1 Samuel 5:1

_AND THE PHILISTINES TOOK THE ARK OF GOD, AND BROUGHT IT FROM EBENEZER UNTO ASHDOD._ Ashdod - or Azotus, one of the five Philistine satrapies, and a place of great strength. That it was always a fortified place is evident from its name, which signifies power, like the Arabic shedeed, 'strong' (Wilkinson in Rawlinson's 'Herodotus'). It was an inland town, 34 miles north of Gaza, now called Esdud....

1-5 See the ark's triumph over Dagon. Thus the kingdom of Satan will certainly fall before the kingdom of Christ, error before truth, profaneness before godliness, and corruption before grace in the hearts of the faithful. When the interests of religion seem to be ready to sink, even then we may be confident that the day of their triumph will come. When Christ, the true Ark of the covenant, really enters the heart of fallen man, which is indeed Satan's temple, all idols will fall, every endeavour to set them up again will be vain, sin will be forsaken, and unrighteous gain restored; the Lord will claim and possess the throne. But pride, self-love, and worldly lusts, though dethroned and crucified, still remain within us, like the stump of Dagon. Let us watch and pray that they may not prevail. Let us seek to have them more entirely destroyed....

CHAPTER V _The Philistines set up the ark in the temple of Dagon at Ashdod;_ _whose image is found next morning prostrate before it, broken_ _in pieces_, 1-5. _The Philistines are also smitten with a sore disease_, 6. _The people of Ashdod refuse to let the ark stay with them; and_ _the lords of the Philistines, with whom they consulted, order_ _it to be carried to Gath_, 7, 8. _They do so; and God smites the inhabitants of that city, young_ _and old, with the same disease_, 9. They send the ark to Ekron, and a heavy destructio

EXPOSITION THE ARK OF GOD IN PHILISTIA (1 Samuel 5:1). 1 SAMUEL 5:1 THE PHILISTINES TOOK THE ARK OF GOD. The silence of Scripture is often as remarkable as what it tells us. From Psalms 78:60-19; Jeremiah 7:12; Jeremiah 26:9, we gather that from Aphek the Philistines marched upon Shiloh, and having captured it, put all whom they found there to the sword, a

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 UNTO ASHDOD. Ebenezer was the place where the camp of Israel was pitched, 1 Samuel 4:1 and near to which the battle was fought. Ashdod was one of the five principalities of the Philistines, the same with Azotus, Acts 8:40. The distance between these two places, according to Bunting q was one hundred and sixty miles; though one would think the distance from each other was not so great: why it was carried to Ashdod is not plain; perhaps it might be the nearest place of note in their country; and certain it

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)_ 2. The Philistines smitten by Jehovah (1 Samuel 5:6) 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 next morning they found Dagon fallen with his face to the earth before the ark. It was the Lord who did it and not an accident. The next morning the whole idol-image, except the fish-part, is fallen upon the ground. “The head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold.” T

1 SAMUEL 5. THE ARK IN THE PHILISTINE CITIES. 1 Samuel 5:1. Ashdod. 1 Samuel 5:8. Gath. 1 Samuel 5:10. Ekron: see Joshua 11:22; Joshua 13:3; p 28. 1 Samuel 5:2. Dagon: see Judges 16:23 *. 1 Samuel 5:3. The Ark is thought of as possessing marvellous inherent powers; it brings disaster on

GOD. Hebrew. _Elohim_. See App-4. EBEN-EZER. Compare 1 Samuel 4:1; 1 Samuel 7:12. ASHDOD. fortified. Now Esdud. Compare Joshua 13:3. See note on Genesis 10:14....

1 Samuel 5:1-12. Chastisement of the Philistines for the Removal of the Ark 1. _Ashdod_ Ashdod (in Greek _Azotus_, Acts 8:40), one of the five cities of the Philistine league, was situated on an eminence near the sea, about 35 miles W. of Jerusalem. It was a place of great strength, and special importance, from its position on the high road between Syria and Egypt. It was assigned to Judah (Joshua 15:47), but never conquered till the reign of Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:6). The Assyrian king Sargon's -Tartan" (i.e. General) took it about b.c. 716, and about b.c. 630 it proved its strength by resisting Psammitichus king

UNTO ASHDOD— See Joshua 11:22....