Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 6:9
Verse 9. A chance that happened to us] The word hrqm mikreh, from hrq karah, to meet or coalesce, signifies an event that naturally arises from such concurring causes as, in the order and nature of things, must produce it. Thus a bad state of the atmosphere, putrid exhalations, bad diet, occasioned by any general scarcity, might have produced the disease in question; and to something of this kind they would attribute it, if the other evidences did not concur. This gives us the proper notion of chance; and shows us that it is a matter as dependent upon the Divine providence, as any thing can be: in short, that these occurrences are parts of the Divine government.
The word chance, though often improperly used to signify such an occurrence as is not under the Divine government, is of itself, not only simple, but expressive; and has nearly the meaning of the Hebrew word: it comes from the French cheoir, or escheoir, to fall out, to occur, to fall to.
Hence our law-term escheat, any lands that fall to the lord of the manor by forfeiture, or for want of heirs: i.e., these are the occurrences which naturally throw the lands into the hands of the lord.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 9. And see if it goeth up by the way of its own coast to Bethshemesh , etc.] The nearest city to the land of the Philistines, which lay on their borders, and the borders of the tribe of Judah, (see Gill on “ Joshua 15:10”). Now the lords of the Philistines are directed by their priests to observe, whether these kine, that drew the cart on which the ark was, took the direct road to the borders of the land of Israel, and to Bethshemesh, the nearest city that lay on that coast: if so, they might conclude then, he hath done us this great evil ; that is, the God of Israel, whose ark this was; he had inflicted the disease of the emerods on them, and sent such numbers of mice into their fields, that had destroyed the increase of them: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that hath smote us ; but that there is some other cause of it: it was a chance that happened to us ; and so might have been the case if the ark had never been taken or detained, and to be imputed to fate, or to the stars, or some secret causes they know not of.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-9 - Seven months the Philistines were punished with the presence of the ark; so long it was a plague to them, because they would not send it home sooner. Sinners lengthen out their own miseries by refusing to part with their sins. The Israelites made no effort to recover the ark Alas! where shall we find concern for religion prevail above all othe matters? In times of public calamity we fear for ourselves, for ou families, and for our country; but who cares for the ark of God? We ar favoured with the gospel, but it is treated with neglect or contempt We need not wonder if it should be taken from us; to many persons this though the heavies of calamities, would occasion no grief. There ar multitudes whom any profession would please as well as that of Christianity. But there are those who value the house, the word, an the ministry of God above their richest possessions, who dread the los of these blessings more than death. How willing bad men are to shif off their convictions, and when they are in trouble, to believe it is chance that happens; and that the rod has no voice which they shoul hear or heed!
Original Hebrew
וראיתם 7200 אם 518 דרך 1870 גבולו 1366 יעלה 5927 בית שׁמשׁ 1053 הוא 1931 עשׂה 6213 לנו את 853 הרעה 7451 הגדולה 1419 הזאת 2063 ואם 518 לא 3808 וידענו 3045 כי 3588 לא 3808 ידו 3027 נגעה 5060 בנו מקרה 4745 הוא 1931 היה׃ 1961
