The Meaning of 1 Samuel 6:6 Explained

1 Samuel 6:6

KJV: Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?

YLT: and why do ye harden your heart as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their heart? do they not -- when He hath rolled Himself upon them -- send them away, and they go?

Darby: And why will ye harden your heart, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their heart? When he had wrought mightily among them, did they not let them go, and they departed?

ASV: Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Wherefore then do ye harden  your hearts,  as the Egyptians  and Pharaoh  hardened  their hearts?  when he had wrought wonderfully  among them, did they not let the people go,  and they departed? 

What does 1 Samuel 6:6 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 6:1-12 - Returned With A Trespass-Offering
There is reason to suppose that when the Philistines got possession of the Ark, they destroyed Shiloh. See Psalms 78:60; Psalms 78:64; Jeremiah 26:9. They could not imagine how to rid themselves of the sacred emblem, which brought only destruction in its train, until they had consulted the priests. These priests appear to have been well acquainted with the previous history of the Israelites, though centuries had passed since the passage of the Red Sea. How ignorantly men think of God! He is not their enemy, but the enemy of their sin.
What a striking illustration is afforded by these lowing kine! Their maternal instincts yearned for their young, detained behind; but they were urged forward by a supernatural impulse. So the missionary may leave wife and child, that he may carry the Gospel to the heathen; so the slum-worker may abandon all that others hold dear, in order to change some wretched district into a city of God. Our weak heart clings, but the love of Christ constrains us, and we go forward, urged by a divine and overmastering motive. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 6

1  After seven months the Philistines take counsel how to send back the ark
10  They bring it on a new cart with an offering unto Beth Shemesh
19  The people are smitten for looking into the ark
21  They send to them of Kiriath Jearim to fetch it

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 6:6 mean?

Then why do you harden - your hearts as hardened Egypt and Pharaoh their hearts not when He did mighty things among them and they did let the people go that they might depart
וְלָ֤מָּה תְכַבְּדוּ֙ אֶת־ לְבַבְכֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר כִּבְּד֛וּ מִצְרַ֥יִם וּפַרְעֹ֖ה ؟ לִבָּ֑ם הֲלוֹא֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר הִתְעַלֵּ֣ל בָּהֶ֔ם וַֽיְשַׁלְּח֖וּם ؟ וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ

וְלָ֤מָּה  Then  why 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
תְכַבְּדוּ֙  do  you  harden 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honourable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honoured.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
לְבַבְכֶ֔ם  your  hearts 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: לֵבָב  
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.
כִּבְּד֛וּ  hardened 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honourable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honoured.
מִצְרַ֥יִם  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרִי  
Sense: Egyptian—an inhabitant or citizen of Egypt.
וּפַרְעֹ֖ה  and  Pharaoh 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: פַּרְעֹה  
Sense: the common title of the king of Egypt.
؟ לִבָּ֑ם  their  hearts 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
הִתְעַלֵּ֣ל  He  did  mighty  things 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָלַל 
Sense: to act severely, deal with severely, make a fool of someone.
בָּהֶ֔ם  among  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
וַֽיְשַׁלְּח֖וּם  and  they  did  let  the  people  go 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
؟ וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ  that  they  might  depart 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.