Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:

1 SAMUEL 6:7KJV
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1 Samuel 6:7 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 6:7 mean?

1 Samuel 6:7 gives instructions to make a new cart, take two cows that are nursing calves and have never been yoked, tie them to the cart, and take their calves away. This is part of a plan to return the Ark of the Covenant to Israel, testing whether God is behind the plagues that struck the Philistines.

The Philistine priests and diviners are speaking to the Philistine leaders, advising them on how to send the Ark back to Israel. The instructions are specific: the cows (milch kine) have never been used for work ("no yoke"), and their natural instinct would be to stay with their calves, not pull a cart away from home. This setup is meant to make it clear that if the cows go straight to Israel, it is a sign that the God of Israel is truly at work.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 6:7

  • "new" (חָדָשׁ, ḥādāsh): The word for "new" emphasizes that the cart should not have been used before, highlighting the specialness and purity of the offering.
  • "milch" (עָלוֹת, ʿālōt) and "kine" (פָּרָה, pārāh): These words specify that the animals are female cows currently giving milk, which would naturally want to stay with their young, making the test more striking.
  • "yoke" (עֹל, ʿōl): This word means a wooden bar used to harness animals for work. The fact that these cows have never worn a yoke means they are untrained, making it even less likely they would pull the cart together unless something unusual is happening.

Why 1 Samuel 6:7 matters

  • This verse shows the Philistines trying to make the test as difficult as possible, so that if the cows do go to Israel, it cannot be explained by natural behavior.
  • The careful instructions highlight the seriousness with which the Philistines treat the Ark and their desire to be sure about the cause of their troubles.
  • Understanding these details helps clarify the miracle that follows, as the cows do exactly what would be least expected, strengthening the message that God is at work.

Where else these words appear

“milch” Hebrew H5763 · used in 5 verses

  • Genesis 33:13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.
  • 1 Samuel 6:10 And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:
  • Psalms 78:71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

“cart” Hebrew H5699 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 45:19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.
  • Numbers 7:7 Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service:
  • 2 Samuel 6:3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.

“kine” Hebrew H6510 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 32:15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
  • Genesis 41:26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
  • 1 Samuel 6:10 And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:

“yoke” Hebrew H5923 · used in 34 verses

  • Genesis 27:40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
  • 2 Chronicles 10:9 And he said unto them, What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people, which have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us?
  • Jeremiah 27:11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.