Tag Archives: 1 Samuel 6:9

וּרְאִיתֶ֗ם אִם־דֶּ֨רֶךְ גְּבוּלֹ֤ו יַֽעֲלֶה֙ בֵּ֣ית שֶׁ֔מֶשׁ ה֚וּא עָ֣שָׂה לָ֔נוּ אֶת־הָרָעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹולָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את וְאִם־לֹ֗א וְיָדַ֨עְנוּ֙ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָדֹו֙ נָ֣גְעָה בָּ֔נוּ מִקְרֶ֥ה ה֖וּא הָ֥יָה לָֽנוּ׃ In this verse from 1 Samuel 6, the Philistines—plagued by the Ark of the Covenant—prepare to return it to Israelite territory. They set up a test: if the cows carrying the Ark go directly to Beth Shemesh, they will know that the plague was sent by God. If not, then it was mere chance. This is not just a narrative of superstition or fear—it is a grammatical construction of conditional reasoning, where syntax becomes theology.… Learn Hebrew