JOSEPH W. TKACH
February 1988
Dear Friend:
Thank you for your question concerning I Samuel 6:19.
The King James Version states that at the time the ark of
the covenant was returned to Israel by the Philistines, God slew
50,070 men because they had looked inside the ark. Many Bible
translations and commentaries reject the number 50,070 as
inaccurate and unreasonable. They argue that this verse should
read that only 70 men were actually killed.
This conclusion, however, is inconsistent with the second
part of this verse. The Bible plainly states that "the people
lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a
GREAT SLAUGHTER."
The term "great slaughter" is used many times in the Old
Testament to describe military engagements where TENS OF
THOUSANDS of soldiers were killed. Notice I Samuel 4, verses 10
and 17, where 30,000 Israelite soldiers died at the hands of the
Philistines in a "great slaughter." Compare also Joshua 10:10,
Judges 11:33, and II Samuel 18:7.
Nevertheless, Bible students still find the account of I
Samuel 6:19 difficult to accept. The original Hebrew clearly
reads "seventy men, fifty thousand men." Scholars point to the
unusual arrangement of the numbers in that the 70 stands before
the 50,000. The smaller number appearing first, however, is not
an unprecedented arrangement in the Hebrew language. Even the
omission of a conjunction between the two numbers does not change
the meaning of the original text.
The Bible very precisely states that 50,070 men died in a
great slaughter because of the irreverence and presumption of the
men of Bethshemesh. The critical arguments of Bible scholars to
dismiss the number 50,000 as a scribal error or a deliberate
corruption of the text are a misguided attempt to diminish
this dramatic account.
Whenever we may assist you further with your study of the
Bible, we hope you will let us know. It is our pleasure to serve
you.
PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT
PASTOR GENERAL