1 And the Philistines H6430 took H3947 the ark H727 of God, H430 and brought H935 it from Ebenezer H72 unto Ashdod. H795
2 When the Philistines H6430 took H3947 the ark H727 of God, H430 they brought H935 it into the house H1004 of Dagon, H1712 and set H3322 it by H681 Dagon. H1712
3 And when they of Ashdod H796 arose early H7925 on the morrow, H4283 behold, Dagon H1712 was fallen H5307 upon his face H6440 to the earth H776 before H6440 the ark H727 of the LORD. H3068 And they took H3947 Dagon, H1712 and set H7725 him in his place H4725 again. H7725
4 And when they arose early H7925 on the morrow H4283 morning, H1242 behold, Dagon H1712 was fallen H5307 upon his face H6440 to the ground H776 before H6440 the ark H727 of the LORD; H3068 and the head H7218 of Dagon H1712 and both H8147 the palms H3709 of his hands H3027 were cut off H3772 upon the threshold; H4670 only the stump of Dagon H1712 was left H7604 to him.
5 Therefore neither the priests H3548 of Dagon, H1712 nor any that come H935 into Dagon's H1712 house, H1004 tread H1869 on the threshold H4670 of Dagon H1712 in Ashdod H795 unto this day. H3117
6 But the hand H3027 of the LORD H3068 was heavy H3513 upon them of Ashdod, H796 and he destroyed H8074 them, and smote H5221 them with emerods, H2914 H6076 even Ashdod H795 and the coasts H1366 thereof.
7 And when the men H582 of Ashdod H795 saw H7200 that it was so, they said, H559 The ark H727 of the God H430 of Israel H3478 shall not abide H3427 with us: for his hand H3027 is sore H7185 upon us, and upon Dagon H1712 our god. H430
8 They sent H7971 therefore and gathered H622 all the lords H5633 of the Philistines H6430 unto them, and said, H559 What shall we do H6213 with the ark H727 of the God H430 of Israel? H3478 And they answered, H559 Let the ark H727 of the God H430 of Israel H3478 be carried about H5437 unto Gath. H1661 And they carried H5437 the ark H727 of the God H430 of Israel H3478 about H5437 thither.
9 And it was so, that, after H310 they had carried it about, H5437 the hand H3027 of the LORD H3068 was against the city H5892 with a very H3966 great H1419 destruction: H4103 and he smote H5221 the men H582 of the city, H5892 both small H6996 and great, H1419 and they had emerods H2914 H6076 in their secret parts. H8368
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 1 Samuel 5
Commentary on 1 Samuel 5 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 5
1Sa 5:1, 2. The Philistines Bring the Ark into the House of Dagon.
1. Ashdod—or Azotus, one of the five Philistine satrapies, and a place of great strength. It was an inland town, thirty-four miles north of Gaza, now called Esdud.
2. the house of Dagon—Stately temples were erected in honor of this idol, which was the principal deity of the Philistines, but whose worship extended over all Syria, as well as Mesopotamia and Chaldea; its name being found among the Assyrian gods on the cuneiform inscriptions [Rawlinson]. It was represented under a monstrous combination of a human head, breast, and arms, joined to the belly and tail of a fish. The captured ark was placed in the temple of Dagon, right before this image of the idol.
1Sa 5:3-5. Dagon Falls Down.
3, 4. they of Ashdod arose early—They were filled with consternation when they found the object of their stupid veneration prostrate before the symbol of the divine presence. Though set up, it fell again, and lay in a state of complete mutilation; its head and arms, severed from the trunk, were lying in distant and separate places, as if violently cast off, and only the fishy part remained. The degradation of their idol, though concealed by the priests on the former occasion, was now more manifest and infamous. It lay in the attitude of a vanquished enemy and a suppliant, and this picture of humiliation significantly declared the superiority of the God of Israel.
5. Therefore neither the priests … nor any … tread on the threshold of Dagon—A superstitious ceremony crept in, and in the providence of God was continued, by which the Philistines contributed to publish this proof of the helplessness of their god.
unto this day—The usage continued in practice at the time when this history was written—probably in the later years of Samuel's life.
1Sa 5:6-12. The Philistines Are Smitten with Emerods.
6. the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod—The presumption of the Ashdodites was punished by a severe judgment that overtook them in the form of a pestilence.
smote them with emerods—bleeding piles, hemorrhoids (Ps 78:66), in a very aggravated form. As the heathens generally regarded diseases affecting the secret parts of the body as punishments from the gods for trespasses committed against themselves, the Ashdodites would be the more ready to look upon the prevailing epidemic as demonstrating the anger of God, already shown against their idol.
7. the ark of God shall not abide with us—It was removed successively to several of the large towns of the country, but the same pestilence broke out in every place and raged so fiercely and fatally that the authorities were forced to send the ark back into the land of Israel [1Sa 5:8-10].
11. they sent—that is, the magistrates of Ekron.
12. the cry of the city went up to heaven—The disease is attended with acute pain, and it is far from being a rare phenomenon in the Philistian plain [Van De Velde].