Dagon Falls Before the Ark
Study note
The Philistines brought the ark to Ashdod, one of their five major cities, and placed it in the temple of Dagon, their chief god. Dagon was often depicted as a half-man, half-fish idol. The next morning, the statue of Dagon had fallen face down before the ark, as if bowing to the Lord. They set it back up, but the next morning Dagon had fallen again, this time with its head and hands broken off. This dramatically showed that the Lord was more powerful than any false god.
1 The Philistines captured the ark of God. They carried it from the battlefield at Ebenezer to the city of Ashdod. And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod.
2 They took the ark inside the temple of their god Dagon and placed it right next to Dagon's statue. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
3 When the people of Ashdod got up the next morning, they found the statue of Dagon lying face down on the floor in front of the Lord's ark. They picked Dagon up and put him back where he belonged. 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.
4 But the next morning, the same thing had happened again. Dagon was lying face down on the ground in front of the Lord's ark. This time, though, his head and both hands had snapped off and were lying on the doorstep. Only the main part of the statue was left. 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.
5 Therefore Dagon's priests still skip the doorstep. So does anyone who goes into his temple in Ashdod. They never step on it. 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.
God Strikes the Philistine Cities
Study note
The Lord brought terrible suffering to the people of Ashdod, striking them with painful tumors or growths. The people of Ashdod quickly realized that the God of Israel was punishing them and wanted the ark removed. They sent it to Gath, another Philistine city, but the same thing happened there. God struck the people of Gath with tumors as well, causing great panic throughout the city.
6 The Lord punished the people of Ashdod severely. He brought ruin on them and struck them with painful tumors, both in the city itself and in the surrounding areas. 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.
7 The people of Ashdod saw what was happening and said, "The ark of Israel's God cannot stay here with us. His power is destroying us and our god Dagon." 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.
8 They called all the Philistine rulers together and asked, "What should we do with the ark of Israel's God?" The rulers decided, "Send it to Gath." So they moved the ark of God to the city of Gath. 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.
9 But as soon as the ark arrived in Gath, the Lord struck that city too. He sent a terrible outbreak of painful tumors on the people there, young and old alike. 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.
The Ark Moves to Ekron
Study note
When the ark was sent to Ekron, a third Philistine city, the people cried out in fear before it even arrived. They did not want to suffer the same fate as Ashdod and Gath. The people who did not die were struck with tumors, and the city's cries for help rose up to heaven. The Philistines were learning a painful lesson: the God of Israel was real and powerful, even in their own territory.
10 So they shipped the ark off to Ekron. But the moment the ark appeared in Ekron, the people there panicked and cried out, "They brought the ark of Israel's God here to kill us all!" 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.
11 The terrified people of Ekron called an emergency meeting of all the Philistine rulers and begged, "Get rid of the ark of Israel's God! Send it back where it came from before it kills every last one of us!" Fear and death were spreading through the whole city because God's hand was punishing them so severely. 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.
12 The people who did not die were suffering from painful tumors. The desperate cries of the city could be heard far and wide. And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.