1 Samuel 5:1-5

The Ark of the Covenant among the Philistines

1 Now [the] Philistines had captured 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} 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} 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 the threshold; only [the body] 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.)

1 Samuel 5:1-5 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.

Footnotes

• [a] Or "taken"
• [b] Literally "look"
• [c] Literally "look"
• [d] Hebrew "to"
• [e] The phrase may suggest that only the "fish" part of Dagon was left