King James Version
1 Samuel 5
12 verses with commentary
The Ark in Philistine Cities
And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The Ark's journey into Philistine territory moves from Ebenezer (stone of help) to Ashdod - from the place that should have marked divine aid to the center of Dagon worship. The geographical movement traces the Ark's captivity but also sets the stage for God's self-vindication. What appears to be Yahweh's defeat will become His triumph. The Philistines think they have captured Israel's God; they w...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **The Philistines took the ark of God.**—The sacred writer concerns himself after the battle of Aphek only with the future of the Ark of the Covenant, and says nothing of the fate of Shiloh after the rout of the Israelites and the death of the high priest. We can, however, from Psalm 78:60-64, and two passages in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:12; Jeremiah 26:9), complete the story of the sanctuary city...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand.
**18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--**This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 5
Chapter Outline
Dagon is broken before the ark.(1-5)
The Philistine smitten.(6-12)
**Verses 1-5**
See the ark's triumph over Dagon. Thus the kingdom of Satan will certainly fall before the kingdom of Christ, error before truth, profaneness before godliness, and corruption before grace in the hearts of the faithful. When the interests of religion seem to be ready to sink...
Read full commentary →When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Philistines place the Ark in Dagon's temple 'by Dagon,' positioning it as inferior tribute or captive trophy. Standard ancient practice interpreted military victory as divine victory - Dagon had defeated Yahweh. The placement 'by' (or 'beside') Dagon suggests subordination. The Philistines interpret events through their theological framework: their god has triumphed over Israel's god. This the...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **They brought it into the house of Dagon.**—The conquerors, we are told, in the meantime, with triumph, carried the captured Ark from the battle-field to Ashdod. This was one of the capital cities of the five Philistine princes. It is built on a hill close to the Mediterranean Sea, and was in after days known as Azotus (Acts 8:40).
In Ashdod they placed it in the temple of the popular Philist...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand.
**18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--**This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 5
Chapter Outline
Dagon is broken before the ark.(1-5)
The Philistine smitten.(6-12)
**Verses 1-5**
See the ark's triumph over Dagon. Thus the kingdom of Satan will certainly fall before the kingdom of Christ, error before truth, profaneness before godliness, and corruption before grace in the hearts of the faithful. When the interests of religion seem to be ready to sink...
Read full commentary →And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
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KJV Study Commentary
Morning reveals Dagon's humiliation: 'fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD.' The idol that should have been victorious lies prostrate in worship position before the Ark. The Philistines' response - setting Dagon back up - shows persistent blindness. They restore their idol rather than acknowledging what the fall signifies. Human beings persistently prop up failing ideologie...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Dagon was fallen upon his face.**—This Dagon was one of the chief Philistine deities, and had temples not only in Ashdod and in Gaza, but in the cities of Philistia. (See St. Jerome on Isaiah 46:1.) The idol had a human head and hands, and the body of a fish. Philo derives the word Dagon from *dagan, “*corn,” and supposes the worship to have been connected with Nature worship. The true deriv...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand.
**18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--**This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 5
Chapter Outline
Dagon is broken before the ark.(1-5)
The Philistine smitten.(6-12)
**Verses 1-5**
See the ark's triumph over Dagon. Thus the kingdom of Satan will certainly fall before the kingdom of Christ, error before truth, profaneness before godliness, and corruption before grace in the hearts of the faithful. When the interests of religion seem to be ready to sink...
Read full commentary →And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon 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 upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. the stump: or, the fishy part
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The second morning brings intensified humiliation: Dagon falls again, now with 'head...and both the palms of his hands cut off upon the threshold.' Only 'the stump of Dagon' (literally 'only Dagon') remains - the fish-body portion if Dagon was fish-shaped, or simply a mutilated torso. The severing of head and hands represents complete incapacitation: no wisdom (head) and no power (hands). Dagon ca...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **When they arose early on the morrow.**—Strange to say, on the next day a new and startling circumstance aroused and disturbed the exultant Philistines. The idol was again fallen, but this time broken. No mere accident could account for what had happened. The head and hands were severed from the image, and thrown contemptuously on the threshold of the temple, upon which the foot of every prie...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:29-48. They Destroy All the Benjamites, Except Six Hundred.
