1 Samuel 6:12
New International Version
Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

New Living Translation
And sure enough, without veering off in other directions, the cows went straight along the road toward Beth-shemesh, lowing as they went. The Philistine rulers followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.

English Standard Version
And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.

Berean Standard Bible
And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

New American Standard Bible
Now the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went on the same road, bellowing as they went, and did not turn off to the right or to the left. And the governors of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

NASB 1995
And the cows took the straight way in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

NASB 1977
And the cows took the straight way in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the cows took the straight way in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

Amplified Bible
And the cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn away to the right or the left. And the Philistine lords (governors) followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

Christian Standard Bible
The cows went straight up the road to Beth-shemesh. They stayed on that one highway, lowing as they went; they never strayed to the right or to the left. The Philistine rulers were walking behind them to the territory of Beth-shemesh.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The cows went straight up the road to Beth-shemesh. They stayed on that one highway, lowing as they went; they never strayed to the right or to the left. The Philistine rulers were walking behind them to the territory of Beth-shemesh.

American Standard Version
And the kine took the straight way by the way to Beth-shemesh; they 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 Beth-shemesh.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the cows were sent in the road that was by the border of Bayth Shemesh walking in the one path, and they went and they were mooing and they did not turn to the right or to the left, and the Tyrants of the Philistines were going after them unto the border of Bayth Shemesh

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the cows went straight on the way to the way of Baethsamys, they went along one track; and laboured, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after it as far as the coasts of Baethsamys.

Contemporary English Version
The cows went straight up the road toward Beth-Shemesh, mooing as they went. The Philistine rulers followed them until they got close to Beth-Shemesh.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the kine took the straight way that leadeth to Bethsames, and they went along the way, lowing as they went: and turned not aside neither to the right hand nor to the left: and the lords of the Philistines followed them as far as the borders of Bethsames.

English Revised Version
And the kine took the straight way by the way to Beth-shemesh; they 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 Beth-shemesh.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The cows went straight up the road to Beth Shemesh. Continually mooing, they stayed on the road and didn't turn right or left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

Good News Translation
The cows started off on the road to Beth Shemesh and headed straight toward it, without turning off the road. They were mooing as they went. The five Philistine kings followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

International Standard Version
The cows took a straight path along the road to Beth-shemesh. They stayed on the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn to the right or the left. The Philistine lords followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the kine took the straight way by the way to Beth-shemesh; they 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 Beth-shemesh.

Literal Standard Version
And the cows go straight in the way, on the way to Beth-Shemesh, they have gone in one highway, going and lowing, and have not turned aside right or left; and the princes of the Philistines are going after them to the border of Beth-Shemesh.

Majority Standard Bible
And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

New American Bible
The cows went straight for the route to Beth-shemesh and continued along this road, mooing as they went, turning neither right nor left. The Philistine leaders followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.

NET Bible
Then the cows went directly on the road to Beth Shemesh. They went along, mooing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left. The leaders of the Philistines were walking along behind them all the way to the border of Beth Shemesh.

New Revised Standard Version
The cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.

New Heart English Bible
The cows took the straight way by the way to Beth Shemesh; they went along the highway, mooing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines followed them to the territory of Beth Shemesh.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the cows took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, 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 to the border of Beth-shemesh.

World English Bible
The cows took the straight way by the way to Beth Shemesh. They went along the highway, lowing as they went, and didn’t turn away to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

Young's Literal Translation
And the kine go straight in the way, on the way to Beth-Shemesh, in one highway they have gone, going and lowing, and have not turned aside right or left; and the princes of the Philistines are going after them unto the border of Beth-Shemesh.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Ark Returned to Israel
11Then they put the ark of the LORD on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold rats and the images of the tumors. 12And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh. 13Now the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed at the sight.…

Cross References
Numbers 20:19
"We will stay on the main road," the Israelites replied, "and if we or our herds drink your water, we will pay for it. There will be no problem; only let us pass through on foot."

1 Samuel 6:9
but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance."

1 Samuel 6:11
Then they put the ark of the LORD on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold rats and the images of the tumors.

1 Samuel 6:13
Now the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed at the sight.


Treasury of Scripture

And the cows 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 to the border of Bethshemesh.

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Beth Bethshemesh Beth-Shemesh Border Cows Direction Hand Highway Lowing Philistines Right Shemesh Straight Turn Turned Way
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Beth Bethshemesh Beth-Shemesh Border Cows Direction Hand Highway Lowing Philistines Right Shemesh Straight Turn Turned Way
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














(12) Went along the highway, lowing.--But the dumb beasts did what the idol priests and diviners scarcely considered possible, for God's hand drove them. The narrative here throughout is evidently unadorned, very easy and natural, and speaks of primitive customs, telling its story of the Divine interference of the "Glorious Arm" with exquisite simplicity and truth.

The dumb beasts went on their strange way with their golden burden, the princes of the Philistines following them, awe-struck, at a distance.

Verse 12. - The kine took the straight way. The Hebrew brings out the directness with which the heifers took the route to Beth-shemesh very forcibly. It says, "And the kine went straight in the way upon the way to Beth-shemesh; they went along one highway, lowing as they went," i.e. they went in one direct course, without deviating from it. Nevertheless, their continual lowing showed the great stress that was laid upon their nature in being thus compelled to separate themselves from their calves. And the lords of the Philistines went after them. I.e. behind them, leaving the kine free to go where they chose. The usual position of the driver of an ox cart in the East is in front. Conder ('Tent Work,' 1:274) describes the view up the great corn valley of Sorek to the high and rugged hills above as extremely picturesque, and this it is, he adds, which was spread before the eyes of the five lords of the Philistines as they followed the lowing oxen which bore the ark on the "straight way" from Ekron to Beth-shemesh. The ruins of the latter place, he says, lie on a knoll surrounded by olive trees, near the junction of the valley of Sorek with the great gorge which bounded Judah on the north. THE ARK AT BETH-SHEMESH (vers. 15-20).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And the cows
הַפָּר֜וֹת (hap·pā·rō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 6510: A heifer, cow

headed straight
וַיִשַּׁ֨רְנָה‪‬ (wa·yiš·šar·nāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine plural
Strong's 3474: To be straight, even, to be, right, pleasant, prosperous

up the road
בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְ (bad·de·reḵ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

toward
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

Beth-shemesh,
שֶׁ֔מֶשׁ (še·meš)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1053: Beth-shemesh -- 'sun temple', three places in Palestine, also a place in Egypt

staying on that one
אַחַ֗ת (’a·ḥaṯ)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

highway
בִּמְסִלָּ֣ה (bim·sil·lāh)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4546: A thoroughfare, a viaduct, a staircase

and lowing
וְגָע֔וֹ (wə·ḡā·‘ōw)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 1600: To bellow

as they went,
הָלְכ֤וּ (hā·lə·ḵū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

never
וְלֹא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

straying
סָ֖רוּ (sā·rū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

to the right
יָמִ֣ין (yā·mîn)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3225: The right hand, side, the south

or to the left.
וּשְׂמֹ֑אול (ū·śə·mō·wl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8040: Dark, the north, the left hand

The rulers
וְסַרְנֵ֤י (wə·sar·nê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5633: An axle, a peer

of the Philistines
פְלִשְׁתִּים֙ (p̄ə·liš·tîm)
Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia

followed
הֹלְכִ֣ים (hō·lə·ḵîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

behind
אַחֲרֵיהֶ֔ם (’a·ḥă·rê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

them to
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

the border
גְּב֖וּל (gə·ḇūl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1366: A cord, a boundary, the territory inclosed

of
בֵּ֥ית (bêṯ)
Preposition
Strong's 0: 0

Beth-shemesh.
שָֽׁמֶשׁ׃ (šā·meš)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1053: Beth-shemesh -- 'sun temple', three places in Palestine, also a place in Egypt


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OT History: 1 Samuel 6:12 The cows took the straight way (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 6:11
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