And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

1 SAMUEL 6:19KJV
Know the Bible

1 Samuel 6:19 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 6:19 mean?

1 Samuel 6:19 says that God struck down many men from the town of Bethshemesh because they looked into the ark of the LORD, with the number given as fifty thousand and seventy. The people mourned deeply because so many had died after this act of disrespect toward the ark.

This verse comes after the ark of the LORD had been returned to Israel from the Philistines. The men of Bethshemesh, who were Israelites, looked inside the ark, which was strictly forbidden because the ark was considered holy and untouchable. The verse highlights the seriousness of treating the things of God with reverence and shows the people's grief over the heavy loss.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 6:19

  • "smote" (נָכָה, nākhāh): This word means to strike or kill. The verse uses it repeatedly to emphasize that the deaths were a direct result of God's action, not a natural disaster or accident.
  • "looked" (רָאָה, rā’āh): This word means to see or look at, but here it carries the sense of looking into or inspecting. The offense was not just seeing the ark, but looking inside it, which was a violation of sacred boundaries.
  • "ark" (אֲרוֹן, ’ārōn): The ark was the most sacred object in Israel’s worship, representing God’s presence. The act of looking into it was a serious breach of respect.
  • "fifty thousand and threescore and ten men" (חֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף אִישׁ וְשִׁבְעִים אִישׁ, ḥamishshim eleph ish v’shiv‘im ish): The Hebrew text lists both “fifty thousand men” and “seventy men,” which has led to much discussion about the exact number, but the main point is the severity of the punishment.

Why 1 Samuel 6:19 matters

  • This verse clarifies that even the Israelites, who had just received the ark back, were not exempt from God’s standards of holiness and respect for sacred things.
  • The verse connects to the larger story of the ark’s journey, showing that God’s presence is powerful and not to be treated casually, regardless of who is involved.
  • The grief of the people (“lamented”) underscores the seriousness of the event and the impact it had on the community, reminding readers of the weight of sacred responsibility.

Where else these words appear

“Bethshemesh” Hebrew H1053 · used in 19 verses

  • Joshua 15:10 And the border compassed from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to Bethshemesh, and passed on to Timnah:
  • 1 Samuel 6:12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.
  • 2 Kings 14:13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

“lamented” Hebrew H56 · used in 38 verses

  • Genesis 37:34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
  • Nehemiah 8:9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
  • Jeremiah 23:10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

“slaughter” Hebrew H4347 · used in 46 verses

  • Leviticus 26:21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.
  • 1 Samuel 23:5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
  • Isaiah 27:7 Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him?

“ten” Hebrew H7657 · used in 90 verses

  • Genesis 4:24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
  • Numbers 7:73 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
  • 2 Chronicles 2:2 And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.