**29-48. And Israel set liers-in-wait round about Gibeah--**A plan was formed of taking that city by stratagem, similar to that employed in the capture of Ai [Jos 8:9].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 5
Chapter Outline
Dagon is broken before the ark.(1-5)
The Philistine smitten.(6-12)
**Verses 1-5**
See the ark's triumph over Dagon. Thus the kingdom of Satan will certainly fall before the kingdom of Christ, error before truth, profaneness before godliness, and corruption before grace in the hearts of the faithful. When the interests of religion seem to be ready to sink...
Read full commentary →Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.
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KJV Study Commentary
A cultic practice emerges: 'neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold...unto this day.' The threshold where Dagon's mutilated parts lay becomes taboo. This practice, persisting 'unto this day,' memorializes Dagon's defeat in every subsequent temple visit. Every worshipper who steps over the threshold enacts remembrance of their god's humiliation. Th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Unto this day.**—This curious “memory” of the disaster to the Dagon image in this Philistine temple at Ashdod long existed among the worshippers of the fish-god. Zephaniah (1Samuel 1:9), in the reign of King Josiah, mentions this among idolatrous observances which he condemns: “In the same day I will punish all those that leap on (or over) the threshold.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:29-48. They Destroy All the Benjamites, Except Six Hundred.
**29-48. And Israel set liers-in-wait round about Gibeah--**A plan was formed of taking that city by stratagem, similar to that employed in the capture of Ai [Jos 8:9].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 5
Chapter Outline
Dagon is broken before the ark.(1-5)
The Philistine smitten.(6-12)
**Verses 1-5**
See the ark's triumph over Dagon. Thus the kingdom of Satan will certainly fall before the kingdom of Christ, error before truth, profaneness before godliness, and corruption before grace in the hearts of the faithful. When the interests of religion seem to be ready to sink...
Read full commentary →But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods , even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Divine judgment extends beyond the idol to the people: 'the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod.' The 'heavy hand' metaphor pictures oppressive, crushing weight. God 'destroyed them' and struck them with 'emerods' (tumors or hemorrhoids, possibly bubonic plague). The scope expands: 'Ashdod and the coasts thereof.' What began in Dagon's temple spreads throughout the territory. The Ark th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod.**—A painful and distressing sickness, in the form, perhaps, of tumours—(the word *emerods *should be spelt *hemorrhoids*)—broke out among the inhabitants of the Philistine city in which was situated the idol temple, where was placed the Ark of the Covenant. The LXX. has an addition to the Hebrew text here which speaks of a terrible land...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:29-48. They Destroy All the Benjamites, Except Six Hundred.
**29-48. And Israel set liers-in-wait round about Gibeah--**A plan was formed of taking that city by stratagem, similar to that employed in the capture of Ai [Jos 8:9].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-12**
The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Philistines; he not only convinced them of their folly, but severely chastised their insolence. Yet they would not renounce Dagon; and instead of seeking God's mercy, they desired to get clear of his ark. Carnal hearts, when they smart under the judgments of God, would rather, if it were possible, put him far from them, than enter into co...
Read full commentary →And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
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KJV Study Commentary
The men of Ashdod draw the correct conclusion: 'The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.' They recognize both personal suffering and their deity's defeat. The phrase 'his hand is sore' acknowledges Yahweh's aggressive action. Remarkably, these pagans discern what Israel's leaders failed to see: the Ark represents a God who acts acc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:29-48. They Destroy All the Benjamites, Except Six Hundred.
**29-48. And Israel set liers-in-wait round about Gibeah--**A plan was formed of taking that city by stratagem, similar to that employed in the capture of Ai [Jos 8:9].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-12**
The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Philistines; he not only convinced them of their folly, but severely chastised their insolence. Yet they would not renounce Dagon; and instead of seeking God's mercy, they desired to get clear of his ark. Carnal hearts, when they smart under the judgments of God, would rather, if it were possible, put him far from them, than enter into co...
Read full commentary →They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The Philistine lords gather to decide the Ark's fate. Their question 'What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?' acknowledges inability to simply return or destroy it. The decision to move it to Gath suggests hope that local factors caused Ashdod's problems. The phrase 'they carried the ark...about' (Hebrew: sabab, to go around, transfer) pictures the Ark making a circuit of Philistine c...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them.**—The Philistine federation seems to have been a very powerful one, and owing to the disinclination of the Israelites to maritime pursuits and foreign commerce—[the foreign commercial expeditions of King Solomon were apparently quite exceptional]—held in their hands a large proportion of the Mediterranean trade—the Mediterranean being the ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:29-48. They Destroy All the Benjamites, Except Six Hundred.
