The Meaning of 1 Samuel 6:4 Explained

1 Samuel 6:4

KJV: Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

YLT: And they say, 'What is the guilt-offering which we send back to Him?' and they say, 'The number of the princes of the Philistines -- five golden emerods, and five golden mice -- for one plague is to you all, and to your princes,

Darby: Then they said, What is the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden hemorrhoids, and five golden mice, the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague is upon them all, and upon your lords.

ASV: Then said they, What shall be the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden tumors, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then said  they, What [shall be] the trespass offering  which we shall return  to him? They answered,  Five  golden  emerods,  and five  golden  mice,  [according to] the number  of the lords  of the Philistines:  for one  plague  [was] on you all, and on your lords. 

What does 1 Samuel 6:4 Mean?

Context Summary

1Sa 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: 1Sa 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 6:4 mean?

And they said what [is] the trespass offering which we shall return to Him and they answered [according to] the number of the lords of the Philistines Five - tumors golden and five rats golden for plague [was] one on all of you and on your lords
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ מָ֣ה הָאָשָׁם֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָשִׁ֣יב לוֹ֒ וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ מִסְפַּר֙ סַרְנֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים חֲמִשָּׁה֙ [עפלי] (טְחֹרֵ֣י) זָהָ֔ב וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה עַכְבְּרֵ֣י זָהָ֑ב כִּֽי־ מַגֵּפָ֥ה אַחַ֛ת לְכֻלָּ֖ם וּלְסַרְנֵיכֶֽם

וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ  And  they  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מָ֣ה  what  [is] 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
הָאָשָׁם֮  the  trespass  offering 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָשָׁם  
Sense: guilt, offense, guiltiness.
נָשִׁ֣יב  we  shall  return 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
לוֹ֒  to  Him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ  and  they  answered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מִסְפַּר֙  [according  to]  the  number 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִסְפָּר  
Sense: number, tale.
סַרְנֵ֣י  of  the  lords 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: סֶרֶן 
Sense: lord, ruler, tyrant.
פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים  of  the  Philistines 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: פְּלִשְׁתִּי  
Sense: an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan.
חֲמִשָּׁה֙  Five 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: חָמֵשׁ  
Sense: five.
[עפלי]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
(טְחֹרֵ֣י)  tumors 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: עֹפֶל  
Sense: hill, mound, fort, stronghold, Ophel.
זָהָ֔ב  golden 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זָהָב  
Sense: gold.
וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה  and  five 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, masculine singular
Root: חָמֵשׁ  
Sense: five.
עַכְבְּרֵ֣י  rats 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: עַכְבָּר  
Sense: mouse.
זָהָ֑ב  golden 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זָהָב  
Sense: gold.
מַגֵּפָ֥ה  plague  [was] 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: מַגֵּפָה  
Sense: blow, slaughter, plague, pestilence, strike, smite.
אַחַ֛ת  one 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
לְכֻלָּ֖ם  on  all  of  you 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
וּלְסַרְנֵיכֶֽם  and  on  your  lords 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: סֶרֶן 
Sense: lord, ruler, tyrant.