1 Sam. 5 The Philistines place the ark of God at Ashdod in the house of Dagon; which falls down, once and again, 1 Sam. 5:1–5. They of Ashdod are smitten with emerods; they send the ark to Gath, 1 Sam. 5:6–8.

Quest. Why were not they immediately killed, who touched the ark, as afterwards Uzzah was? 2 Sam. 6:7. Answ. First, Because the sin of the Philistines was not so great, because the law forbidding this was not given, or at least was not known to them; whereas Uzzah’s fact was a transgression, and…

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, Judg. 16:23.

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…

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.

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, Zeph. 1:9.

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 Sam. 6:5; and partly by killing many of their persons, as is sufficiently implied here, 1 Sam. 5:10.

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.

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.

Not that they intended this, but because this would be the event of it.

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 Sam. 6:4, 1 Sam.

The men that died not; either of some other plague or ulcer, as may be thought from 1 Sam. 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.