John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 6:1
And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. Or "in the field" F3 בשדה εν αγρω , Sept. "in agro", Pagninus, Montanus. of the Philistines; hence Procopius Gazaeus observes, that none of the cities daring to receive the ark, they left it without under the open air, so thinking they should be delivered from their calamity. But the word is often used for country, and is generally so understood here; the Targum is,"in the cities of the Philistines;'in one... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 6:1-9
The first words of the chapter tell us how long the captivity of the ark continued?it was in the country of the Philistines seven months. In the field of the Philistines (so it is in the original), from which some gather that, having tried it in all their cities, and found it a plague to the inhabitants of each, at length they sent it into the open fields, upon which mice sprang up out of the ground in great multitudes, and destroyed the corn which was now nearly ripe and marred the land. With... read more