1 Samuel 5:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people." For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there.

NIV: So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, "Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people." For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it.

NASB: Therefore they sent word and gathered all the governors of the Philistines, and said, 'Send away the ark of the God of Israel and let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people!' For there was a deadly panic throughout the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

CSB: The Ekronites called all the Philistine rulers together. They said, "Send the ark of Israel’s God away. Let it return to its place so it won’t kill us and our people!" For the fear of death pervaded the city; God’s hand was oppressing them.

NLT: The people summoned the Philistine rulers again and begged them, 'Please send the Ark of the God of Israel back to its own country, or it will kill us all.' For the deadly plague from God had already begun, and great fear was sweeping across the town.

KJV: 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 his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

NKJV: 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 back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

For the second time in this chapter, a meeting is called of the five rulers of the five major cities of the nation of the Philistines. At the first meeting, they decided to move the ark of the Lord from Dagon's temple in Ashdod to the city of Gath, hoping that would put a stop to the plague of tumors that had erupted (1 Samuel 5:6–8). Instead, the tumors and the panic started up all over again in Gath (1 Samuel 5:9).

The leader of Gath sent the ark to Ekron, and the people there seem to have panicked before the outbreak of tumors even began. Now the leaders of the five cities assemble once more, and the people of Ekron plead with them to send the ark of the Lord back to the Israelites before it kills everyone.

Apparently, some people had already been killed by the deathly panic itself (1 Samuel 5:12). It's unclear what this entailed. However, history has shown numerous examples of populations reacting in fear over disease, often in self-destructive ways. The deaths caused in this case might have been accidents as people scrambled to get away from the ark. It might have included violence as people tried to avoid those they thought were infected. It's even possible the arrival of the ark led to heart attacks or strokes as men died of pure fear.

Few details are given. What's crucial to understand is that the Philistines recognized the important lesson: the Lord's judgment was against them because they were disrespecting His ark.

First Samuel 5:7–12 describes growing terror among the Philistines, who captured the ark of the covenant and placed it in their pagan temple. After humiliating the idol of their god, Dagon, the Lord's hand brings a plague of fear and cancers everywhere the ark is taken. In Ekron, the men who don't die from the effects of mass panic are struck with tumors. The cry goes up to send the ark back to Israel to stop the suffering and death.

The captured ark of the Lord is placed in the temple of Dagon. On consecutive nights, the Dagon idol is found on the floor, face down before the ark. On the second night, its head and hands are removed. The Lord sends a plague of terror and tumors on the people of Ashdod. The ark is sent to Gath and then Ekron, where the suffering grows even more intense. Some men in Ekron die from sheer panic, and the rest are struck with tumors. The people cry out to send the ark away, back to the Israelites.

In the prior chapter, Israel lost badly in battle against the Philistines, who even captured the ark of the covenant. First Samuel 5 dispels any suspicion that the Israelites' defeat means the god of the Philistines is more powerful than the Lord. In Ashdod, the idol of the god Dagon is supernaturally humiliated in its own temple. A plague of terror and tumors follows, first in Ashdod and then in Gath and Ekron as the ark is moved closer and closer to Jerusalem. The people of Ekron cry out for their leaders to send it back to the Israelites. Chapter 6 details their plan to be free from the ark and God's wrath.

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.