1 Samuel 5:2 kjv
When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
1 Samuel 5:2 nkjv
When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.
1 Samuel 5:2 niv
Then they carried the ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon.
1 Samuel 5:2 esv
Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.
1 Samuel 5:2 nlt
They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon.
1 Samuel 5 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference ||---------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|| Ex 12:12 | "For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night...and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments." | God's judgment against false gods. || Ex 20:3-5 | "You shall have no other gods before me...You shall not make for yourself a carved image..." | First two commandments against idolatry. || Num 14:44-45 | "...but the ark of the covenant of the Lord and Moses did not depart out of the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites...defeated them." | Defeat when the Ark/God's presence is presumed or disrespected. || Deut 4:28 | "And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell." | The futility and powerlessness of idols. || Judg 16:23 | "Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, for they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.”" | Dagon as Philistine patron god of victory. || 1 Sam 4:10-11 | "So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated...And the ark of God was captured..." | The context of the Ark's capture. || 1 Sam 5:1 | "When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod." | Immediate context of the Ark's journey. || 1 Sam 5:3-5 | "When the people of Ashdod rose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord." | Dagon's subsequent fall before the Ark, God's self-vindication. || 1 Sam 6:1-9 | Describes the Philistines' affliction and their decision to return the Ark. | Philistine acknowledgment of Yahweh's power. || Psa 115:3-8 | "Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak..." | Yahweh's sovereignty contrasted with silent, powerless idols. || Isa 44:9-20 | Illustrates the absurdity and futility of making and worshiping idols. | Direct polemic against idol worship. || Isa 46:1-2 | "Bel bows down; Nebo stoops...They cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity." | Babylonian idols falling, reflecting God's sovereignty over pagan gods. || Jer 10:1-16 | Warns against idol worship, contrasting the living God with powerless idols. | Similar critique of idol worship's emptiness. || Hab 2:18-19 | "What profit is an idol when its sculptor has carved it...? Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, ‘Awake’; to a silent stone, ‘Arise’!" | Idols cannot speak or give life. || 2 Kgs 19:18-19 | Hezekiah prays against Assyrian gods, affirming Yahweh is the only God. | Appeal to God's glory against false gods. || Rom 1:21-23 | "...they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened...and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." | Humanity's turning from Creator to creation. || 1 Cor 8:4-6 | "...an idol has no real existence...yet for us there is one God, the Father...and one Lord, Jesus Christ..." | Theological nullity of idols. || 2 Cor 6:16 | "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God..." | Separation between God and idols. || Eph 2:1-3 | "...according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience." | Pagan gods as expressions of spiritual forces. || Col 2:15 | "He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him." | Christ's ultimate victory over spiritual powers/idols. || Zec 13:2 | "On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more..." | Future eradication of idols. || Rev 9:20 | "...They did not repent of the works of their hands, nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood..." | Continuation of idol worship in end times. || Ezek 20:32 | "What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone.’" | Rejecting the idea of conforming to pagan nations. |
1 Samuel 5 verses
1 Samuel 5 2 Meaning
1 Samuel 5:2 describes the triumphal action of the Philistines after capturing the Ark of God from Israel. They transported the sacred Ark, which symbolized the presence and throne of the Lord, into the temple of their chief deity, Dagon, in Ashdod. Their intent was to display the Ark as a trophy, positioning it next to the statue of Dagon, thereby proclaiming the perceived superiority and victory of their god, Dagon, over the God of Israel. This act was a deliberate attempt to subjugate Yahweh and elevate their own pagan idol within their religious framework.
1 Samuel 5 2 Context
1 Samuel 5:2 is part of a narrative detailing the consequences of Israel's defeat by the Philistines and the capture of the Ark of God (1 Sam 4:10-11). Israel had presumed upon the Ark's presence as a magical charm rather than seeking genuine repentance and obedience. The Philistines, attributing their victory to their own god, Dagon, brought the Ark to his temple in Ashdod. This act was a demonstration of Philistine power and an open challenge to the sovereignty of the God of Israel. The subsequent verses in chapter 5 describe Yahweh's response, demonstrating His absolute supremacy over Dagon and the Philistines without any human intervention.
