1 Samuel 5
DOYLY— Ashdod.] A place lying on the shore between Gaza and Joppa, the same which is called Azotus in the New Testament, Acts viii. 40. Dr. Wells.
1 Samuel 5:2
- — priests and the diviners.] The priests who were best skilled in their sacred ceremonies; and the diviners, who pretended to know the will of God, and foretell future events. Bp. Patrick.
1 Samuel 5:3
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— Dagon was fallen &c.] In a posture of the most humble adoration, hereby acknowledging the God of Israel to be above all gods. Bp. Patrick.
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— a trespass offering.] Designed as an acknowledgment that they had offended the God of Israel by bringing His ark from its proper place, for which offence they begged forgiveness by this offering. This was in conformity with the notions of the heathens, who all thought their gods were to be appeased by honorary gifts. Bp. Patrick.
1 Samuel 5:4
- — Five golden emerods, and five golden mice.] This was also a custom among the ancient heathens, to consecrate to their gods such monuments of their deliverances, as represented the evils from which they were freed. Tavernier relates, that this is still practised among the Indians: he says, that when any pilgrim goes to a pagod for the cure of disease, he brings the figure of the limb or part of the body which is affected, made either of gold, silver, or copper, according to his quality, which he offers to his god, and then begins to sing, as all others do, after they have offered. Mr. Selden also has observed, that mice were used among the ancient heathen for lustration and cleansing. Bp. Patrick. A similar practice of hanging up figures of the limbs or parts afflicted with disease, still prevails in churches of the Romish communion.
What was the shape of these emerods which were offered, has been the subject of considerable doubt. The prevailing opinion has been, that they were made in the shape of the part of the human body which was diseased. Pole’s Syn. Crit.
1 Samuel 5:5
- — tread on the threshold &c.] So foolishly did they pervert the meaning of God, that, instead of concluding Dagon to be no god, they honoured the very threshold of his temple, as if it had some divinity in it. Bp. Patrick. Hence the phrase of “those that leap on the threshold” was afterwards used to signify the Philistines, as in Zephan. i. 9. Pyle.
— unto this day.] The day when Samuel wrote this book: when the events happened he was a youth, but the book was written when he was advanced in years. Bp. Patrick.
1 Samuel 5:6
- — with emerods, &c.] A sudden and violent disease in their bowels, which occasioned great pain and torture. Pyle.
1 Samuel 5:7
- — two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke.] The priests and diviners seem to have directed the Philistines to take milch kine, which had never before been yoked, to draw the cart, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the hand of God was concerned in what had befallen them. It would be impossible that these
1 Samuel 5:10
- — to Ekron.] They sent the ark to Ekron, as being the last city of the Philistines, lying in the northern border of Judah. Dr. Wells.
1 Samuel 5:11
- — the hand of God was very heavy there.] How miserable was the estate of these Philistines! Every man was either sick or dead; those that were still living, through their extremity of pain, envied the dead, and the cry of their whole cities went up to heaven. It is happy that God hath such store of plagues and thunderbolts for the wicked: if He had not a fire of judgment,
Before CHRIST about 1161. The Philistines take counsel how to send back the ark.
were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
CHAP. VI.
1 Samuel 5:12
- — the cry of the city went up to heaven.] In this chapter are displayed all the attributes of God: His justice in punishing His own people; His goodness in thus manifesting Himself to those who knew Him not; His power in making the idols fall before Him; His truth in vindicating Himself upon the Israelites for their sins, and upon the Philistines for their idolatry. Bp. Wilson.
Chap. VI. ver. 1. — in the country of the Philistines] The Hebrew word, which we translate country, signifies also field: whence some think, that the Philistines, being so plagued on account of the ark in their cities, sent it into the open fields; but were still disappointed of their hope, for mice sprang up from the ground and wasted their