This verse demonstrates how God’s holiness brings people to worship Him with reverence and gratitude.
“And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stood there where there was a large stone; and they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.” (v.14) At this pivotal moment in Israel’s history, the ark of the covenant was returning after having been captured by the Philistines. Beth-shemesh lay on the border region between the Philistine territory and Israel, about twenty miles west of Jerusalem. The mention of “Joshua the Beth-shemite” here does not refer to Joshua the son of Nun (the leader who succeeded Moses around 1400 BC), but rather identifies a local landowner in the 11th century BC who happened to share that name. The city’s name, Beth-shemesh, means “house of the sun,” indicating its location in the sun-drenched valleys of southwestern Israel.
The verse continues: “…and they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.” (v.14) Israel’s priests and people recognized the ark’s arrival as a signal to worship. The large stone, upon which the ark could be placed, served equally well as an altar. By sacrificing the cows and the wooden cart, they symbolically acknowledged God’s sovereign work in delivering the ark safely back into Israel’s care. This burnt offering spoke of wholehearted devotion, pointing to the Israelites’ intent to honor God in accordance with the sacrificial norms set forth in their covenant.
In the broader biblical narrative, the ark represented God’s presence among His people. Much like the sacrifices here, which foreshadow an ultimate act of deliverance, Jesus in the New Testament offers Himself once for all (Hebrews 9:26). The reverence displayed in 1 Samuel 6:14 reminds believers that God desires sincere worship and stands ready to guide those who seek Him.
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1 Samuel 6:14 meaning
“And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stood there where there was a large stone; and they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.” (v.14) At this pivotal moment in Israel’s history, the ark of the covenant was returning after having been captured by the Philistines. Beth-shemesh lay on the border region between the Philistine territory and Israel, about twenty miles west of Jerusalem. The mention of “Joshua the Beth-shemite” here does not refer to Joshua the son of Nun (the leader who succeeded Moses around 1400 BC), but rather identifies a local landowner in the 11th century BC who happened to share that name. The city’s name, Beth-shemesh, means “house of the sun,” indicating its location in the sun-drenched valleys of southwestern Israel.
The verse continues: “…and they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.” (v.14) Israel’s priests and people recognized the ark’s arrival as a signal to worship. The large stone, upon which the ark could be placed, served equally well as an altar. By sacrificing the cows and the wooden cart, they symbolically acknowledged God’s sovereign work in delivering the ark safely back into Israel’s care. This burnt offering spoke of wholehearted devotion, pointing to the Israelites’ intent to honor God in accordance with the sacrificial norms set forth in their covenant.
In the broader biblical narrative, the ark represented God’s presence among His people. Much like the sacrifices here, which foreshadow an ultimate act of deliverance, Jesus in the New Testament offers Himself once for all (Hebrews 9:26). The reverence displayed in 1 Samuel 6:14 reminds believers that God desires sincere worship and stands ready to guide those who seek Him.