**29-48. And Israel set liers-in-wait round about Gibeah--**A plan was formed of taking that city by stratagem, similar to that employed in the capture of Ai [Jos 8:9].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-12**
The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Philistines; he not only convinced them of their folly, but severely chastised their insolence. Yet they would not renounce Dagon; and instead of seeking God's mercy, they desired to get clear of his ark. Carnal hearts, when they smart under the judgments of God, would rather, if it were possible, put him far from them, than enter into co...
Read full commentary →And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Gath fares no better: 'the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction.' The affliction now includes 'small and great' - no social class escapes. The 'emerods in their secret parts' (more literally, 'tumors broke out on them') spreads through the entire population. Each Philistine city that receives the Ark experiences intensified judgment. God demonstrates His power system...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:29-48. They Destroy All the Benjamites, Except Six Hundred.
**29-48. And Israel set liers-in-wait round about Gibeah--**A plan was formed of taking that city by stratagem, similar to that employed in the capture of Ai [Jos 8:9].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-12**
The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Philistines; he not only convinced them of their folly, but severely chastised their insolence. Yet they would not renounce Dagon; and instead of seeking God's mercy, they desired to get clear of his ark. Carnal hearts, when they smart under the judgments of God, would rather, if it were possible, put him far from them, than enter into co...
Read full commentary →Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people. us, to: Heb. me to slay me and my
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The Ark moves to Ekron, and the Ekronites immediately recognize the threat: 'They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.' Their cry shows learned experience - they know what happened to Ashdod and Gath. The phrase 'to slay us' attributes intentional, aggressive action to the God of the Ark. The Ekronites understand better than Israel's elders that this Go...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:29-48. They Destroy All the Benjamites, Except Six Hundred.
**29-48. And Israel set liers-in-wait round about Gibeah--**A plan was formed of taking that city by stratagem, similar to that employed in the capture of Ai [Jos 8:9].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-12**
The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Philistines; he not only convinced them of their folly, but severely chastised their insolence. Yet they would not renounce Dagon; and instead of seeking God's mercy, they desired to get clear of his ark. Carnal hearts, when they smart under the judgments of God, would rather, if it were possible, put him far from them, than enter into co...
Read full commentary →So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. us not: Heb. me not, and my
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The Philistine lords reconvene, now united in determination: 'Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place.' The Ark must return to prevent total destruction. The phrase 'that it slay us not' again attributes lethal intent to the Ark's God. The description 'deadly destruction throughout all the city' and 'the hand of God was very heavy there' summarizes comprehensiv...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Send away the ark.**—The lords of the Philistines were a long time before they could make up their minds to get rid of this deadly trophy of their victory. They had grown up with an undefined awe of the “golden chest,” which, as they supposed, had so often in the days of the famous Hebrew conqueror, Joshua, led the armies of Israel to victory; and now at last it was their own. It was indeed...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:29-48. They Destroy All the Benjamites, Except Six Hundred.
**29-48. And Israel set liers-in-wait round about Gibeah--**A plan was formed of taking that city by stratagem, similar to that employed in the capture of Ai [Jos 8:9].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-12**
The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Philistines; he not only convinced them of their folly, but severely chastised their insolence. Yet they would not renounce Dagon; and instead of seeking God's mercy, they desired to get clear of his ark. Carnal hearts, when they smart under the judgments of God, would rather, if it were possible, put him far from them, than enter into co...
Read full commentary →And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods : and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The final verse captures universal suffering: 'the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.' The affliction is total - all are either dead or diseased. The 'cry...to heaven' echoes language used for Israel's suffering in Egypt (Exodus 2:23) and Sodom's sin (Genesis 18:21). Now pagans cry under God's heavy hand. The Ark that brought no salvation to...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:29-48. They Destroy All the Benjamites, Except Six Hundred.
**29-48. And Israel set liers-in-wait round about Gibeah--**A plan was formed of taking that city by stratagem, similar to that employed in the capture of Ai [Jos 8:9].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-12**
The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Philistines; he not only convinced them of their folly, but severely chastised their insolence. Yet they would not renounce Dagon; and instead of seeking God's mercy, they desired to get clear of his ark. Carnal hearts, when they smart under the judgments of God, would rather, if it were possible, put him far from them, than enter into co...
Read full commentary →