AND THE PHILISTINES TOOK THE ARK OF GOD, which they had captured in the great battle, AND BROUGHT IT FROM EBENEZER, as the place was afterward called, UNTO ASHDOD, a city of Philistia almost due west of the battlefield, on the Mediterranean, apparently the leading city in the federation of city-stat... [ Continue Reading ]
The Ark in Ashdod.... [ Continue Reading ]
When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, their chief idol, to whose honor they had erected sanctuaries in all their principal cities, Judges 16:23, AND SET IT BY DAGON, near the picture or statue of this deity, which had a human head and hands, but a fish-bo... [ Continue Reading ]
And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon, to whom they ascribed their victory over the Israelites, WAS FALLEN UPON HIS FACE TO THE EARTH BEFORE THE ARK OF THE LORD, in an attitude of worship, this being intended as a sign to the Philistines that the God of Israel was not to b... [ Continue Reading ]
And when they arose early on the morrow morning, the second morning after the arrival of the ark, BEHOLD, DAGON WAS FALLEN UPON HIS FACE TO THE GROUND BEFORE THE ARK OF THE LORD, in the same posture of abject adoration; AND THE HEAD OF DAGON AND BOTH THE PALMS OF HIS HANDS, the hollow forms of his h... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, of whom there seems to have been a special order, NOR ANY THAT COME INTO DAGON'S HOUSE, TREAD ON THE THRESHOLD OF DAGON IN ASHDOD UNTO THIS DAY, all visitors to his shrine carefully stepped over the door-sill, lest they should desecrate the place where the hea... [ Continue Reading ]
But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, in an oppressive visitation, probably in the form of a plague of field-mice, to which the context seems to point, AND HE DESTROYED THEM, caused the death of many of them, AND SMOTE THEM WITH EMERODS, with an infectious skin-disease in the form... [ Continue Reading ]
And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, rightly concluding that it was the God of Israel who was striking them, THE ARK OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL SHALL NOT ABIDE WITH US, they regarded it as the medium, as the bearer of all the evils; FOR HIS HAND IS SORE UPON US AND UPON DAGON, OUR GOD... [ Continue Reading ]
They sent, therefore, and gathered all the lords of the Philistines, the heads of their five city-states, UNTO THEM AND SAID, WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THE ARK OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL? As eager as they were to have the ark in their city as a trophy of their great victory, so eager were they now to get rid... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ARK IN GATH AND EKRON... [ Continue Reading ]
And it was so that, after they had carried it about, caused it to be taken in the indicated direction, to this second city, THE HAND OF THE LORD WAS AGAINST THE CITY WITH A VERY GREAT DESTRUCTION, disquietude, consternation taking hold upon all the inhabitants, a feeling of impending disaster; AND H... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron, the chief city in the northwestern part of the Philistine country. AND IT CAME TO PASS, AS THE ARK OF GOD CAME TO EKRON, by the command of the Philistine chiefs, THAT THE EKRONITES CRIED OUT, for they had been informed of the plague which had struck Ashdo... [ Continue Reading ]
So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, for a second conference, AND SAID, SEND AWAY THE ARK OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL, AND LET IT GO AGAIN TO HIS OWN PLACE, THAT IT SLAY US NOT AND OUR PEOPLE. The plague was not only generally prevalent, but also especially malignant, the ef... [ Continue Reading ]
And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods, being extremely ill with the boil-sickness; AND THE CRY OF THE CITY WENT UP TO HEAVEN, for the Philistines were forced to acknowledge that in this place the almighty hand of the God of Israel was revealed. Thus the Lord revenged the sacrilege... [ Continue Reading ]