📖 1 Samuel — Chapter 5 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
1 Samuel 5:1 And the Philistines Rtook the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.
1 Samuel 5:2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house Rof Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
1 Samuel 5:3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, RDagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
1 Samuel 5:4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and Rthe head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only Tthe stump of Dagon was left to him.
1 Samuel 5:5 Therefore Rneither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon’s house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.
1 Samuel 5:6 But Rthe 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.
1 Samuel 5:7 And when the men of Ashdod Rsaw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
1 Samuel 5:8 They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, RWhat shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.
1 Samuel 5:9 And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, Rthe hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.
1 Samuel 5:10 Therefore they sent the ark of RGod to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to Tus, to slay us and our people.
1 Samuel 5:11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay Tus not, and our people: for there was Ra deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.
1 Samuel 5:12 And the men that Rdied not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 5:1–5 — Dagon falls before the ark
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The Philistines place the captured ark beside Dagon at Ashdod. Twice the image falls; the second time its head and hands lie severed on the threshold. Capture of the ark has not meant defeat of the LORD.
Key Truth: The LORD's authority is not overturned by the ark's capture.
Check What You Remember
1. To which city was the ark first brought? (1 Samuel 5:1)
Find it in 1 Samuel 5:1 (KJV).
2. Beside which god was it placed? (1 Samuel 5:2)
Find it in 1 Samuel 5:2 (KJV).
3. Where were Dagon's severed head and hands? (1 Samuel 5:4)
Find it in 1 Samuel 5:4 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 5:6–9 — Affliction at Ashdod and Gath
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The LORD's hand is heavy upon Ashdod, and its people want the ark removed. The rulers send it to Gath, where affliction follows. Moving the ark does not evade the authority of Israel's God.
Key Truth: The repeated affliction confronts the Philistines with the LORD's power.
Check What You Remember
1. Whose hand was heavy upon Ashdod? (1 Samuel 5:6)
Find it in 1 Samuel 5:6 (KJV).
2. Which city received the ark after Ashdod? (1 Samuel 5:8)
Find it in 1 Samuel 5:8 (KJV).
3. What KJV word names the affliction? (1 Samuel 5:9)
Find it in 1 Samuel 5:9 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 5:10–12 — Ekron cries for removal
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
When the ark reaches Ekron, its people fear death and demand its return to its own place. The final verse records both deaths and affliction among survivors, with the city's cry reaching heaven.
Key Truth: The chapter ends with the Philistines unable to keep the ark safely among them.
Check What You Remember
1. Which city protested when the ark arrived? (1 Samuel 5:10)
Find it in 1 Samuel 5:10 (KJV).
2. Where did they want the ark sent? (1 Samuel 5:11)
Find it in 1 Samuel 5:11 (KJV).
3. Where did the city's cry go? (1 Samuel 5:12)
Find it in 1 Samuel 5:12 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Exodus 20:3 — The command against other gods provides a setting for the confrontation with Dagon.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
How does this chapter distinguish the ark's capture from any defeat of the LORD himself?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What repeated posture of Dagon emphasizes the ark’s effect?
2. What changed between Dagon’s first and second fall?
3. How do the men of Ashdod connect their affliction with Dagon’s humiliation?
4. What pattern follows moving the ark from Ashdod to Gath?
5. Why do Ekron’s people ask for the ark to return to its own place?
Notes
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