1 Samuel 5:6-12

6 Now the hand of Yahweh was heavy against the Ashdodites and he destroyed them and struck them with tumors, 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}, causing tumors 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 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} 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, so that the cry of the city for help went up [to] heaven.

1 Samuel 5:6-12 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] The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads "boils"; the reading tradition (Qere) has "tumors"
• [b] Literally "from small up to great"
• [c] The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads "boils"; the reading tradition (Qere) has "tumors"
• [d] Hebrew "me and my"
• [e] Literally "a confusion of death"; indicates a genitive of attribute
• [f] The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads "boils"; the reading tradition (Qere) has "tumors"