And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:
Parallel translations
- WEB The men did so, and took two milk cows, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.
- BSB So the men did as instructed. They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and penned up their calves.
- NKJV Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.
- NASB Then the men did so: they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut in their calves at home.
- NLT So these instructions were carried out. Two cows were hitched to the cart, and their newborn calves were shut up in a pen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The men follow the plan, yoking two milk cows and shutting their calves at home. They carry out the prescribed test exactly.
Overview
The Philistines obey their priests' instructions, separating the cows from their calves and harnessing them to the cart. Their compliance prepares for the decisive sign. The careful setup heightens the demonstration of God's sovereign control over the outcome.
Cross-references & the web
No cross-references recorded for this verse.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 6:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.