1 Samuel 5:6

1 Samuel 5:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Then the Lord’s heavy hand struck the people of Ashdod and the nearby villages with a plague of tumors.

Context of 1 Samuel 5:6

4And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. 5Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. But the hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.” 8Therefore they sent and gathered to themselves all the lords of the Philistines, 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 away to Gath.” So they carried the ark of the God of Israel away.

1 Samuel 5:6 word by word

וַתִּכְבַּ֧ד יַד־יְהוָ֛ה אֶל־הָאַשְׁדּוֹדִ֖ים וַיְשִׁמֵּ֑ם וַיַּ֤ךְ אֹתָם֙ בַּטְּחֹרִ֔ים אֶת־אַשְׁדּ֖וֹד וְאֶת־גְּבוּלֶֽיהָ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But the handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• was heavyכָּבֵדkâbad kâbêd · to honor: heavyH3513
• upon them of Ashdodאַשְׁדּוֹדִי'ashdôdîy · AshdodH796
• and he destroyedשָׁמֵםshâmêm · be desolate: appalledH8074
• them, and smoteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• them with emerodsעֹ֫פֶל‛ôphel · hillH6076
• them with emerodsטְחֹרţechôr · tumorH2914
• Ashdodאַשְׁדּוֹד'ashdôd · AshdodH795
• and the coastsגְּבוּלgebûl gebûl · border: areaH1366

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 5:6

• 1 Samuel 5:7And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.”
• Exodus 9:3behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence.
• Psalms 32:4For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
• Acts 13:11And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
• 1 Samuel 5:9So it was, after they had carried it away, that 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 tumors broke out on them.
• 1 Samuel 6:5Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land.
• Deuteronomy 28:27The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed.
• Job 31:3Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity?
• Psalms 78:66And He beat back His enemies; He put them to a perpetual reproach.
• 1 Samuel 6:4Then they said, “What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 5:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Smote them with emerods - The word עפלים apholim, from עפל aphal, to be elevated, probably means the disease called the bleeding piles, which appears to have been accompanied with dysentery, bloody flux, and ulcerated anus. The Vulgate says, Et percussit in secretiori parte natium; "And he smote them in the more secret parts of their posteriors." To this the psalmist is supposed to refer, Psalm 78:66, He smote all his enemies in the Hinder Parts; he put…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Emerods - A corruption of “hemorrhoids.” It is mentioned Deuteronomy 28:27 among the diseases with which God threatened to punish the Israelites for disobedience.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-12Verses 6-12 The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Philistines; he not only convinced them of their folly, but severely chastised their insolence. Yet they would not renounce Dagon; and instead of seeking God's mercy, they desired to get clear of his ark. Carnal hearts, when they smart under the judgments of God, would rather, if it were possible, put him far from them, than enter into covenant or communion with him, and seek him for their friend. But…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6tumors: The Hebrew word might just mean "swellings." Another possible translation is "hemorrhoids." They could have been deadly buboes from the bubonic plague, affecting the lower body, especially the rectal area. Rats are known to carry the plague.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod--The presumption of the Ashdodites was punished by a severe judgment that overtook them in the form of a pestilence. smote them with emerods--bleeding piles, hemorrhoids (Psa 78:66), in a very aggravated form. As the heathens generally regarded diseases affecting the secret parts of the body as punishments from the gods for trespasses committed against themselves, the Ashdodites would be the more ready…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 5:6

• Boil
• Hand
• Hemorrhoids
• Tumor

In the dictionaries

• Ashdod
• Dagon
• Destruction
• Ground
• Haemorrhoids
• Samuel, Books of
• Ark of the Covenant
• Emerods
• God
• Heavy; Heaviness

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings