But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemeshBeth-shemesh was a Levitical city in the territory of Judah, designated for the Kohathites, who were responsible for the care of the sanctuary's sacred objects. The city's name means "House of the Sun," indicating its possible historical significance as a center of sun worship before Israelite occupation. The striking down of the people here underscores the holiness of God and the seriousness of His commands regarding the Ark of the Covenant.
because they looked inside the ark of the LORD.
The Ark of the Covenant was the most sacred object in Israel, representing God's presence and covenant with His people. According to the Law, only the high priest could approach the Ark, and even then, only once a year on the Day of Atonement. The act of looking inside the Ark was a direct violation of God's command and a display of irreverence. This incident echoes the holiness and untouchability of sacred things, similar to the fate of Uzzah in2 Samuel 6:6-7, who was struck down for touching the Ark.
He struck down seventy men,
The number seventy may symbolize completeness or a significant portion of the community, reflecting the severity of the offense. In some manuscripts, the number is recorded as fifty thousand and seventy, though this is likely a textual variation. The emphasis is on the divine judgment that fell upon those who disrespected the Ark.
and the people mourned
The mourning of the people indicates their recognition of the gravity of the situation and their sorrow over the loss. Mourning in the biblical context often involved wearing sackcloth, fasting, and lamentation, reflecting a deep sense of repentance and acknowledgment of sin.
because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.
The term "great slaughter" emphasizes the magnitude of the divine judgment. This event served as a powerful reminder to Israel of the holiness of God and the importance of obedience to His commands. It also foreshadows the ultimate judgment and the need for atonement, pointing to the future work of Jesus Christ, who provides the way for humanity to approach God through His sacrifice.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
GodThe sovereign and holy God who enforces His commandments and punishes disobedience.
2.
Men of Beth-shemeshResidents of the town of Beth-shemesh who disobeyed God's command by looking into the Ark of the Covenant.
3.
Beth-shemeshA town in the territory of Judah, significant for being a Levitical city and a place where the Ark was temporarily housed.
4.
The Ark of the LORDThe sacred chest representing God's presence and covenant with Israel, containing the tablets of the Law.
5.
The Great SlaughterThe divine judgment executed by God, resulting in the death of seventy men for their irreverence.
Teaching Points
Reverence for God's HolinessGod's holiness demands reverence and obedience. The men of Beth-shemesh were punished for their irreverence, reminding us to approach God with respect and awe.
Obedience to God's CommandsThe incident underscores the importance of adhering to God's instructions. Disobedience, especially concerning sacred matters, can lead to severe consequences.
The Seriousness of SinSin has real and serious consequences. The mourning of the people of Beth-shemesh serves as a reminder of the impact of sin on a community.
God's Justice and MercyWhile God is just in His punishment, His actions also serve as a call to repentance and a deeper understanding of His nature.
Learning from Past MistakesThe account encourages us to learn from the mistakes of others, ensuring that we do not repeat them in our own spiritual journey.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 6:19?
2.Why did God strike the men of Beth-shemesh in 1 Samuel 6:19?
3.How does reverence for God's holiness apply to our worship today?
4.What lessons from 1 Samuel 6:19 connect to the fear of the Lord?
5.How can we ensure respect for God's commands in our daily lives?
6.What does 1 Samuel 6:19 teach about consequences of disobedience to God?
7.Why did God strike down 50,070 men in 1 Samuel 6:19?
8.How does 1 Samuel 6:19 reflect God's holiness and justice?
9.What does 1 Samuel 6:19 teach about the consequences of disobedience?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 1 Samuel 6?
11.How do we reconcile the differing accounts of the death toll (70 vs. 50,070) in 1 Samuel 6:19, and is there archaeological proof of such an event?
12.Why does the Ark of the Covenant play a lesser role here (1 Samuel 7) compared to accounts in earlier chapters?
13.2 Samuel 6:12–15 – Why does the Ark’s presence generate such transformative effects, yet no archaeological evidence of its power or existence is found?
14.What rationale is given for excluding Levites from the census in Numbers 1:47–53, and how does this affect the overall population count?What Does 1 Samuel 6:19 Mean
But God struck down• The text opens with decisive divine action: “But God struck down…” (1 Samuel 6:19).
• Judgment comes directly from the LORD; no secondary cause is mentioned (1 Samuel 5:6;2 Samuel 6:7;Deuteronomy 32:39).
• Scripture consistently presents God as personally safeguarding His holiness—those who violate it meet His righteous discipline (Hebrews 10:31).
some of the people of Beth-shemesh• Beth-shemesh was a priestly (Levitical) town assigned to the tribe of Levi (Joshua 21:13–16).
• As Levites, these men knew or should have known the regulations for handling the ark (Numbers 4:15).
• Their privileged position heightened their accountability (Luke 12:48;1 Peter 4:17).
because they looked inside the ark of the LORD• The ark was to remain covered; even the Kohathites, appointed to carry it, were forbidden to “touch or look upon the holy things, lest they die” (Numbers 4:20).
• Peering inside was a presumptuous act that treated the presence of God as common (Exodus 25:14-15;2 Samuel 6:6-7).
• Holiness demands reverent distance when God prescribes it (Isaiah 6:1-5).
He struck down seventy men• The number underscores that this was not a minor lapse but a community sin with corporate consequences (Leviticus 10:1-2;1 Chronicles 13:10).
• Seventy signifies a substantial loss, yet it also shows measured justice—God judged the offenders, not the entire nation (Genesis 18:25).
• The event warns that spiritual privilege never exempts from accountability (1 Corinthians 10:1-12).
and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter• Grief followed judgment; awareness of divine holiness often produces contrition (1 Samuel 6:20;2 Samuel 6:8-9).
• Mourning acknowledged God’s righteousness and their own transgression, paving the way for renewed reverence (Psalm 51:17).
• The community’s fear prompted them to ask, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?”—a question that drives hearts toward proper worship (1 Samuel 6:20).
summary1 Samuel 6:19 records a literal historical judgment in which God struck down seventy men of Beth-shemesh for irreverently looking into the ark. The passage highlights God’s active defense of His holiness, the heightened responsibility of those given spiritual privilege, the seriousness of treating sacred things as common, the measured yet severe nature of divine justice, and the proper human response of mourning and renewed reverence. The incident calls every generation to approach God on His terms, honoring His holy presence with obedient, respectful, and humble hearts.
(19)
They had looked into the ark.--Some commentators consider that the words here should be rendered, "because they had looked at the Ark" with a foolish irreverent staring, which dishonoured the holiness of the sacred mercy-seat; but it is better far to preserve the rendering of our English Version, which is also the favourite Rabbinical explanation of the original. It seems probable that the chief men of the city, most of whom were priests and Levites, after the festive rejoicings which accompanied the sacrificial feast celebrating the Ark's joyful return, heated with wine, lost all sense of reverence, and determined to use this opportunity of gazing into that sacred chest of which they had heard so much, and into which no profane eye in Israel had ever peered, since the golden Cover--on which the glory of the Eternal loved to rest--had sealed up the sacred treasures in the wilderness. Perhaps they wished to see those grey Sinai tablets on which the finger of God had traced His ten solemn commandments; perhaps they excused themselves by a desire to learn if the Philistines had violated the secrets of the holy chest.
Even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men.--Here it is perfectly clear that the present Hebrew text, which the English Version literally renders, is corrupt. The system of writing letters for numbers, as we have seen, constantly has occasioned great discrepancies in the several versions, &c. Here the arrangement of the letters which express this enormous number is quite unusual, and taken by itself would be sufficient to excite grave doubts as to the accuracy of this text. The number of stricken ones, 50,070, is simply inconceivable. Beth-shemesh was never a large or important place; there were, in fact, nogreatcities in Israel, the population was always a scattered one, the people living generally on their farms. Dean Payne Smith computes the population of Jerusalem in its best days as under 70,000. The various versions, LXX., Chaldee, &c, vary in their rendering of these astounding figures. Josephus,Antt. vi. 1, ? 4, in his account of this occurrence speaks of the smitten as numbering seventy. This is probably the correct number. A strange reading, which the LXX. inserts here, deserves to be quoted; it is another proof of the uncertainty of the text at the close of this sixth chapter: "And the children of Jechoniah among the Beth-shemites were not pleased with the men of Beth-shemesh because they saw the Ark, and he smote them, &c." Erdmann, inLange,is inclined to believe the LXX. Version represents the true text, and thus comments on it: "The reason of the sudden death of the seventy of the race of Jechoniah is their unsympathising and, therefore, unholy bearing towards the symbols of God's presence among His people, which showed a mind wholly estranged from the living God--a symptom of the religious moral degeneracy which had spread among the people, though piety was still to be found."
