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, 1 Samuel 5:1, that the hand of the Lord was upon the men of Ashdod, and smote them with emerods, 1 Samuel 5:6 and being... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE PHILISTINES TOOK THE ARK OF GOD,.... Which fell into their hands, Israel being beaten, and caused to flee, and the priests that had the care of the ark slain; and when possessed of it, they did not destroy it, nor take out of it what was in it, only took it up: AND BROUGHT IT FROM EBENEZER... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THE PHILISTINES TOOK THE ARK OF GOD,.... And had brought it to Ashdod: THEY BROUGHT IT INTO THE HOUSE OF DAGON; a temple dedicated to that idol, and in which his image stood; of which Judges 16:23, AND SET IT BY DAGON; by the side of him, either in honour to the ark, as Abarbinel, designing t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THEY OF ASHDOD AROSE EARLY ON THE MORROW, e.] Either the people, the inhabitants of the place, who came early to pay their devotions to their idol, before they went on their business or the priests of the idol, who came to sacrifice in the morning: AND, BEHOLD, DAGON WAS FALLEN UPON HIS FA... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THEY AROSE EARLY ON THE MORROW MORNING,.... For the same purpose as before; unless they had any curiosity to indulge, to see whether the ark and Dagon agreed better together, if they had any suspicion that the former mischance was to be attributed to some variance and disagreement between t... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE NEITHER THE PRIESTS OF DAGON, NOR ANY THAT COME INTO DAGON'S HOUSE,.... Neither the priests that continually attended the worship and service of Dagon, nor the people that came there to pay their devotions to him: TREAD ON THE THRESHOLD OF DAGON IN ASHDOD UNTO THIS DAY: but used to leap o... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE HAND OF THE LORD WAS HEAVY ON THEM OF ASHDOD,.... Not only on their idol, but on themselves; it had crushed him to pieces, and now it fell heavy on them to their destruction: AND HE DESTROYED THEM; either by the disease after mentioned they were smitten with, or rather with some other, sinc... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE MEN OF ASHDOD SAW THAT IT WAS SO,.... That many of their inhabitants were taken away by death, and others afflicted with a painful disease; all which they imputed to the ark being among them: THEY SAID, THE ARK OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL SHALL NOT ABIDE WITH US; like the Gergesenes, who beso... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SENT THEREFORE AND GATHERED ALL THE LORDS OF THE PHILISTINES UNTO THEM,.... The other four lords, for there were five with this; see Joshua 13:3, AND SAID, WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THE ARK OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL? they no doubt told them what they and their idol had suffered on account of it, and th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT WAS SO, THAT AFTER THEY HAD CARRIED IT ABOUT,.... And at last placed it in the city of Gath; THE HAND OF THE LORD WAS AGAINST THE CITY WITH A VERY GREAT DESTRUCTION: greater than that at Ashdod, more persons were destroyed; the distemper sent among them was more epidemic and mortal: AND HE... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE THEY SENT THE ARK OF GOD TO EKRON,.... Another of the five principalities of the Philistines, about ten miles from Gath, where Baalzebub, or the god of the fly, was worshipped: AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT AS THE ARK OF GOD CAME TO EKRON; and had been there some little time: THAT THE EKRONI... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THEY SENT AND GATHERED TOGETHER ALL THE LORDS OF THE PHILISTINES,.... As the men of Ashdod had done before on the same account, 1 Samuel 5:8 AND SAID, SEND AWAY THE ARK OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL; as these lords were united in their government, and made one common cause of it against Israel, one could... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE MEN THAT DIED NOT WERE SMITTEN WITH THE EMERODS,.... As the inhabitants of Ashdod and Gath had been; this shows that those that died did not die of that disease, but of some other; very likely the pestilence: AND THE CRY OF THE CITY WENT UP TO HEAVEN; not that it was heard and regarded ther... [ Continue Reading ]