1 Samuel 5:1–12

5:2 “Took [“captured”] . . . brought” repeats the same verbs as verse 1, emphasizing how completely the Philistines consider the ark to be at their disposal. The additional verb, “set up,” describes a deliberate act of formal presentation (cf. 2 Sam. 6:17) of the ark in “the house of Dagon” next to the idol already there. The Philistines had adopted the Semitic god Dagon (Judg. 16:23), a fertility deity associated with vegetation and grain whose worship is attested throughout Mesopotamian and Syrian cities.³ The Philistines mistakenly assume that possession of the ark implies effective control of the Lord. What comes upon them is therefore the consequence of their own conduct.

5:3 However, the Lord does not permit himself to be mocked by the treatment accorded to the ark. “Behold” conveys something of the surprise the people of Ashdod experience the following morning when they discover that during the night “Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord.” This symbolic obeisance is the stance of a defeated ruler before a victorious conqueror (cf. 17:49), here displaying the superiority of the Lord (cf. Ps. 97:7; Isa. 19:1).

Although such an incident should have been viewed as a bad omen, the people of Ashdod treat it as merely accidental that the idol has fallen off the pedestal or platform on which it was placed. However, the narrator’s description is a subtly ironic comment on the powerlessness of the pagan god, which must be propped upright by its devotees (cf. Isa. 40:20)—something they refuse to acknowledge.

5:4 The following morning the citizens of Ashdod are even more shocked. Not only had the idol toppled over again, but this time “the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold.” “Cut off” hints that this is not simply a break caused by a fall; rather, the powerful Lord has cut off the head (cf. 17:51; 31:9) and hands (cf. Judg. 8:6; 2 Sam. 4:12) of his defeated opponent and has contemptuously placed them on the threshold. The threshold was a flat piece of stone or wood lying under the doorway of the temple, and it was treated with respect as delimiting the sacred area. Deprived of his head for thinking and his hands for acting, the stump of the idol is a picture of senseless impotence. The previous day’s hypothesis that this has all occurred by chance requires revision.

5:5 In an aside the narrator explains a custom that subsequently prevailed in Ashdod. “This” refers to the incidents in verses 3 and 4. Because the broken pieces of the idol came to rest on the temple threshold, the Philistine priests and all who frequented that temple avoided treading on the threshold that had thus been rendered sacred. The custom persisted “to this day”—reflecting the situation of the compiler of Samuel (cf. Introduction: Date and Occasion). This practice (perhaps referenced in Zeph. 1:9) is an instance of how a belief may be clung to despite clear evidence exposing the delusion.

5:6 Just as the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror” (Deut. 26:8), he acts in similar fashion against the new oppressors of Israel. The spoiling and mockery of their idol is not his only reprisal. “The hand of the Lord was heavy” plays on the fact that the hands of the Dagon idol were cut off (1 Sam. 5:4). As regards the Lord, the metaphorical use of “hand” to signify “power” indicates precisely what Dagon lacked. “Heavy” (kabed) suggests “active and powerful” in a negative sense. But the same Hebrew root also conveys the sense of “glory” (kabod), conceived of in terms of weightiness. The glory that had departed in 4:21–22 is now asserting its presence in Ashdod and its environs.

The heaviness of the Lord’s hand is a key theme in the chapter. It recurs in 5:11, with two further references to the “hand” of the Lord in verses 7 and 9 and a further five in the wider context (4:8; 6:3, 5, 9; 7:13). When the Lord acts in power, he can overwhelm an individual or a community, rendering them incapable of resistance. Though the verb “terrified” may also indicate the imposition of physical devastation, here it is the psychological effect of the Lord’s intervention that is emphasized, whereas “afflicted/struck” points to a physical effect. This is a clear demonstration that the Lord is far from defeated and powerless, even though he has permitted his people to be routed.

The noun “tumor” comes from a root meaning “to swell up” and refers to boils or swellings of some sort on the skin. Here and in 5:9, 12; 6:4, 5 (also Deut. 28:27) the Masoretes preferred to read an alternative, possibly more polite term that may indicate “hemorrhoids.” This alternative term occurs in the text at 1 Samuel 6:11, 17. Moreover, “mice” (possibly including rats) are mentioned four times in chapter 6, which has led to speculation that an outbreak of bubonic plague occurred, since such a plague is characterized by swellings in the armpits, groin, and side of the neck. This is reinforced by the Septuagint, which adds here, “In the midst of its territory mice grew up.” A precise diagnosis of the condition God inflicts is not possible, but the description of the swellings makes plague as likely an identification as any. What is significant, however, is that it is caused by the Lord.

5:7 The people of the area unhesitatingly associate the outbreak with the presence of the ark in their midst. As they discuss the situation among themselves, they conclude that the defeated god Dagon is unable to afford them protection, and they recognize the superior power of the God of Israel. “His hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god” uses the term “hard” with the sense of “harsh” or “fierce” rather than “heavy” (v. 6). They are convinced they will gain respite from the plague only by removing the ark.

5:8 So the citizens of Ashdod send messengers to convene an assembly of “all the lords of the Philistines.” “Lord” (Hb. seren) seems to be a native Philistine term for a ruler, possibly connected etymologically to “tyrant.” The Philistines settled in five independent towns (6:17), each ruled by a “lord,” but there was close cooperation between them on most issues. Since the lords wish to retain their prize but also to ease the situation in Ashdod, they propose moving the ark from Dagon’s temple to Gath.

The final “there” is a translator’s addition, but the Septuagint and 4QSam^a make the reference explicit: “to Gath.” This city was probably 12.5 miles (20 km) southeast of Ashdod, close to the border with Judah.⁴

5:9 However, moving the ark does not solve the Philistines’ problem but merely transfers it elsewhere. As soon as the ark arrives in Gath, it is evident that “the hand of the Lord was against the city” in ways explained later in the verse. The tumors experienced in Ashdod “broke out on them” as well, rupturing the residents’ skin. In this way the Lord causes a “very great panic,” a situation of public confusion and unrest, as the plague affects all of the men of the city. “Both young and old” is an instance of merism, naming two extremes as a way of referring to everything in between as well (the whole population, in this case).

5:10 The people of Gath act without further consultation and move the ark on to Ekron, a Philistine city about 5 miles (8 km) north of Gath.⁵ There the population does not wait for the plague to break out but immediately protests that the people of Gath have brought the ark to them “to kill us and our people.”

5:11 The citizens of Ekron summon another convocation of the Philistine leadership (v. 8), urging the ark to be sent out of Philistine territory and returned to its proper place in Israel. The whole community is gripped by the fear that death will soon sweep through their city. And indeed “the hand of God was very heavy there” (cf. v. 6), for he does not wait until the political processes of the Philistines have time to agree on a new policy; he strikes the population as soon as the ark arrives in Ekron.

5:12 “The men who did not die were struck with tumors” implies that those for whom the plague is not fatal still suffer from its effects. “The cry of the city went up to heaven” describes a land in great physical distress; it does not imply that the people of Ekron worship the Lord by calling on him to relieve their suffering (contrast Ex. 2:23). It may mean either that they seek relief from their gods or simply that their agony is very great.