1 SAMUEL CHAPTER 5 The Philistines place the ark of God at Ashdod in the house of Dagon; which falls down, once and again, 1 SAMUEL 5:1. They of Ashdod are smitten with emerods; they send the ark to Gath, 1 SAMUEL 5:6. They are also smitten with emerods, and send the ark to Ekron; they resolve to re... [ Continue Reading ]
Either, first, Out of respect to it, that it might be worshipped together with Dagon. Or rather, secondly, By way of reproach and contempt of it, as a spoil and trophy set there to the honour of Dagon, to whom doubtless they ascribed this victory, as they did a former, JUDGES 16:23. And though they... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY OF ASHDOD, i.e. the priests of Dagon. AROSE EARLY ON THE MORROW; either to worship Dagon according to their manner, or being curious and greedy to know whether the neighbourhood of the ark to Dagon had made any alteration in either of them, that if Dagon had received any damage, they might, if... [ Continue Reading ]
The HEAD is the seat of wisdom; the _hands_, the instruments of action: both are cut off, to show that he had neither wisdom nor strength to defend himself nor his worshippers. This the priests, by concealing Dagon's shame before, make it more evident and infamous. ONLY THE STUMP OF DAGON, Heb. _onl... [ Continue Reading ]
Out of a religious reverence, supposing this place to be sanctified, by the touch of their god, who first fell here, and being broken here, touched it more thoroughly than he did other parts. This superstition of theirs was noted and censured long after, ZEPHANIAH 1:9. Herein they manifested their s... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HAND OF THE LORD WAS HEAVY UPON THEM OF ASHDOD, for their incorrigibleness by the foregoing documents. HE DESTROYED THEM; partly by wasting their land, 1 SAMUEL 6:5; and partly by killing many of their persons, as is sufficiently implied here, 1 SAMUEL 5:10. EMERODS; a disease mentioned only her... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Supposing that this plague was confined to Ashdod for some particular reasons, or that it came upon them by chance, or from some bad influence of the air, or of the stars, or for putting it into Dagon's temple, which they resolved they would not do.... [ Continue Reading ]
Or, IN THEIR HIDDEN PARTS, to wit, in the inwards of their hinder parts; which is the worst kind of emerods, as all physicians acknowledge, both because its pains are far more sharp and keen than the other, and because the malady is more out of the reach of remedies.... [ Continue Reading ]
Not that they intended this, but because this would be the event of it.... [ Continue Reading ]
THROUGHOUT ALL THE CITY, to wit, the city of Ekron, during its short stay there. Or, _in every city_, to wit, where the ark of God came; for it came also to Gaza and Askelon, and produced the same effects there, as may be gathered from 1 SAMUEL 6:4,17, though for brevity sake it be here omitted.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MEN THAT DIED NOT; either of some other plague or ulcer, as may be thought from 1 SAMUEL 5:6, or of the emerods, which infested and tormented even those whom it did not kill. THE CRY OF THE CITY, or, _of that city_ where the ark was; and the city is put for the people inhabiting it.... [ Continue Reading ]