1 Samuel 5:6 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 5:6

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, since that seems not to be mortal, though painful; it may be with the pestilence: and smote them with emerods ; more properly haemorrhoids, which, as Kimchi says, was the name of a disease,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 5:6

Smote them with emerods - The word עפלים apholim , from עפל aphal , to be elevated, probably means the disease called the bleeding piles, which appears to have been accompanied with dysentery, bloody flux, and ulcerated anus. The Vulgate says, Et percussit in secretiori parte natium ; "And he smote them in the more secret parts of their posteriors." To this the psalmist is supposed to refer, Psalm 78:66 , He smote all his enemies in the Hinder Parts; he put them to a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 5:6

But the hand of Jehovah was heavy upon them of Ashdod. I.e. his power and might were exercised in smiting them with severe plagues. A question here arises whether, as the Septuagint affirms, besides the scourge of emerods, their land was desolated by swarms of field mice. It is certain that they sent as votive offerings golden images of "the mice that mar the land" ( 1 Samuel 6:5 ); but the translators of the Septuagint too often attempt to make all things easy by unauthorised additions,... 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

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 5:6

Emerods - A corruption of “hemorrhoids.” It is mentioned Deuteronomy 28:27 among the diseases with which God threatened to punish the Israelites for disobedience. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 5:6

1 Samuel 5:6. The hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod Since they were so blind as not to see his hand in throwing down their god, he smote them with such sore plagues in their own bodies as made them sensible of his power, by destroying great numbers of them. With emerods The piles, a most painful and distressing disorder. Ashdod, and the coasts thereof Not only the people of the city, but of the villages belonging to it, were smitten with this plague. 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

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Samuel 5:6

hand . Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6 , for the judgments inflicted by it. emerods . See note on Deuteronomy 28:27 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Samuel 5:6

THE PHILISTINES GET ENOUGH OF THE ARK OF GOD"The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us; for his hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god." So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel"? They answered,... read more