Harmony Upon 1 Samuel, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
1. Quest. v. 1. Of the continuance of the Arke among the Philistims for the space of seuen moneths.
1. Herein we may see the miserable state of Israel at this time, that were depriued of that visible signe of Gods presence among them, namely the Arke, wherein was the two Tables of the commandements: that for the time, they seemed to be as forlorne, and forsaken of God: Osiand. so such times may sometime fall out in the Church of God, that for their sinne the Lord may suffer them for a while to be depriued of the true vse of Gods word and the Sacraments. 2. The Philistims held the Arke thus long, thinking that in time plagues might asswage, and then they purposed to keepe the Arke in thraldome and captiuitie still. Genevens. 3. At this time the Arke soiourned among the Philistims, without any profit at all vntounto them: so a long time was the truth detained among the Gentiles in vnrighteousnes, as the Apostle speaketh, Rom. 1.18. for the time was not yet come, that the Iewes should vtterly be dispossessed of the Arke: But now we see, that the Arke of the Gospel is remooued vntounto the beleeuing Gentiles, and hath many hundred yeares continued among them, working in them faith and obedience to the truth. Pellican.
2. Quest. v. 2, 3. Of the counsell and aduise of the priests of the Philistims.
1. Iosephus thinketh, that there were three opinions among them: 1. some gaue aduise, that seeing they were so plagued for the Arke, that it should be sent home againe: 2. others held the contrarie, that the Arke was not the cause of those plagues, but that they came of other ordinarie and naturall meanes: for it was not like, if the God of Israel had such care of the Arke, that he would hauehave suffered it to be brought into captiuitie: and these held it dishonourable for them to send it backe: 3. A third opinion was betweene both: that they should neither keepe it, nor of purpose carrie it home, but deuise a way by putting it into a cart, with certaine offerings to send it away: and this sentence preuailed. 2. Now it pleased God, as the false prophets Balaam and Caiphas, ignorantly spake the truth, and so were instruments seruing to the will, and pleasure of God: so it pleaseth God also at this time to the like purpose, to vse these superstitious priests of the Philistims. Pellican.
3. Quest. v. 3. VponUpon those words, then ye shall be healed, and it shall be knowne, &c.
1. Iunius readeth thus, or it shall be knowne, why his hand departeth not, &c. that is, that he is not the cause, but that it is some chance, as v. 9. but this is not like to be the meaning: for in that place, they doe set these as opposite one to the other, we shall know then, that it was not his hand that smote vsus, but it was a chance: therefore in this place, by the hand of God, they can not vnderstand a chance. 2. Some doe expound these wordes, as though the Philistim priests should certenly promise vponupon the restitution of the Arke, that the people should be healed, and that thereby they should certenly know, that God did punish them for detaining and vnreuerently vsing the Arke: Osiand. but it is euident both by their ambiguous and doubtfull speach, v. 5. it may be he will ease his hand: and by that distinction, which they make v. 9. that if the cattell went one way, it was Gods hand; if an other, it was but a chance, that they doe not here pronounce certenly and absolutely, that they should be healed vponupon the returne of the Arke. 3. Wherefore those wordes are vttered conditionally, that, if so it fall out by that coniecture which they propound, v. 9. that it is the God of Israels hand, then this is the way to appease him, to send back the Arke with certaine presents: whereupon it may be his wrath shall be appeased, and they healed, and thereby it shall be knowne, that it was for the wrong done to the Arke, wherfore they were punished. So two things they vndertake by their skill to search out: 1. whether it were Gods hand or a chance, that they were smitten: 2. if Gods hand, then wherefore God did smite them: the first is propounded v. 9. the other here.
