שמואל א, פרק ו׳, פסוק י״א

The moment of the Philistines' submission reaches its peak as they return the sacred Ark, accompanied by golden offerings of appeasement to atone for their offense against God. Following the counsel of their priests and diviners, they prepare a cart and place the Ark of God upon it. Alongside the Ark, they place a box containing their guilt offering, which consists of golden mice and golden figures [אברבנאל, שטיינזלץ]. These figures were specifically shaped to resemble the painful tumors that had afflicted the Philistines during the Ark's captivity [מצודת דוד].

Whenever this specific disease is mentioned elsewhere, a harsh and offensive term is typically recorded, though tradition dictates reading a cleaner, more polite term in its place. In this specific moment, however, the polite term is directly recorded in the text. This intentional shift in language happens because the golden figures were placed right next to the Ark of God. Out of deep respect for the Ark's holiness, the narrative adopts a clean and dignified tone from the start, ensuring that no derogatory expression is used in such close proximity to the sacred object [מנחת שי].