1 SamuelChapitre 5

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When the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

Then the Philistines took the ark of God, carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it up beside Dagon.

When the people of Ashdod rose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen face down on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.

But when they rose early the following morning, there was Dagon again, fallen face down on the ground before the ark of the LORD, with his head and the palms of both his hands cut off, lying on the threshold. Only his body was left.

That is why to this day the priests of Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the threshold.

The hand of the LORD lay heavy on the people of Ashdod. He devastated them and struck them with tumors,<fn>The Hebrew term refers to painful swellings; the affliction may have been an outbreak of plague.</fn> both Ashdod and its territory.

When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, for his hand is harsh against us and against Dagon our god."

So they sent word and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines and asked, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" They answered, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be moved to Gath." So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

But after they had moved it, the hand of the LORD was against that city, throwing it into a very great panic. He struck the men of the city, young and old, and tumors broke out on them.

So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as the ark of God entered Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to us to kill us and our people!"

They sent word and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines and said, "Send the ark of the God of Israel away. Let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people." For a deadly panic had fallen on the whole city; the hand of God lay very heavy there.

Those who did not die were struck with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

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Résumé2

Chapitre 5

Main Theme: The Lord's supremacy over the Philistine god Dagon is demonstrated through the devastating power of the ark of the covenant.

Content: The Philistines place the captured ark of the covenant in the temple of Dagon at Ashdod, but the statue of Dagon falls before it—the second time with its head and hands cut off. The Lord strikes the people with tumors, and these plagues follow the ark from Ashdod to Gath and then on to Ekron. Finally, the entire city cries out to heaven, and the Philistine rulers decide that the ark of the covenant must be sent back.

Key Words/Images:

Ark of the Covenant (אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים): The symbol of God's presence, demonstrating His power even in enemy territory.
Dagon: The Philistine god who falls powerless before the Lord's ark of the covenant.
Tumors (טְחֹרִים): The physical plague that strikes the Philistines as a sign of God's judgment.
The Lord's Hand (יַד־יְהוָה): An expression of God's active intervention and punishment upon the Philistines.

Contexte historique

Historical and Cultural Context for 1 Samuel 5

Places

The chapter follows the ark on its journey through three of the five major Philistine city-states: Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron. Ashdod was located by the coast, about 35 km south of modern-day Tel Aviv, and served as a significant port city and religious center for the Philistines. Gath lay further inland, east of Ashdod, while Ekron was the northernmost of the Philistine cities. Archaeological excavations at Tell Ashdod have uncovered temple structures from the Iron Age. The cities were organized as independent city-states, each ruled by its own seren (lord), yet they cooperated in matters of common concern, as seen in the council meetings described in verses 8 and 11.

People

The god Dagon (דָּגוֹן) was a Semitic deity with roots in Mesopotamia. The name is linked to dagan (grain), and he was worshipped as a god of fertility and grain. The Philistines, who originally came from the Aegean region, adopted the Dagon cult from local Semitic peoples, and his temple in Ashdod was likely the city's most important sanctuary. The term sarnei pelishtim (סַרְנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים, "Philistine lords") in verses 8 and 11 is consistently used to refer to the five Philistine rulers and is a non-Semitic loanword probably originating from an Aegean language.

Events and Customs

The Philistines' placement of the ark of the covenant in Dagon's temple (v. 2) followed a widespread practice in antiquity where captured divine images were brought to the victor's temple. This symbolized that the victor's god had defeated the conquered deity. The irony of the narrative lies in the reversal of roles: Israel's invisible God humbles Dagon in his own temple. The custom of not stepping on the temple threshold (v. 5) shows how the story explains a religious practice (etiological function). The sanctity of thresholds was widespread in the ancient Near East—it marked the boundary between profane and sacred space.

Key Terms

The Hebrew word ofalim/tehorim (עֲפָלִים/טְחֹרִים) in verses 6, 9, and 12 is disputed. The ketiv form (the written text) suggests "tumors" or "swellings," while the qere form (the read text) points to "hemorrhoids." The Septuagint adds that mice ravaged the land. This addition, together with the description of swellings, has led some scholars to propose bubonic plague as a possible background, although this remains speculative. The expression "the hand of the Lord was heavy" (yad-YHWH) in verses 6 and 11 is a powerful metaphor for divine intervention as punishment—an expression also used in Exodus regarding the plagues on Egypt. The word mehumah (מְהוּמָה, "confusion/panic") in verses 9 and 11 describes the chaotic state that arises when God intervenes directly—the same word is used for God-sent panic in military contexts.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Archaeological excavations at Tell Ashdod have uncovered several layered temple structures from the Philistine period (1100–900 BCE). A particularly interesting find consists of small clay figurines combining human and animal features. In verse 4, it is mentioned that "only Dagon" (raq Dagon) remained after his head and hands had fallen off—the expression is disputed and may mean that only the body or torso was left. Discoveries of Philistine pottery with Aegean characteristics confirm the Philistines' origins and their distinct cultural identity in the region.

Personnages

Aucun personnage connu dans ce chapitre.

Mots-clés6

Dagon — A Philistine deity who was half fish and half human, associated with fertility and harvest.
The Ark — A chest that contained the Ten Commandments, often referred to as "the ark of God's covenant"; a central symbol of God's presence in Israel.
Philistines — An ancient people who lived in Canaan and were frequently in conflict with the Israelites.
Ekron — One of the major Philistine cities, mentioned several times in 1 Samuel.
Tumors — Malignant growths or swellings that occur in the body; in this context, they are a punishment from God against the Philistines for taking the Ark.
Ashdod — Another important Philistine city where the temple of Dagon stood, and to which the Ark was brought after it was taken from the Israelites.