1 Samuel 5:10

10 So the people of Gath sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They brought the ark of the God of Israel here to kill us."

1 Samuel 5:10 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 5:10

Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron
Another of the five principalities of the Philistines, about ten miles from Gath, where Baalzebub, or the god of the fly, was worshipped:

and it came to pass, that as the ark of God came to Ekron;
and had been there some little time:

that the Ekronites cried out;
when they perceived the hand of God was upon them, as upon the other cities; these were the chief magistrates of the city, with the lord of them, as appears by what follows:

saying, they have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us;
from one city to another, and at length to us:

to slay us and our people;
not that this was their intention, but so it was eventually.

1 Samuel 5:10 In-Context

8 The people of Ashdod called together all the Philistine rulers. "What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" they asked. "The ark of the God of Israel must be taken to Gath," the rulers said. So the people took the ark of the God of Israel there.

9 But after they had moved it, the LORD threw the city into a great panic: He struck all the important and unimportant people in the city, and they were covered with tumors.

10 So the people of Gath sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They brought the ark of the God of Israel here to kill us."

11 They called together all the Philistine rulers. "Send the ark of the God of Israel away," they said. "Let it go back to its own place so that it won't kill us or our people." There was a fear of death throughout the city, where God dealt [with them] very harshly.

12 The people who didn't die were struck with tumors. So the cry of the city went up to heaven.