Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:
Now then, make a new cart and get two cows that are nursing their calves, cows that have never been used for work. Tie the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and bring them back home.
The Philistines are being told to make a new cart pulled by untrained mother cows whose calves will be taken away from them.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative, the Philistines had captured the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites, which brought plagues and disasters upon their cities as a sign of God's judgment. To return the Ark safely and test whether God was truly behind these troubles, their priests instructed them to build a new cart and use two milk cows that had never been yoked before, believing this would demonstrate divine intervention if the cows went straight to Israelite territory. This setup highlighted the Philistines' attempt to honor what they perceived as God's requirements while addressing their fear of further punishment.
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