1 Samuel 5 2 Word analysis
Then the Philistines: (וּפְלִשְׁתִּים, ūpəlištîm)
- Word: Pəlištîm refers to the inhabitants of Philistia, a historically significant enemy of Israel.
- Significance: Their actions here are representative of all pagan nations challenging the one true God. They were not simply an ethnic group but represented a distinct religious and political system antithetical to Israel's covenant faith.
took the ark of God: (אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים, ’ărōn hā’ělōhîm)
- Word: ’ārōn means "chest" or "coffer," specifically referring to the Ark of the Covenant. ’ĕlōhîm refers to "God" or "gods," but with the definite article and context, it clearly means the God of Israel.
- Significance: This object was the central sacred artifact for Israel, symbolizing the divine presence (Ex 25:22), the throne of the Lord (Psa 99:1), and a repository for the Law. Its capture was a theological catastrophe for Israel, misinterpreted as God's defeat, but in reality, it was part of His judgment.
and brought it: (וַיָּבִיאוּהוּ, wayyāḇî’ûhû)
- Word: From the verb bô’, "to bring, come." The causative form indicates deliberate transportation.
- Significance: This was an intentional act of display and subjugation. It was not accidental or for mere storage.
to the house of Dagon: (בֵּית דָּגוֹן, Bêt Dāgōn)
- Word: Bayit means "house" or "temple." Dāgōn is the name of the Philistine deity. Dagon was a prominent Semitic grain/fish deity, likely associated with agricultural fertility and prosperity, and thus central to Philistine well-being.
- Significance: Placing the Ark in Dagon's temple was an act of desacralization from Israel's perspective, but from the Philistine perspective, it was a display of Dagon's triumph, claiming ultimate religious supremacy.
and set it by Dagon: (וַיַּצִּיגוּ אֹתוֹ אֵצֶל דָּגוֹן, wayyaṣṣîgû ’ōtô ’ēṣel Dāgōn)
- Word: Naṣag means "to place, set, stand." ’ēṣel means "beside, near, at."
- Significance: The precise positioning "by" Dagon underscores the Philistine theological assertion: Yahweh's symbol was being placed as a tribute or captive, under the supposed authority and power of Dagon. This was the ultimate public humiliation intended for the God of Israel.
Words-group Analysis:
- "The Philistines took the ark of God": This phrase immediately establishes the narrative's central conflict: human capture of a divine symbol. It reflects the worldly view that divine power can be subjugated, yet simultaneously highlights the theological irony, as God cannot be "taken." This sets up the coming demonstration of God's independence and supreme authority.
- "and brought it to the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon": This passage is saturated with a polemical tone. It describes a pagan act of religious domination, asserting the superiority of their god over the Lord. This act, however, directly leads to a divinely orchestrated counter-display of Yahweh's power, turning their intended humiliation into a testament of His unique majesty.
1 Samuel 5 2 Bonus section
The incident in 1 Samuel 5 is a unique example of God acting directly to defend His honor against idolatry, rather than through Israel. This contrasts sharply with previous occasions where Israel was expected to destroy idols. Here, God needs no human agency to reveal the impotence of false gods. It emphasizes that while the Ark was a symbol of His presence, His true essence cannot be confined or conquered. This also functions as a divine judgment against Israel's misplaced confidence in the Ark itself as a talisman, separate from obedience to God (1 Sam 4:3-4), as well as a public vindication of God's name to the pagan world.
1 Samuel 5 2 Commentary
1 Samuel 5:2 concisely sets the stage for a profound theological demonstration. The Philistines, having achieved military victory, treated the Ark of God as a spoil of war, integrating it into their religious framework by placing it in Dagon's temple. This was more than a practical storage decision; it was a spiritual declaration that their deity, Dagon, had defeated the God of Israel. They saw Yahweh as merely one national god among many, and now a vanquished one. However, this action inadvertently provided the perfect setting for the Lord to dramatically assert His own unmatched sovereignty. The Philistines' perceived victory was short-lived, as the following verses vividly portray God's power without an army, a prophet, or even a human command, revealing the futility of idolatry and the absurdity of comparing a mute statue to the living, active God of creation. This serves as a potent reminder that the Lord's presence and power are not confined or subject to human capture or any rival deity, affirming His non-negotiable uniqueness.