4. Quest. v. 5. How the Philistims did giuegive glorie vntounto God.
1. As in taking the Arke they dishonoured God, so in restoring the Arke, they doe as it were make restitution of his honour: Vatab. or they giuegive glorie to God in confessing the truth, and yeelding themselues to be iustly punished of him. Osiand. 2. Yet was this farre off from a true confession: for they continue in their Idolatrie still, as the wordes following shew, that he may take his hand from you, and your g…ods: Bor. for this is Gods iudgement vponupon Idolaters, that knowing the true God, they worship him not aright. Genevens. 3. This phrase of giuing glorie to God, is sometime spoken to them, that are hinderers of Gods glorie, and are farre off from glofying God in truth: as Ioshuah biddeth Achan, Iosh. 7.19. sometime it is spoken by those which themselues are enemies to Gods glorie, as by the Pharisies to the blinde man, Ioh. 9.26. sometime the wicked and superstitious thus speake among themselues, as here the priests of Dagon to the Philistims: therefore in this place the phrase is to be vnderstood not simply, but in part, of giuing glorie to God in this particular, in acknowledging the truth, that they were smitten of God.
5. Quest. v. 9. Of the prognostication and coniecture of the priests of the Philistims, by the way which the kine take that drew the Arke.
1. Though these priests of the vncircumcised people, can not in these their coniectures, be excused from superstition: for the heathen superstitiously obserued the gliding of starrs, flying of birds, the entralls of beasts, and such like: yet as God vsed Balaam, and Caiphas false prophets, and superstitious coniecturers to vtter the truth; so here these idolatrous priests were vnwittingly directed and ouerruled by the spirit of God, to hit the truth, for the further setting forth of Gods glorie. Osiand. Yet these their predictions are not without great reason, and probabilitie: for they taking two kine neuer vsed to the yoke, and hauing calues shut vp, which they lowed after: if they notwithstanding should goe on still drawing in the yoke, wherewith they were vnacquainted, and should not make meanes to returne to the stalles, where their calues were, but goe on still; it must needes be a signe of an extraordinarie worke. Borr. 3. Herein notwithstanding their blindnes is manifest, that dreame of chance, which the Gentiles called fortune, Iun. imputing straunge and vnwoonted euents and accidents thereunto; whereas nothing in the world commeth to passe without Gods prouidence & decree. Genevens. Indeede sometime the Scripture vseth this phrase, that some thing falleth out by chance, foreign;Whether any thing commeth to passe by chance. as Luk. 10.31. A certaine Priest came downe that way by chance: but this is so saide in respect of vsus, it so seemeth a chance to vsus, but before God there is no chance.
6. Quest. v. 11. Why the Philistims are not punished, as well as the Bethshemites, for looking into the Arke.
1. The Philistims also were punished for their part, for their grosse rudenesse in profaning the Arke, and consecrating it as one of their cheife spoiles to their Idol, so making the great God inferiour to their abhominable inuention: this beeing a breach of the naturall and morall law, did not escape vnpunished. 2. But the other beeing a ceremoniall law, giuen onelyonly to the Israelites, not to come neere the Arke, or to gaze vponupon it, was giuen onelyonly vntounto them, the heathen were ignorant of it: and therefore therein the Lord requireth a stricter obedience at the hands of his owne people, then of the ignorant Gentiles. Pellican. 3. And further the Lord accepteth this kinde of reuerence, which the Philistims out of their simple knowledge, yeelde vntounto the Arke: not suffering it to goe emptie, but bestowing vponupon it iewells of gold: Pellican. as also in making choice of kine neuer vsed to the yoke, and of a new cart, as best beseeming the holines of the Arke; they therein expressed their reuerend regard of it, herein following the prescript of Moses law. Borr.
7. Quest. v. 18. Of the great stone of Abel.
1. Some thinke that Abel is here taken for Eben, a stone, by the change onelyonly of the last letter, as it is called, v. 14. eben gedalah, the great stone, whereon the Bethshemites sacrificed: Chal. Sept. Iun. but seeing that Abel is of a farre diuerse signification, betokening mourning, it can not properly be translated a stone: though vnderunder this name the stone is insinuated. 2. Some doe not here retaine Abel as a proper name, but read the great stone of mourning: Vatab. but it beeing the name of a place, it is more fit to make it a proper name: as we read of other places so called, because of mourning there: as Gen. 50. Abel Mizraim, the mourning or lamentation of the Egyptians. 3. Others thinke that both Eben, and Abel, were the proper names of this stone, that first it was called Eben, which signifieth a stone; then Abel, by reason of the lamentation there. Osiand. But that Eben was no proper name, it may be shewed by the like place, c. 14.33. where Saul biddeth them to roule, eben gedalah, a great stone vntounto him. 4. Wherefore, this seemeth to be the right interpretation, that the great Eben, 1. stone mentioned v. 14. is called here Abel, because there the Betshemites mourned for the great slaughter among them: for so it is said in the next verse, ijthabela, they mourned, whence also is the word Abel, mourning, deriued. sic Ar. Pagnin. Lat. 5. Some also read, vntounto the great plaine: for so Abel also signifieth: in which plaine Bethshemesh was situate: Ioseph. But the wordes following controule this reading: vntounto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set the Arke: but they set the Arke, and laid the sacrifice vponupon the great stone. v. 14.
