Add parallel Print Page Options

The Philistines’ Troubles because of the Ark

The Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the Ark of God, brought it to the temple of Dagon,[a] and placed it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod got up the next morning, there was Dagon, lying on the ground in front of the Ark of the Lord. They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But when they got up the next morning, there was Dagon, lying on the ground again in front of the Ark of the Lord. Dagon’s head and both of his arms[b] were broken off and lying on the threshold.[c] Only the trunk of[d] Dagon was left intact.[e] This is why neither the priests of Dagon nor anyone who enters the temple of Dagon step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

The Lord heavily oppressed the people of Ashdod, devastating and afflicting Ashdod and its territories with tumors of the groin. When the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “Don’t let the Ark of the God of Israel stay with us, because he is severely attacking us and our god Dagon.” They sent messengers[f] and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and asked, “What are we to do with the Ark of the God of Israel?”

They said, “Let the Ark of the God of Israel move to Gath.” So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel.

After they moved it, the Lord moved against the town, causing[g] a very great panic. He struck the men of the town, from young to old with tumors of the groin. 10 Then they sent the Ark of God to Ekron. When the Ark of God arrived in Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the Ark of the God of Israel to us to kill us and our people!”

11 They sent messengers[h] and gathered together all the Philistine lords: “Send away the Ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to where it belongs so that it does not kill us and our people.” Meanwhile, a deadly panic had spread all over the town, and God kept on pressuring[i] them there. 12 The people who did not die were afflicted with tumors of the groin, and the cry of the town went up to heaven.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 5:2 Dagon was the principal deity of the Philistines.
  2. 1 Samuel 5:4 Lit. both of the palms of his hands
  3. 1 Samuel 5:4 Lit. broken off on the threshold
  4. 1 Samuel 5:4 The Heb. lacks the trunk of
  5. 1 Samuel 5:4 Lit. on it
  6. 1 Samuel 5:8 The Heb. lacks messengers
  7. 1 Samuel 5:9 Lit. with
  8. 1 Samuel 5:11 The Heb. lacks messengers
  9. 1 Samuel 5:11 Lit. and the hand of God was on

The Ark of the Covenant among the Philistines

Now the Philistines had captured[a] the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the temple of Dagon and placed it beside Dagon. 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. 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. (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.)

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. 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!” 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.

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 chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 5:1 Or “taken”
  2. 1 Samuel 5:3 Literally “look”
  3. 1 Samuel 5:4 Literally “look”
  4. 1 Samuel 5:4 Hebrew “to”
  5. 1 Samuel 5:4 The phrase may suggest that only the “fish” part of Dagon was left
  6. 1 Samuel 5:6 The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “boils”; the reading tradition (Qere) has “tumors”
  7. 1 Samuel 5:9 Literally “from small up to great”
  8. 1 Samuel 5:9 The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “boils”; the reading tradition (Qere) has “tumors”
  9. 1 Samuel 5:10 Hebrew “me and my”
  10. 1 Samuel 5:11 Literally “a confusion of death”; indicates a genitive of attribute
  11. 1 Samuel 5:12 The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “boils”; the reading tradition (Qere) has “tumors”