This verse highlights how humility before God is the path to relief.
The Philistine diviners advise their leaders, “So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will ease His hand from you, your gods, and your land” (v.5). At this point in Israel’s history (around the 11th century BC), the Ark of the Covenant was in Philistine territory, and they were suffering from a devastating plague. The counsel given here is a desperate attempt to appease the God of Israel and put an end to the affliction. The presence of mice ravaging the fields and the painful tumors both serve as a direct demonstration that their captivity of the Ark is displeasing to God.
These instructions from the Philistine diviners show a remarkable recognition of the power and authority of Israel’s God. By instructing the people to craft golden images of the very afflictions (tumors and mice), they acknowledge that they have offended the One who has dominion over even the tiniest details of creation (Luke 12:6-7). The Philistines lived in the coastal region southwest of Israel (modern-day southern coastal plains along the Mediterranean), and their worship centered on idols such as Dagon. Now, however, they were urged to “give glory to the God of Israel,” recognizing that no other deity could stop the calamity.
The call to give glory to God in this verse echoes a recurring biblical theme of humbling oneself before the Lord (James 4:10). Though the Philistines did not become worshipers of Yahweh in a covenant sense, their actions here reflect the universal truth that all people stand accountable to the sovereign Creator. This moment foreshadows how all nations, one day, will bow and acknowledge God’s authority (Philippians 2:10-11), ultimately pointing to Jesus as the rightful King in the New Testament.
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1 Samuel 6:5 meaning
The Philistine diviners advise their leaders, “So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will ease His hand from you, your gods, and your land” (v.5). At this point in Israel’s history (around the 11th century BC), the Ark of the Covenant was in Philistine territory, and they were suffering from a devastating plague. The counsel given here is a desperate attempt to appease the God of Israel and put an end to the affliction. The presence of mice ravaging the fields and the painful tumors both serve as a direct demonstration that their captivity of the Ark is displeasing to God.
These instructions from the Philistine diviners show a remarkable recognition of the power and authority of Israel’s God. By instructing the people to craft golden images of the very afflictions (tumors and mice), they acknowledge that they have offended the One who has dominion over even the tiniest details of creation (Luke 12:6-7). The Philistines lived in the coastal region southwest of Israel (modern-day southern coastal plains along the Mediterranean), and their worship centered on idols such as Dagon. Now, however, they were urged to “give glory to the God of Israel,” recognizing that no other deity could stop the calamity.
The call to give glory to God in this verse echoes a recurring biblical theme of humbling oneself before the Lord (James 4:10). Though the Philistines did not become worshipers of Yahweh in a covenant sense, their actions here reflect the universal truth that all people stand accountable to the sovereign Creator. This moment foreshadows how all nations, one day, will bow and acknowledge God’s authority (Philippians 2:10-11), ultimately pointing to Jesus as the rightful King in the New Testament.