1 Samuel 5
Christian Standard Bible
The Ark in Philistine Hands
5 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer(A) to Ashdod,(B) 2 brought it into the temple of Dagon[a](C) and placed it next to his statue.[b] 3 When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord.(D) So they took Dagon and returned him to his place. 4 But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. This time, Dagon’s head and both of his hands were broken off and lying on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso remained.[c] 5 That is why, still today, the priests of Dagon and everyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on Dagon’s threshold.
6 The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod.(E) He terrified(F) the people of Ashdod and its territory and afflicted them with tumors.[d][e](G) 7 When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of Israel’s God must not stay here with us, because his hand is strongly against us and our god Dagon.” 8 So they called all the Philistine rulers together(H) and asked, “What should we do with the ark of Israel’s God?”
“The ark of Israel’s God should be moved to Gath,” they replied. So they moved the ark of Israel’s God. 9 After they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against the city of Gath,(I) causing a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, from the youngest to the oldest, with an outbreak of tumors.(J)
10 The people of Gath then sent the ark of God to Ekron, but when it got there, the Ekronites cried out, “They’ve moved the ark of Israel’s God to us to kill us and our people!” [f]
11 The Ekronites called all the Philistine rulers together.(K) They said, “Send the ark of Israel’s God away. Let it return to its place so it won’t kill us and our people!” [g] For the fear of death pervaded the city; God’s hand was oppressing them.(L) 12 Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.(M)
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- 5:2 A Philistine god of the sea, grain, or storm
- 5:2 Lit to Dagon
- 5:4 LXX; Hb reads Only Dagon remained on it
- 5:6 LXX adds He brought up mice against them, and they swarmed in their ships. Then mice went up into the land and there was a mortal panic in the city.
- 5:6 Perhaps bubonic plague
- 5:10 DSS, LXX read “Why have you moved... people?”
- 5:11 DSS, LXX read “Why don’t you return it to... people?”
1 Samuel 5
Lexham English Bible
The Ark of the Covenant among the Philistines
5 Now the Philistines had captured[a] the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the temple of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon. 3 When the Ashdodites got up early the next morning, there was[b] Dagon fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh! So they took Dagon and returned him to his place. 4 When they got up early in the morning the next day, there was[c] Dagon fallen again with his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh! The head of Dagon and the palms of his two hands were cut off, lying at[d] the threshold; only the body[e] of Dagon was left. 5 (Therefore the priests of Dagon and all who come into the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod until this very day.)
6 Now the hand of Yahweh was heavy against the Ashdodites and he destroyed them and struck them with tumors,[f] both in Ashdod and its territories. 7 The men of Ashdod saw that it was so, and they said, “The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, because his hand is harsh on us and on Dagon our god!” 8 So they sent and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines to them, and they asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they said, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around toward Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel to Gath.
9 After they moved it, the hand of Yahweh was against the city, causing a very great confusion, and he struck the men of the city from the youngest to the oldest,[g] causing tumors[h] to break out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought around the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our[i] people!” 11 So they sent and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines, and they said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel and let it return to its place, so that it will not kill us and our people.” For a deadly confusion[j] was throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 12 The men who did not die were struck with the tumors,[k] so that the cry of the city for help went up to heaven.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 5:1 Or “taken”
- 1 Samuel 5:3 Literally “look”
- 1 Samuel 5:4 Literally “look”
- 1 Samuel 5:4 Hebrew “to”
- 1 Samuel 5:4 The phrase may suggest that only the “fish” part of Dagon was left
- 1 Samuel 5:6 The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “boils”; the reading tradition (Qere) has “tumors”
- 1 Samuel 5:9 Literally “from small up to great”
- 1 Samuel 5:9 The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “boils”; the reading tradition (Qere) has “tumors”
- 1 Samuel 5:10 Hebrew “me and my”
- 1 Samuel 5:11 Literally “a confusion of death”; indicates a genitive of attribute
- 1 Samuel 5:12 The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “boils”; the reading tradition (Qere) has “tumors”
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