In 1 Samuel 6:4, why are golden tumors and rats treated as valid offerings for atonement?

Historical and Scriptural Context

1 Samuel 6 narrates the return of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines to the Israelites. The Philistines had captured the Ark in battle (1 Samuel 4:11), but were soon afflicted with devastating tumors, and their land was overrun with rats (1 Samuel 5:6 and 5:9). Recognizing that these calamities came upon them due to the presence of the Ark, the Philistines concluded they needed to appease the God of Israel.

In 1 Samuel 6:4, the Philistine rulers ask, “What guilt offering should we send back to Him?” They received the advice to craft five golden tumors and five golden rats corresponding to their five rulers (one for each of the five major Philistine cities: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron). This practice of creating physical representations of afflictions and presenting them to a deity was not unique to Israel; it appeared in other ancient Near Eastern cultures as well, reflecting a broader custom of representing ailments as part of ritual offerings.

Symbolic Nature of the Tumors and Rats

During the time, making votive or symbolic objects in precious metals—gold in this case—was a way to acknowledge a deity’s power and to seek relief or favor. The Philistines connected the tumors and rats directly with the plagues that were ravaging them (1 Samuel 5:6–12). The golden replicas effectively embodied their afflictions, which they offered up in hopes that the God of Israel would withdraw His judgment.

The motive behind offering images of “golden tumors” and “golden rats” was not the same as the prescribed sacrificial system in the Mosaic Law for Israel. Instead, it was the Philistines’ attempt, from their own cultural and religious framework, to show contrition and recognize Yahweh's authority. These items symbolized the penalty of sin and the urgency of removing divine judgment from their midst.

Atonement and the Recognition of God’s Sovereignty

Although the concept of a “guilt offering” (Hebrew: ’āšām) in Israel’s sacrificial system typically involved animals without defect (cf. Leviticus 5:14–19), the Philistines adapted their own means to seek relief. Their actions conveyed the belief that Yahweh, the God of Israel, was sovereign over territory well beyond Israelite borders. By affirming their submission to Him and returning the Ark (1 Samuel 6:8), alongside these golden representations, they hoped to reverse the curse upon them.

This episode also illustrates that even outside observers recognized that the God of Israel was not like the idols of the Philistines (1 Samuel 5:2–4). The creation of golden images related to their suffering demonstrated a rudimentary understanding that there is a personal, living God behind the Ark, one who responds to sin and rebellion.

Cultural Parallels and Ancient Practices

Outside biblical traditions, archaeological finds in the ancient Near East sometimes include small figurines representing diseases or pests. These discoveries align with the practice of dedicating “sympathetic” items meant to appease or redirect divine displeasure. In Mesopotamian records, for instance, people occasionally devoted objects representing the illness they hoped a deity would heal.

Such parallels reveal that the Philistines, acting within the norms of their own practices, believed that visual and material acknowledgment of their affliction would be a powerful plea to the divine realm. Their offering in 1 Samuel 6 fits into this broader cultural pattern of using representative objects for appeasement.

The Role of God’s Holiness

The tumors and rats represented the outworking of God’s judgment against the Philistines for possessing the Ark unauthorized. According to the narrative, the Ark of the Covenant was sanctified by God’s presence and belonged in a context of proper worship and devotion (Exodus 25:10–22). Handling the Ark irreverently resulted in severe consequences.

Contrastingly, offerings of gold were often associated with reverence and worship of God (Exodus 25:1–9; 1 Kings 6:20–22). While the Philistines were not instructed under the Mosaic Law to make golden images of their plagues, their choice of the precious metal illustrates the attempt to show their sincerity in acknowledging God’s power and seeking His favor.

Five-Fold Representation

The number five was significant. The five golden tumors and five golden rats were specifically designed to correspond to the five principal cities of the Philistines governed by five rulers. This wrapped all segments of their society under the same act of repentance and respect for the God of Israel, as “the same plague was upon all of you and upon your rulers” (1 Samuel 6:4).

By making each offering the same in number, they confessed that the entire Philistine confederation shared in the guilt of having taken the Ark and suffered God’s discipline uniformly.

Foreshadowing of Complete Restoration

Although this practice was performed by pagan rulers, it underscores a timeless scriptural truth: holiness must be approached with reverence. Pointing ahead to more complete atonement concepts found throughout the Old Testament (e.g., the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16) and ultimately reaching fulfillment in the New Testament (e.g., John 1:29; Hebrews 9:11–14), the golden tumors and rats reveal a broken recognition that sin and its consequences needed removal.

While the Philistines’ custom diverged from Israel’s prescribed sacrifices, this moment still highlighted Yahweh’s unique sovereignty. It also testifies that there is no neutral ground when confronted with God’s holiness.

Theological Conclusion

The golden tumors and rats became an appropriate (though not biblically commanded) expression of the Philistines’ plea for mercy because they symbolized the very judgment they had experienced. Through these objects, the Philistines demonstrated their acknowledgment that the God of Israel had the power to afflict them and the power to heal them.

In terms of biblical theology, this episode teaches that offerings to God must be sincere acknowledgments of His rulership and holiness. Although the Philistines did not fully understand or follow the established covenant rituals, they were forced to humbly concede that they had provoked the true and living God. Their offering, therefore, was a culturally influenced form of a guilt offering meant to avert God’s wrath and restore peace to their cities.

In 1 Samuel 6:4, golden tumors and rats function as valid offerings to the extent that they acted as a representation of contrition, capturing the twofold affliction (physical disease and rodent infestation) that God had brought upon them. This dramatic event underscores the reverence due to God’s holiness and the grave repercussions of disregarding His covenant presence.