Most serious students of 1 Samuel have noted the writer's emphasis on the ark of the covenant beginning here in the text. Critical scholars have long argued that 4:1b-7:1 and 2 Samuel 6 are the only remaining fragments of an older and longer ark narrative, which was a source document for the writer here.49More recently some scholars have come to believe that the old ark narratives were somewhat shorter. Conservative scholars generally believe that the ark narratives were not necessarily independent documents but may simply reflect the writer's particular emphasis on the ark here.50
A new subject comes to the forefront in this section and continues to be a significant motif throughout the rest of Samuel. It is the ark of the covenant. The writer drew attention to the ark in this chapter by mentioning it seven times including a notation at the end of each text section (vv. 4, 11, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22). Following the reference to Samuel the prophet in 4:1 the writer did not mention him again until 7:3.
"The purpose of the story in 1 Sam. 4-6 of the ark's imprisonment in Philistia and its travels to different Philistine cities, as well as to Beth-Shemesh, is to give an historical background for the Philistines' rule over the whole country prior to the emergence of the Israelite state which could still accentuate Yahweh's supremacy as an unconquerable deity. The story explains how Yahweh finally became superior to his captors."51
The major historical element of continuity in this section is the fate of Eli's sons (4:9-11). The theological theme of fertility continues to be the primary unifying factor in the narrative.
The primary purpose of this chapter, I believe, is to demonstrate the superiority of Yahweh over Dagon, the fertility god of the Philistines.65
5:1-5 Having captured the ark the Philistines brought it from Ebenezer to their main city, Ashdod, which stood about 30 miles to the southwest and three miles from the Mediterranean coast. Archaeologists have excavated Ashdod more extensively than any of the other four major Philistine cities.
Dagon was the principle deity of the Philistines. The popular teaching that the Philistines pictured him as being part man and part fish rests on verse 4. Dagin Hebrew means fishy part. Dagon (cf. Heb. dagan, grain) was a grain god whom the Philistines worshipped as the source of bountiful harvests (fertility). Worship of him began about 2500 B.C. in Mesopotamia, especially in the Middle-Euphrates region.66
The writer clarified that the Philistines regarded the fact that the image representing Dagon had fallen on its face before the ark as indicating Yahweh's superiority. Falling on one's face was a posture associated with worship. The fact that the Philistines had to reposition the idol is another allusion to Dagon's inferiority. He could not act on hisown (cf. Isa. 46:7). Later Goliath, the Philistine champion, would also fall on his face before David, Yahweh's champion (17:49).
The following night the symbol of Dagon toppled again before the ark, the symbol of Yahweh. This time Dagon's head, symbolic of his sovereign control, and his palms, symbolic of his power, broke off (v. 4). In the ancient Near East, warring armies cut off and collected the heads and hands of their enemies to count accurately the number of their slain (cf. 29:4; Judg. 8:6).67Earlier Samson's defeat had involved the cutting of the hair of his head and the weakening of his hands (Judg. 16:21-30). Later David would cut off Goliath's head (17:51), and the Philistines would cut off King Saul's head (1 Chron. 10:10).
The breaking of Dagon's head and hands on the threshold of his temple rendered the threshold specially sacred. From then on the pagan priests superstitiously regarded the threshold as holy (cf. Zeph. 1:4).68This is another ironical testimony to the utter folly of idolatry and to Yahweh's sovereignty (cf. Exod. 20:3).
5:6-12 The writer now began to stress the major theme in the ark narrative: the hand of the Lord.69There are nine occurrences of this phrase in this section of 1 Samuel (4:8; 5:6, 7, 9, 11; 6:3, 5, 9; 7:13). The hand of the Lord represents Yahweh in action (cf. Exod. 9:3; Jer. 21:5-6). In the biblical world, people spoke of sickness and death as the bad effects of the "hand"of some god.70This was the conclusion of Ashdod's leaders who attributed their recent calamities to Yahweh (v. 7). God afflicted the Philistines with tumors, a swelling caused by new tissue growth.
Evidently the men of Ashdod believed that it was particularly with their city that Yahweh felt displeasure. So they moved the ark to Gath, which was about 12 miles southeast of Ashdod. Dagon could not prevent the tumors (lit. buboes) and death with which Yahweh afflicted the Philistines (vv. 6, 9-12). The people of Ashdod should have turned from worshipping Dagon and put their trust in Yahweh. Death followed because they chose to continue in unbelief in spite of their confession of Yahweh's superiority (v. 7).
The Hebrew word translated "broke out"occurs only here in the Old Testament (v. 9). The Septuagint translators interpreted it accurately as "groin."These tumors were apparently most prominent in the groin area hence the translation "hemorrhoids."Tumors in the groin are a symptom of bubonic plague. Since the Philistines associated mice with this plague (6:4-5), and mice carry bubonic plague, it seems clear that the hand of Yahweh sent this particular affliction on them.
Ekron stood about 6 miles north of Gath.71The reputation of the ark preceded it to that town, and its residents did not welcome it as a trophy of war. They saw it instead as a divine instrument of death (cf. Exod. 2:23; 11:6; 12:30). The Philistines repeatedly acknowledged Yahweh's superior power over themselves and Dagon (vv. 7-12; cf. 2:6, 25; Exod. 10:7; 12:31-33). This is another testimony to Yahweh's sovereignty in the narrative. The cry that went up to heaven from Philistia (v. 12) recalls the cry that went up to heaven earlier from Egypt when God afflicted that enemy (Exod. 12:30; cf. 1 Sam. 4:8). Through the seven months that the ark was in Philistia (6:1), the Philistines learned what the Israelites had not: Yahweh is the sovereign God. Yet they refused to bow before Him and so experienced death, though the Lord mixed mercy with judgment and did not kill all the Philistines (v. 12).
Chapters 4 and 5 both testify to God's sovereignty. Neither Israel, in chapter 4, nor the Philistines, in chapter 5, could control or resist His will. We cannot manipulate God. We must follow Him rather than expecting Him to follow us. Had the Israelites learned this lesson they probably would not have demanded a king like the other nations (8:5) but waited for Him to provide His choice for them.
The writer added further evidence of the Philistines' reverence for Yahweh and the Israelites' spiritual blindness in this section.
