1 Samuel 5:1-10

Capture of the Ark Provokes God

1 Now the Philistines took the ark of God and ¹brought it from Ebenezer to ²Ashdod.

2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to ³the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.

3 When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, ⁴Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and ⁵set him in his place again.

4 But when they arose early the next morning, behold, ⁶Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

5 Therefore * neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter Dagon's house ⁷tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

6 Now ⁸the hand of the LORD was heavy on the Ashdodites, and ⁹He ravaged them and smote them with ¹⁰tumors, both Ashdod and its territories.

7 When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god."

8 So they sent and ¹¹gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them and said, "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 to Gath." And they brought the ark of the God of Israel around.

9 After they had brought it around, ¹²the hand of the LORD was against the city with very great confusion; and He smote the men of the city, both young and old, so that ¹³tumors broke out on them.

10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as the ark of God came to Ekron the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to us, to kill us and our people."

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1 Samuel 5:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 5

This chapter relates how that the ark being brought by the Philistines to Ashdod, and placed in the temple of their idol, that fell down before it, 1Sa 5:1-5, that the hand of the Lord was upon the men of Ashdod, and smote them with emerods, 1Sa 5:6,7 and being carried to Gath, the men of Gath were smitten likewise with the same, 1Sa 5:8,9, and after that the men of Ekron, whither it also was carried, 1Sa 5:10-12.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 13

1. 1 Samuel 4:1; 1 Samuel 7:12
2. Joshua 13:3
3. Judges 16:23-30; 1 Chronicles 10:8-10
4. Isaiah 19:1; Isaiah 46:1, 2
5. Isaiah 46:7
6. Ezekiel 6:4, 6; Micah 1:7
7. Zephaniah 1:9
8. Exodus 9:3; 1 Samuel 5:7, 11; Psalms 32:4; Psalms 145:20; Psalms 147:6; Acts 13:11
9. 1 Samuel 6:5
10. Deuteronomy 28:27; Psalms 78:66
11. 1 Samuel 5:11; 1 Samuel 29:6-11
12. Deuteronomy 2:15; 1 Samuel 5:11; 1 Samuel 7:13; 1 Samuel 12:15
13. 1 Samuel 5:6

Footnotes 4

[a]. So with ancient versions; Heb "only Dagon"
[b]. Lit "me"
[c]. Lit "me"
[d]. Lit "my"