1 Samuel 5:10 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 5:6-12

The downfall of Dagon (if the people had made a good use of it, and had been brought by it to repent of their idolatries and to humble themselves before the God of Israel and seek his face) might have prevented the vengeance which God here proceeds to take upon them for the indignities done to his ark, and their obstinate adherence to their idol, in defiance of the plainest conviction. Lord, when thy hand is lifted up they will not see, but they shall see, Isa. 26:11. And, if they will not see... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 5:10

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 Ekronites cried out ; when they perceived the hand of God was upon them, as upon the other cities; these were the chief magistrates of the city, with the lord of them, as appears by what... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 5:6-12

Coercive providences. The facts given are— 1 . God visits the men of Ashdod with severe affliction. 2 . In their perplexity they remove the ark to another locality. 3 . The device proving a failure, and the men of Ekron refusing to receive the unwelcome symbol, a council of authorities decides to return it to Israel. Providence had so ordered events for high moral ends as to bring the ark into captivity. The influences were at work in Israel to issue in the result desired.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 5:10-11

The Ekronites cried out. Convinced by this second and more fatal plague that the ark was the cause of their punishment, the people of Ekron, when it was passed on to them from Gath, protested loudly against its presence. Compelled to receive it until the lords of the Philistines could be convened in council to decide upon its ultimate destination, the plague broke out so heavily among them that they were in utter dismay. For the rendering deadly destruction is untenable. Literally the... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 5:1-12

The ark returns (5:1-7:1)Although God used the Philistines to judge Israel, he would not allow them to dishonour him. He showed that the capture of the ark did not mean that he was inferior to the Philistine god Dagon (5:1-5). Wherever the ark went it brought trouble to the Philistine people. A plague of mice seems to have spread a painful and deadly disease throughout the country, bringing widespread suffering and death (6-12; cf. 6:5).The Philistines felt fairly certain that the ark was the... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Samuel 5:1-12

B. Pagan Fertility Foiled by God ch. 5The primary purpose of this chapter, I believe, is to demonstrate the superiority of Yahweh over Dagon, the fertility god of the Philistines. There are several similarities between this chapter and the record of God sending plagues on the Egyptians (Exodus 7-12), an earlier demonstration of His sovereignty. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Samuel 5:6-12

The writer now began to stress the major theme in the ark narrative: the hand [power] of the Lord. [Note: Patrick D. Miller Jr. and J. J. M. Roberts, The Hand of the Lord: A Reassessment of the "Ark Narrative" of 1 Samuel, p. 48.] There are nine occurrences of this anthropomorphic phrase in this section of 1 Samuel (1 Samuel 4:8; 1 Samuel 5:6-7; 1 Samuel 5:9; 1 Samuel 5:11; 1 Samuel 6:3; 1 Samuel 6:5; 1 Samuel 6:9; 1 Samuel 7:13). The hand of the Lord represents Yahweh in action (cf. Exodus... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 5:1-12

The Ark among the Philistines1. Ashdod] on an elevation overlooking the Philistine plain midway between Gaza and Joppa, and 3 m. from the Mediterranean. Its importance consisted in the fact that it commanded the high road from Palestine to Egypt.2. Dagon] seems to have been worshipped in all the Philistine cities. His name is probably merely the Canaanite pronunciation of the word for ’corn,’ and designates him as the god of agriculture. The Philistines were not a maritime people, like the... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 5:1-12

CHAPTER VII.THE ARK AMONG THE PHILISTINES.1 Samuel 5:1-12; 1 Samuel 6:1-21ALTHOUGH the history in Samuel is silent as to the doings of the Philistines immediately after their great victory over Israel, yet we learn from other parts of the Bible (Psalms 78:60-64 ) Jeremiah 7:12; Jeremiah 26:9) that they proceeded to Shiloh, massacred the priests, wrecked the city, and left it a monument of desolation, as it continued to be ever after. Probably this was considered an appropriate sequel to the... read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - 1 Samuel 5:1-12

6. The Ark in the Hands of the Philistines and Its Return CHAPTER 5 1. The ark in the house of Dagon (1 Samuel 5:1-5 ) 2. The Philistines smitten by Jehovah (1 Samuel 5:6-12 ) The ark was brought to Ashdod, the leading city of the Philistines, and set up in the temple dedicated to Dagon, the chief god of the people. It was half fish and half man, the symbol of fertility. Before this idol the ark was set up. In their blindness they imagined that Dagon had conquered the God of Israel. The... read more