the temples of the Hindus and other modern heathen. five golden mice--This animal is supposed by some to be the jerboa or jumping mouse of Syria and Egypt [Bochart]; by others, to be the short-tailed field mouse, which often swarms in prodigious numbers and commits great ravages in the cultivated fields of Palestine.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 Five golden emerods, and five golden mice - One for each satrapy. The emerods had afflicted their bodies; the mice had marred their land. Both, they considered, as sent by God; and, making an image of each, and sending them as a trespass-offering, they acknowledged this. See at the end.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 6:1-9

Seven months the Philistines were punished with the presence of the ark; so long it was a plague to them, because they would not send it home sooner. Sinners lengthen out their own miseries by refusing to part with their sins. The Israelites made no effort to recover the ark. Alas! where shall we find concern for religion prevail above all other matters? In times of public calamity we fear for ourselves, for our…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 6:1-9 →

1 Samuel 6:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּאמְר֗וּvai.yo.me.Ruand they saidH559
מָ֣הmahwhat?H4100
הָאָשָׁם֮ha.'a.Sham[is] the guilt offeringH817
אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.SherwhichH834
נָשִׁ֣יבna.Shivwe will send backH7725
לוֹ֒loto <the> him
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּvai.yo.me.Ruand they saidH559
מִסְפַּר֙mis.Par[the] number ofH4557
סַרְנֵ֣יsar.Nei[the] rulers ofH5633
פְלִשְׁתִּ֔יםfe.lish.Tim[the] PhilistinesH6430
חֲמִשָּׁה֙cha.mi.ShahfiveH2568
טְחֹרֵ֣יte.cho.Ritumors ofH2914
זָהָ֔בza.HavgoldH2091
וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖הva.cha.mi.Shahand fiveH2568
עַכְבְּרֵ֣י'akh.be.Reimice ofH5909
זָהָ֑בza.HavgoldH2091
כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588
מַגֵּפָ֥הma.ge.Faha plagueH4046
אַחַ֛ת'a.ChatoneH259
לְכֻלָּ֖םle.khu.Lam[belongs] to all of themH3605
וּלְסַרְנֵיכֶֽם\׃u.le.sar.nei.Khemand to rulers yourH5633

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 6:4

  • Joshua 13:3

    From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:

  • 1 Samuel 6:17-18

    And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the Lord; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the Lord: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth–shemite.

  • Judges 3:3

    Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal–hermon unto the entering in of Hamath.

  • 1 Samuel 5:6

    But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.

  • 1 Samuel 5:9

    And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.

  • 1 Samuel 5:12

    And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

  • Exodus 12:35

    And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

  • 1 Samuel 6:5

    Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Five golden.
5,17,18; 5:6,9; Ex 12:35; Jos 13:3; Jud 3:3
you all. Heb. them.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 6:3

    And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.

  • 1 Samuel 6:4

    Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

  • 1 Samuel 6:5

    Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

Read all of 1 Samuel 6

1 Samuel 6:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y ellos dijeron: ¿Y qué será la expiación que le pagaremos? Y ellos respondieron: Conforme al número de los príncipes de los Filisteos, cinco hemorroides de oro, y cinco ratones de oro, porque la misma plaga que todos tienen, tienen también vuestros príncipes.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et ils dirent: Quel est le sacrifice pour le délit que nous lui rendrons? Et ils dirent: Selon le nombre des princes des Philistins, cinq hémorroïdes d’or, et cinq souris d’or; car une même plaie a été sur vous tous et sur vos princes.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und sie sprachen: Welches ist das Schuldopfer, das wir ihm erstatten sollen? Und sie sprachen: Nach der Zahl der Fürsten der Philister, fünf goldene Beulen und fünf goldene Mäuse; denn einerlei Plage habt ihr alle und eure Fürsten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Qui dixerunt: Quid est quod pro delicto reddere debeamus ei? Responderuntque illi: