Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 1 · 1 Samuel · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
THe Philistims having taken the Arke, carry it away to Ashdod, into the V. 1, 2, 3.Temple of Dagon, but the next morning Dagon was falne downe upon his face before the Arke. They set the Arke there, saith Comestor, as a Trophee of Schol. Histor.their victory; but Dagon fell downe, according to Josephus, as adoring the Arke. What manner of Idol this was, see 1 Sam. 16. 23. Junius saith, it was Iunius.the same which the Heathen called Triton, a God of the Sea, and worshipped by the Philistims, because they dwelt by the Sea. Peter Martyr thinketh it was P. Martyr.Neptune; and whereas they carryed the Arke away, ascribing their victory to Dagon, hee saith, that the Romans of old in like manner after a great victory carryed their Emperour in triumph into the Capitoll, to give thankes to Jupiter: but Fahius Maximus having overcome the Tarentines, tooke not their Gods away, but being asked what should bee done with them, answered, Let us leave them angry with their Tarentines. In causing Dagon to fall, the Lord began to shew his power, who seemed to bee asleep all this while, as David elegantly speaketh upon this, Psal. 78. Having punished his owne people, he now began to smite the Philistims, when hee seemed to bee of least power. And hee first began with their God, to shew that there was none other God that had power, but hee alone: as when Christ came into the world, all the Oracles of Idols ceased; which Plutarch writing of, and inquiring into the reason, saith, either they were very old and dyed, or the vapours arising out of the earth, wherewith their Prophets being afflated spake, were now stopped, or else the constellations which caused this, were now past. And as one saith, the Philistims were first punisht in Dagon the chiefe of their Idols, because in it was the originall of their sin.
They having set up Dagon, looke the next morning againe, and then he was V. 4.both falne, and the head and armes of the Idoll were cut off upon the threshold; the head, saith Peter Martyr, signifyeth wisdome, and the armes, power; to shew then, that hee had neither wisdome nor power to helpe them, this was done. The trunke onelyonly remained; the Chaldee, the body of Dagon; Junius, Junius.that which resembled a fish, but the words are, Dagon only remained, that is, a fish, as the word Dag signifieth. For the upper part being like a man, and the nether a fish, when the head and armes were cut off, the figure of a fish onelyonly remaine…▪
Therefore the Priests of Dagon, &c. tread not upon the threshold of his Temple to V. 5.this day. They were so farre by seeing this miracle from growing into the contempt of this impotent Idol, that they magnified it the more, holding the Osiander.very threshold to bee sanctified by the touch thereof, so blinded were they with superstition; so Peter Martyr, who addeth, that by the like superstition at this P. Martyr.day, men refraine from treading upon that part of mount Garganum, where the print of Michael the Archangels foot is to bee seen in marble. R. L. Ben Ben Gerson.Gerson noteth hereupon, that the Philistims by this their superstition tooke a course to continue the memory of Dagons impotency and ignominy many ages after.
After the smiting of Dagon, the Lord proceedeth to execute judgements upon V. 6.the people of Ashdod, for hee smote them with emerods. Josephus saith, that Joseph. Antiq. l. 6. c. 1.they had the fluxe called dysenteria, which caused their fundament to come out, and their entrailes, whereby they perished being full of torment. The Vulg. Latine addeth, The farmes and fields were full of mice, and a great confusion of death was made in all the City; but as Lyra noteth, this is a corruption which crept in by the unskilfulnesse of the Scribe, and is not in the Hebrew; Lyra.but because, Chap. 6. a judgement by mice is spoken of, this was by some ignorantly inserted here, and the like hath been done in divers other places. Indeed Josephus saith also, the fields swarmed with mice, which ate up the standing corne, and all their fruits, but this is not expressed, but left to bee understood from that, Chap. 6. 4. Lyra saith, that their intestines comming out with the dysentery, and hanging out, were full of wormes, and assaulted by the mice. But it is more probable, that the mice wasted and spoyled the Countrey onelyonly, as Josephus hath it, and the emerods tormented them. The mice also invaded their Ships, according to the Sept. Translation, and herewith they abounded, because they were a Maritime people. Author mirabil. S. 5. God justly punished them both these wayes; with emerods, which made their entrails to come out to their destruction, as they had taken the inwards of the Tabernacle, viz. the Arke, out of its place; and with mice, base creatures, as they had worshipped base creatures, which was against the law contained in the Arke, now brought amongst them.
The Ashadothites being thus plagued, by the counsell of the Lords of the Philistims V. 8.send the Arke to Gath, and then the people of that place were smitten, both great and small, with emerods, which were hidden in them, as the Hebrew text hath it. And this was a kinde of emerod, saith Junius, according to the Iunius.judgement of Physitians, far more painfull then the other which came downe, because the blood being retained in their inward parts did exceedingly torment them, so that the men of Gath were smitten more grievously then those of Ashdod. For the reason of their carrying the Arke thus about, it was according to Comestor, because some thought this plague was by reason of the Arke, some by accident, and some by the corruption of the aire, to try therefore whether the Arke was the cause, it was so carryed about; but, as Josephus noteth, Iosephus. In hunc modum quin{que} Palaestinorum u…bes pervagata est arca, veluti tributum per singulas poenam violatae religonis exigens.it went about the five Cities of the Philistims, thus exacting the tribute of just punishment upon them all for Religion violated, in that they durst lay hands upon so sacred a thing, as the Arke of God. And therefore his singular providence is to bee looked at herein, which swayed their consultations to their owne greater punishment as they were worthy.
For these words, To Gath let the Arke of God bee brought about, &c. The Vulg. Latine hath it, the men of Gath answered, Let the Arke bee carryed about; and when they carryed it about, the hand of God was against every City, and hee smote the men of every City, &c. favouring that of Josephus, who saith it went about to all the five Cities of the Philistims. And thus indeed it seemeth to have been done, for Chap. 6. 4. it is said, One plague was on you all, and on your Lords, and therefore according to the number of their Cities, which were five, they made five golden Emerods, and five golden Mice for a trespasse-offering. But in the Hebrew text mention is made onelyonly of Gath and Ekron; neither is it said, The hand of God was grievous against every City, but against that City. Notwithstanding because the carrying about of the Arke to Gath is spoken of, it is implyed that it went through the other Cities also, which are not named, and then they were smitten. For all the judgements upon the Philistims are not mentioned in this Chapter, but onelyonly the smiting of those Cities with emerods, that were most plagued, the judgements upon the rest, and that by mice, being left to bee understood, by that which is said Chap. 6. For Gath, Josephus hath Askelon, saying, that the men of Azotus, for so hee calleth Ashdod, sent to Askelon, desiring them of that City Josephus.that they would receive the Arke, unto which they willingly yeelded; but when it came there, the same effects followed, and likewise whithersoever it came. Tostatus saith, that finding the force of the Arke to bee so great, they were unwilling to send it back to Israel, for feare of arming them hereby against themselves, wherefore they tryed rather first, whether in any place it might be kept amongst them without perill.
The Vulg. Latine at the end of the ninth verse, addeth these words, They V. 9.tooke counsell, and made them seates of skins, which Lyra saith they did to defend them from the mice, that gnawed their fu…ments hanging out, and that they might sit the more easily. The Sept. have it before this, The men of Gath said, Bring the Arke of God unto us, and when it was brought thither, God smote, the City, &c. and then he smote them upon their seats, and the men of Gath made them seats. In both, the last words are redundant, neither doe I know any colour of reason for them. But the former doe best expresse the Hebr. the men of Gath said, because it is foreign so that foreign they said, is not to bee referred to the Lords, but to the men of Gath, who shewed their willingnesse to have the Arke brought unto them, not yet fearing any plague to ensue amongst them by reason thereof, wherefore they were plagued more terribly then the Ashdodites.
Mystically, saith Gloss. Ordin. by the Arke understand the Testament preached, The Mystery.for they, amongst whom this commeth, but yet they love the posteriour things of this life, as the Ashdodites were affected even to the nether part of Dagon, when nothing of him else remained, shall bee tormented by reason of these base things, which are but as dung, when they shall fall from them most unwilling, as the entrails of the Philistims came out against their wills, to their great torment, for even so doe these through the love of the world, place Dagon and the Arke together, Dagon that fadeth, and the Arke of the New Testament, which is eternall.