They sent therefore, and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines: and they said: Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return into its own place, and not kill us and our people.
וַיִּשְׁלְח֨וּ וַיַּאַסְפ֜וּ אֶת־כָּל־סַרְנֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ שַׁלְּח֞וּ אֶת־אֲר֨וֹן אֱלֹהֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְיָשֹׁ֣ב לִמְקֹמ֔וֹ וְלֹֽא־יָמִ֥ית אֹתִ֖י וְאֶת־עַמִּ֑י כִּֽי־הָיְתָ֤ה מְהֽוּמַת־מָ֙וֶת֙ בְּכָל־הָעִ֔יר כָּבְדָ֥ה מְאֹ֛ד יַ֥ד הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים שָֽׁם׃
One Church Father comments on this verse
He (the Ark) makes a grand procession from city to city (1 Sam. 5:8, 10), so that all the people of the Philistine territories may recognize that the God of Israel is the one true God, mighty and fearsome. They realized this, and after feeling the heavy hand of His judgment (1 Sam. 5:6, 9), they were driven to return the Ark with respect, guiding it to the border of the land of Israel (1 Sam. 6:11).
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS