1 Samuel 6:19

Looked into. Both the irreverent touch of the hand and the irreverent prying of the eye were to be visited with serious results (see Num. 4:20). Moses was denied entrance to the land of Canaan because of failure to render strict obedience to the commands of God. Even though they were priests, Nadab and Abihu paid with their lives for their lack of reverence.

Fifty thousand and three score and ten men. Literally, “seventy men, fifty thousand men.” In the Hebrew no conjunction “and” occurs here. Contrary to normal Hebrew syntax, the smaller number comes first. The peculiar word sequence makes the text most difficult of translation. Some have suggested, “He smote seventy men; fifty out of a thousand,” or, “He slew seventy men out of fifty thousand men.” Three reputable Hebrew manuscripts omit the words “fifty thousand.” In Judges 6:15 ’eleph, “thousand,” is translated “family.” It is possible that it should be translated “family” here also. If so, the statement would read, “And he smote among the people 70 men of 50 families.” Most commentators agree that only 70 men of Beth-shemesh were slain. Yet in a city as small as Beth-shemesh even this would be a terrible calamity. Of course, the Philistines would hear of it, and would have one more evidence that God honored their refusal to look into the ark and their reverence for it.