And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?”
Parallel translations
- WEB The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?”
- KJV And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
- BSB The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom should the ark go up from here?”
- NASB And the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom will He go up from us?”
- NLT “Who is able to stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?” they cried out. “Where can we send the Ark from here?”
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 of Beth Shemesh ask who can stand before this holy God and where the ark should go. They feel the terror of God's holiness and their own unworthiness.
Overview
Shaken by the judgment, the people confess they cannot stand before such a holy God. Their question exposes the universal human problem: sinners cannot dwell safely in God's holy presence on their own. This longing for one who can stand before God is answered in Christ, our holy Mediator who brings us near (Hebrews 7:25).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 2 Sam 6:9David was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, “How could Yahweh’s ark come to me?”
- Mal 3:2“But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderer’s soap;
- Rev 6:17for the great day of his wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”
- Luke 8:37All the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them, for they were very much afraid. He entered into the boat, and returned.
- Num 17:12–13The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we perish! We are undone! We are all undone!
- Ps 76:7You, even you, are to be feared. Who can stand in your sight when you are angry?
- 2 Sam 6:7Yahweh’s anger burned against Uzzah; and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by God’s ark.
- Lev 11:45For I am Yahweh who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
- Luke 5:8But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.”
- 1 Sam 5:8–12They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried over to Gath.” They carried the ark of the God of Israel there.
- 1 Chr 13:11–13David was displeased, because Yahweh had broken out against Uzza. He called that place Perez Uzza, to this day.
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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 6:20 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.