Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(1 Samuel 5:1) And the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
At the end of the last chapter, the Philistines had defeated the Israelites in battle, killing 34,000 men including Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas. The Israelites had brought the ark of the covenant of God into battle thinking it would save them, but the ark was taken by the Philistines. Eli died at news of the taking of the ark. The Philistines took the ark from Ebenezer where the Israelites had camped to Ashdod, a principality of the Philistines.
(2) When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.
The Philistines brought the ark of God into the house of Dagon, their god, and they set it beside Dagon, which was probably some carved statue or image.
(3) And when they of Ashdod arose early the next day, 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.
The next morning when Philistines of Ashdod went into the house of Dagon, they found that he had fallen face down before the ark of the Lord, as if in reverence and adoration. The people supposed Dagon had just accidentally fallen, and they put him back in his place.
(4) And when they arose early on the next morning, Dagon was fallen on 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.
When the people arose early on the morning after that, they not only found Dagon what would have been face down before the ark of the Lord, but his head and the palms of both his hands were cut off upon the threshold. Only the stump of Dagon was left. There was much symbology in this. Obviously, both days Dagon had lain prostrate before the Lord, in submission to Him. Additionally, the head is the seat of wisdom, and the hands are the instruments of action. The false idol Dagon had neither the wisdom nor the strength to defend himself against the Israelite God. Dagon was the fish god, said to have the head and arms of a human and the body of a fish. His human parts had been cut off and all that remained was a fish.
(5) Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any who came into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
Because Dagon's head and hands had been cut off on the threshold, the Philistine priests nor anyone who came into Dagon's house ever tread on the threshold to the day of Samuel's writing. However, that didn't mean they never went into Dagon's house, but they would leap over the threshold.
(6) But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and He destroyed them and struck them with hemorrhoids, Ashdod and the coasts of it.
The hand of the Lord was also heavy against the Philistines themselves. He struck them with hemorrhoids, which the early Biblical historians said was very painful and bloody. He destroyed them with either a severe case of hemorrhoids or some other calamity in addition to that. He struck not only Ashdod, but the area around it.
(7) 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."
The men of Ashdod who had not died understood that all that calamity was the doing of the God of Israel. They said that the ark of God could no longer abide with them because they knew it was God who struck them and their god Dagon. It's really interesting that they could plainly see that the Israelite God was greater than their god, yet they still clung to their weak fish god.
(8) They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to 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 to Gath." And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about.
The people called all the lords of the Philistines to them and asked what they were to do with the ark of God. The lords said that they should carry it to Gath which was another of their principalities. They carried the ark about, which doesn't sound like they took it directly to Gath. Perhaps they thought carrying it about would air out the disease that it seemed to contain.
(9) 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 struck the men of the city, both small and great, and they had hemorrhoids in their secret parts.
The Philistines carried the ark about but presumably finally placed it in Gath where the hand of the Lord was mighty against that city. He struck all the men of that city, both great and small, with hemorrhoids.
(10) 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 kill us and our people!"
Then the Philistines sent the ark of God to Ekron, another of the principalities of the Philistines. Those people had heard what had happened before and were wise enough to know that it meant destruction for them, too. It's interesting that the lords had not yet figured this out and were destroying all their principalities.
(11) 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 its own place, that it not kill us and our people," for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city. The hand of God was very heavy there.
The people of Ekron sent for all the lords of the Philistines and asked that they send the ark of God away back to its own place so that it not kill all their people, for there had already been a deadly destruction throughout their city. The hand of God had already been very heavy against them there.
(12) And the men who did not die were struck with the hemorrhoids, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
The men who did not die were struck with hemorrhoids, so that sounds as if they died from some other calamity God sent. But the ones who did not die did not escape, as they were struck with hemorrhoids so terrible that the cry of the people went up to heaven. Not that it would be regarded there, but it was that great and loud.
(1 Samuel 6:1) And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
It seems the Philistines moved the ark of God to the country where they thought He could not afflict so many people. It stayed there seven months.
(2) And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we shall send it to its place."
The Philistine people called for their priests and diviners, asking what they should do with the ark of the Israelite God. If they were to send it back to its place, how should they go about it?
(3) And they said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty, but in any way return Him a trespass offering; then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand is not removed from you."
The priests and diviners told the people that if they sent the ark back to Israel, they should not send it back empty but should return a trespass offering to God. They thought by doing this, they would be healed. It's interesting that the Philistines seemed to have some knowledge of the kinds of offerings made by the Israelites. They were obviously after seven months still stricken with hemorrhoids, and once they sent the ark back to Israel, they would know that that was the reason they still had hemorrhoids, because the ark had not been returned.
(4) Then they said, "What trespass offering shall we return to Him?" They answered, "Five golden hemorrhoids and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on you all and on your lords."
The people asked what kind of trespass offering they should send. The priests and diviners told them they should send five golden hemorrhoids and five golden mice, five, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague afflicted both the people and the lords. It was a custom in the ancient world that when a plague or some other calamity came upon a country, the magicians would form an image of the destroyer and set it up in some proper place that the evil represented by it might be driven away. The golden hemorrhoids are understandable because of their affliction, but I do wonder what a golden hemorrhoid looked like. However, they were a gift of gold. But why five mice? We have not been told about mice, but they surely were instrumental in bringing plague and death to the Philistines.
(5) "Therefore you shall make images of your hemorrhoids and images of your mice that mar the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from off you and from off your gods and from off your land."
