1 Samuel 6:14 Meaning and Explanation
“And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The cart halts at a great stone in Joshua's field, where the people break up the cart for wood and offer the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
What Does 1 Samuel 6:14 Mean?
The cart comes to rest in the field of a man named Joshua, beside a great stone that will become a landmark. The people of Bethshemesh respond with worship: they split the cart into firewood and offer the two cows upon it as a burnt offering to the LORD, giving back to God the very animals that bore His ark home.
The instruments of the ark's return become the substance of thanksgiving; cart and cattle alike are surrendered to God. A burnt offering was wholly consumed, holding nothing back, a picture of total devotion. When God acts mercifully toward us, the right answer is not to keep the means of His blessing for ourselves but to offer all of it back to Him in grateful, undivided worship.
1 Samuel 6:14 in the Original Language
olah (עֹלָה), 'burnt offering' -- an offering wholly consumed by fire, signifying complete devotion to God.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Samuel 6:14
What does 1 Samuel 6:14 mean?
The cart halts at a great stone in Joshua's field, where the people break up the cart for wood and offer the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.