Verse 19. -
He emote the men of Beth-shemesh, etc. In this verse also the text is undoubtedly corrupt. The Septuagint ascribes the sin not to all the people, but to "the sons of Jeconiah, who were not glad when they saw the ark, and he smote them." But as this reading is not supported by the other versions we may pass it by. The numbers, however, are evidently wrong. Fifty thousand men would imply a population of 250,000 people, whereas Jerusalem itself in its palmiest days never had a population of even 70,000. There were no large cities among the Israelites, but a scattered population living upon their fields, and with a few small walled towns here and there to protect them and their cattle in any sudden emergency. Kennicott, however, has satisfactorily explained the mistake. In the old way of denoting numbers by the letters of the alphabet an
ain = 70 had been mistaken for a
nun with two dots = 50,000. The Syriac has 5000, that is, a
nun with one dot. We must add that the Hebrew is not
fifty thousand and threescore and ten men, but "seventy men, fifty thousand men," without any article between, and with the smaller number first, contrary to Hebrew rule. The occasion of the calamity was probably as follows: - As the news of the return of the ark spread from mouth to mouth, the people flocked together to take part in the sacrifice. which would of course be followed by a feast. Heated thereat by wine, perhaps, and merriment, they lost all sense of reverence, and encouraged one another to look into the ark and examine its contents, though the words need not absolutely mean more than that "they looked at the ark." Even so the men of Beth-shemesh, as a city of priests, must have known that death was the penalty of unhallowed gazing at holy things (
Numbers 4:20), and it is more than probable that those who were smitten were priests, because in them it would be a heinous sin; for it was a repetition of that contempt for religion and its symbols which had been condemned so sternly in Eli's sons. The mere seeing of the ark was no sin, and had given the people only joy (ver. 13), but as soon as they had received it the priests ought to have covered it with a vail (
Numbers 4:5). To leave it without a vail was neglectful, to pry into it was sacrilege.
Because Jehovah had smitten many of the people, etc. This clause should be translated, "because Jehovah had smitten the people with a great smiting." The sudden death even of seventy men in an agricultural district, especially if they were the heads of the priestly families there, would be a great and terrible calamity, enough to fill the whole place with grief.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
But God struck downוַיַּ֞ךְ(way·yaḵ)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5221:To strikesome of the peopleבֵֽית־(ḇêṯ-)Preposition
Strong's Hebrewof Beth-shemeshשֶׁ֗מֶשׁ(še·meš)Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1053:Beth-shemesh -- 'sun temple', three places in Palestine, also a place in Egyptbecauseכִּ֤י(kî)Conjunction
Strong's 3588:A relative conjunctionthey lookedרָאוּ֙(rā·’ū)Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7200:To seeinside the arkבַּאֲר֣וֹן(ba·’ă·rō·wn)Preposition-b | Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 727:A chest, arkof the LORD.יְהוָ֔ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of IsraelHe struck downוַיַּ֤ךְ(way·yaḵ)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5221:To strikeseventyשִׁבְעִ֣ים(šiḇ·‘îm)Number - common plural
Strong's 7657:Seventy (a cardinal number)men,אִ֑ישׁ(’îš)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376:A man as an individual, a male personand the people mournedוַיִּֽתְאַבְּל֣וּ(way·yiṯ·’ab·bə·lū)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 56:To bewailbecauseכִּֽי־(kî-)Conjunction
Strong's 3588:A relative conjunctionthe LORDיְהוָ֛ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israelhad struckהִכָּ֧ה(hik·kāh)Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5221:To strikethemהָעָ֔ם(hā·‘ām)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971:A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flockwith a greatגְדוֹלָֽה(ḡə·ḏō·w·lāh)Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 1419:Great, older, insolentslaughter.מַכָּ֥ה(mak·kāh)Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4347:A wound, carnage, pestilence
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OT History: 1 Samuel 6:19 He struck of the men of Beth (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa) 