The priests and diviners continued with their advice for the offering. The people were to make images of hemorrhoids and mice that marred their land, giving us a hint that there had been a plague of mice. They were to give glory to the God of Israel in hopes that He would remove His heavy hand from them, their gods, and their land.
(6) "Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?"
The priests and diviners asked why the people would harden their hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh had done and not return the ark. They reminded them that Pharaoh and the Egyptians finally did let God's people go after the Lord had performed awesome plagues and miracles among the Egyptians. I believe their point was that eventually the people would be forced to give the ark back, but they could do it now and avoid more terrible plagues.
(7) "Now therefore make a new cart and take two milk cows on which there has come no yoke, and tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home from them. (8) And take the ark of the Lord and lay it upon the cart, and put the jewels of gold which you return Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side, and send it away that it may go."
They told the people to make a new cart and take two milk cows that had never had a yoke, take their calves from them, and tie them to the cart. They were to place the ark of the Lord in the cart. They were to put the jewels of gold that they made in a chest and place it beside the ark. Then they were to send away the cows with the cart.
(9) "And see if it goes up by the way of its own coast to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us; it was a chance that happened to us."
The priests and diviners told the people that if the cows took the cart back to the Israelite borders to Beth Shemesh which was the nearest city within Israel from where the Philistines were then, then they would know that the Lord of Israel had done that great evil to them. However, if the cows did not go that way, then they would know it had not been the Lord's doing, but just a coincidence that the calamity had come upon them.
(10) And the men did so, and took two milk cows, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. (11) And they laid the ark of the Lord upon the cart, and the chest with the mice of gold and the images of their hemorrhoids.
The Philistines did as their priests and diviners had instructed. They took two milk cows, took their calves away from them, and tied them to a cart. They laid the ark of God in the cart and put a chest with gold mice and gold hemorrhoids beside it.
(12) And the cows took the straight way to the way of Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.
One would think that the cows might go back to their calves, but they went together straight toward Beth Shemesh even though they had not been used to a yoke before, lowing as they went perhaps because of their calves, but still they did not turn aside to the left or the right when other ways presented themselves, but went straight ahead to Beth Shemesh. The lords of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth Shemesh.
(13) And they of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark and rejoiced to see it.
Inhabitants of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and when they lifted up their eyes, they saw the cows with the ark coming, and they rejoiced to see it.
(14) And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there where there was a great stone, and they split the wood of the cart, and offered the cows a burnt offering to the Lord.
The cows and the cart came into the field of a man named Joshua, a resident of Beth Shemesh, and it came to stand where there was a large stone. The men who were there split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.
(15) And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone, and the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to the Lord.
Levite priests were evidently called to take the ark of the Lord off the cart before the men began splitting the wood of the cart, as they were the only ones who by law could take the ark down. They put the ark and the chest with the gold objects on the great stone. The men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices that same day. The offering of the two cows that had brought the cart with the ark would be seen as having been offered by the Philistines, but the men of Beth Shemesh also offered their own offerings and sacrifices.
(16) And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
When the five lords of the Philistines who had followed the cows with the ark to the border of Beth Shemesh saw that the ark had been returned to the Israelites, received joyfully, and sacrifices were offered because of its return, they were satisfied that they had accomplished their goal and returned to Ekron that same day.
(17) And these are the golden hemorrhoids which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to the Lord, for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; (18) And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, of fenced cities and of country villages, even to the great stone of Abel on which they set down the ark of the Lord that remains to this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite.
The five golden hemorrhoids and the five golden mice, representing the Philistines' five principalities, Ashdod, Gaza, Askelon, Gath, and Ekron, were given by the Philistines as a trespass offering to the Lord of Israel. The gold items not only represented their principal cities, but all the cities and villages within those principalities, that reached to the great stone where the Levites had placed the ark, called the great stone of Abel, that remained in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite, to the writing of this passage.
(19) And He struck the men of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; He struck of the people fifty thousand and seventy men, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.
The Lord struck 50,070 men of Beth Shemesh because they looked into the ark of the Lord which was forbidden or else they would die (Numbers 4:20). The people were surely overjoyed to see the return of the ark and may have wanted to look inside to be sure the Philistines had not taken or added anything. However, the fact that over 50,000 people had looked into it indicates that there had been a more selfish motive in looking inside the ark. They were probably curious to look inside the ark, and this was an opportunity that would never come again. The Lord would not tolerate such a trifling of His law. The historian Josephus wrote that the Lord killed the people with a thunderbolt, according to Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Bible. The people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with so great a slaughter.
(20) And the men of Beth Shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?"
The men of Beth Shemesh questioned who was able to stand before their holy Lord God. It seemed to be a complaint toward God because of the severity of His punishment. However, they had known the law but decided to disregard it for their one chance to sneak a peek. However, God will not be mocked; whatever a man sows, he will reap (Galatians 6:7). The men wondered aloud to whom they should send the ark.
(21) And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; come down and fetch it up to you."
The men of Beth Shemesh sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, telling them that the Philistines had brought the ark back. They told them to come to Beth Shemesh and take it. They knew that surely it would be good news to them that the ark had been returned, but they did not tell them why they wanted it moved from Beth Shemesh to Kirjath Jearim. Shiloh had undoubtedly been destroyed when the Philistines took the ark, so it did need a new home.
As Christians, we must never forget that we serve an awesome and holy God who demands complete and holy reverence, not because He is arrogant, but by His very nature, He cannot be in the presence of sin. It is only by the most precious and gracious gift of Jesus that we are allowed to come to God with our cries and our petitions without being struck dead as our filthy sin deserves. Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, dear God, for providing a way for us to be in Your holy presence.
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