8. Quest. v. 19. Why the Lord smote the men of Bethshemesh.
The Bethshemites diuers waies offended. 1. In that they receiued not the Arke with greater reuerence and deuotion, when they saw it comming, but entertained it, as it should seeme, with shouting, and such like signes of ioy, which they vsed in time of haruest, wherein they then were. Pellican. 2. They offred in sacrifice the female kind, namely the two kine that drew the cart, whereas by the law the males onelyonly were to be offered. Borr. 3. Some thinke that they offered sacrifice of themselues, neither the priests, nor Samuel beeing consulted with. Pellican. But that is not like: for seeing it is directly mentioned, that the Leuites, that is, the priests of Levi (for Bethshemesh was a citie of the priests of Aaron, not of Leuites onelyonly, Iosh. 22.16.) tooke downe the Arke, and before the Arke was taken downe, they could not cleaue the cart for wood, nor consequently offer their sacrifice: therefore it is not like, that the Bethshemites did presume to offer sacrifice without their priests. 4. The true cause therefore, why the Lord did smite them, was, as is here expressed, v. 19. because they looked into the Arke: where we neede not imagine with the Hebrewes, that they opened the Arke to looke into it: but it was contrarie to the law, to looke vponupon the Arke bare or vncouered, Numb. 5.20. as the men and citizens of Bethshemesh, such as were not priests, did gaze vponupon the Arke, either beeing brought naked by the Philistims, or vncouered by them: for so it is before shewed, v. 13. that they reioyced, or tooke delight in beholding the Arke, that is, in gazing and looking vponupon it. Iosephus thinketh, they did also handle it vnreuerently with their hands: but it was sufficient to procure this iudgement, that such, as were not priests did gaze vponupon it. The priests also might offend themselues in not approaching and drawing neare, with such reuerence as was meete. Iun. But it seemeth by the number of them, which were smitten, that most of them were of the common sort.
9. Quest. v. 19. Of the number of the men of Bethshemesh that were slaine.
1. Whereas in the Hebrew the number is placed thus, seuentie men, and fiftie thousand men, some expound it thus: that seuentie of the chiefe were slaine, which were equiualent or worth fiftie thousand: as the people said to Dauid, that he was worth ten thousand of them, 2. Sam. 18. ex Pellican. and of this opinion seemeth Iosephus to be, who onelyonly maketh mention of seuentie that were slaine. But this is not like: for they are said to be smitten of the people, that is, of the common sort. 2. Some therefore thinke that the seuentie were of the Elders and better sort: and the fiftie thousand of the people: so the Chalde. But by the same reason also this interpretation is refused: for it is saide, he smote among the people seuentie men, &c. 3. Iunius in his former edition had this conceit, that these were of the Philistims that were smitten: and so in stead of, among or of the people, he readeth, of them: but the word is baham, of the people, not bahem, of them: and whereas he obiecteth, that there were not so many in all the tract and region of Bethshemesh, and beside that it was a citie of Priests, for whome it was lawfull to come neere the Arke: it may be answered, that the people of other townes came flocking together to see the Arke, and that the greatest number that was smitten was of them. 4. But Iunius himselfe in his latter editions reuerseth this opinion, and thinketh, that this number of fiftie thousand and seuentie men, was partly of such of the Israelites, as came flocking from all parts to see the Arke, partly of those which kept their garrisons and stations to defend their coasts from the inuasion of the Philistims: so also Osiander. Therefore it is directly mentioned and expressed in the text; that the Lord smote of the men of Bethshemesh, and among the people 70. men, and 50. thousand mē: so that we must not suppose thē all to be of Bethshemesh.