שמואל א, פרק ו׳, פסוק י״ז

After enduring severe plagues, the Philistines sought to appease God by returning the captured Ark alongside a carefully calculated guilt offering. The tribute of golden tumors was arranged with exact precision to represent the entirety of the Philistine leadership. Each of the five main Philistine cities contributed a single golden tumor to God [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. By providing exactly one golden idol for each major city, the tribute served as a direct offering on behalf of the ruling leader of that specific region [מצודת דוד].

In presenting these specific golden tumors, the Philistines strictly followed the instructions given by their priests and diviners, bringing no more than the required five. This precise adherence stands in sharp contrast to the offering of golden mice that accompanied the tumors. While the priests had also commanded them to bring five golden mice, the Philistines chose to exceed those instructions. They brought a much larger quantity of golden mice to serve as an offering on behalf of the general population, rather than limiting the gift to represent the leadership alone [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד].