Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinityThe phrase "the hand of the LORD" signifies God's direct intervention and power. In biblical terms, God's "hand" often represents His authority and ability to execute judgment or deliverance (
Exodus 9:3,
Isaiah 41:10). Ashdod was one of the five major Philistine cities, located in the coastal region of what is now modern-day Israel. The Philistines had captured the Ark of the Covenant, and this act of desecration led to divine retribution. The "vicinity" indicates that the impact of God's judgment extended beyond the city itself, affecting the surrounding areas. This demonstrates the widespread nature of God's power and the seriousness of the offense against Him.
ravaging them
The term "ravaging" suggests a severe and destructive impact. This can be understood as a form of divine punishment for the Philistines' disrespect towards the Ark, which symbolized God's presence among His people. The use of such a strong term underscores the intensity of the affliction and serves as a warning to those who oppose or dishonor God. This act of ravaging can be seen as a fulfillment of God's promise to protect His covenant and His people, even when they are not present to defend themselves.
and afflicting them with tumors
The affliction of "tumors" is a specific form of suffering imposed by God. The Hebrew term used here can also be translated as "boils" or "swellings," indicating a painful and humiliating condition. This affliction is reminiscent of the plagues in Egypt (Exodus 9:9-11), where God used physical ailments to demonstrate His power and compel obedience. The tumors served as a tangible sign of God's displeasure and a call to repentance. Some scholars suggest a connection to bubonic plague, as the symptoms described align with historical accounts of such outbreaks. This affliction highlights the seriousness of defying God's holiness and the consequences of possessing the Ark without reverence.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The LORDThe God of Israel, who demonstrates His power and sovereignty over the Philistines by afflicting them.
2.
People of AshdodInhabitants of one of the five major Philistine cities, who captured the Ark of the Covenant and experienced God's judgment.
3.
AshdodA Philistine city where the Ark of the Covenant was taken after being captured from the Israelites.
4.
The Ark of the CovenantA sacred chest representing God's presence, captured by the Philistines in battle.
5.
TumorsPhysical afflictions sent by God as a form of judgment upon the Philistines for possessing the Ark.
Teaching Points
God's SovereigntyThe passage highlights God's control over all nations, not just Israel. His power is not limited by geography or political boundaries.
The Consequences of Disrespecting the SacredThe Philistines' capture of the Ark and subsequent affliction serve as a warning against treating holy things with contempt.
Divine Judgment and MercyWhile God’s hand was heavy upon the Philistines, His actions were also a call to recognize His authority and repent.
The Presence of GodThe Ark symbolizes God's presence, which brings blessing to those who honor it and judgment to those who do not.
The Fear of the LordThis event encourages believers to maintain a healthy reverence for God, recognizing His power and holiness.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 5:6?
2.How does 1 Samuel 5:6 demonstrate God's power over false gods and idols?
3.What can we learn about God's judgment from 1 Samuel 5:6?
4.How does the affliction in 1 Samuel 5:6 relate to God's holiness?
5.How should we respond to God's discipline as seen in 1 Samuel 5:6?
6.What other biblical instances show God's power over nations opposing Him?
7.Why did God afflict the people of Ashdod with tumors in 1 Samuel 5:6?
8.What is the significance of God's hand being heavy against the Philistines?
9.How does 1 Samuel 5:6 demonstrate God's power over other nations?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 1 Samuel 5?
11.1 Samuel 5:6 – Is there any scientific or medical basis for the tumors supposedly afflicting the Philistines?
12.What are emerods in the Bible?
13.1 Samuel 5 – Where is the historical or archaeological evidence that the Ark’s presence caused such devastation in Philistine cities?
14.How do we reconcile the differing accounts of the death toll (70 vs. 50,070) in 1 Samuel 6:19, and is there archaeological proof of such an event?What Does 1 Samuel 5:6 Mean
Now the hand of the LORD• Scripture consistently pictures “the hand of the LORD” as His direct, decisive power in history—whether to save or to judge (Exodus 7:5;Isaiah 59:1;Acts 13:11).
• Here it underscores that the events in Ashdod are not random outbreaks but God personally acting in response to the Philistines’ seizure of the Ark (1 Samuel 5:1–4).
• The verse begins by centering attention on God, not the calamity, reminding us that every circumstance ultimately reveals His righteous rule.
was heavy• “Heavy” conveys weight, intensity, and unrelenting pressure—God’s judgment was severe, not a light tap on the shoulder (1 Samuel 5:11;Psalm 32:4).
• The term also contrasts with the earlier dishonor of Eli’s sons; where they treated holy things lightly, God’s “heavy” hand restores His glory.
• It warns that persistent sin invites intensified discipline, a truth echoed inHebrews 10:31: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity• Judgment falls on the very city that boasted of capturing the Ark and placing it before Dagon (1 Samuel 5:1–2).
• This includes neighboring villages, revealing that proximity to rebellion often brings shared consequences (Joshua 13:3).
• God’s reach extends beyond Israel; He is sovereign over every nation, fulfilling His promise inGenesis 12:3 that those who curse His covenant people will be cursed.
ravaging them• The word pictures widespread destruction—homes disrupted, livelihoods ruined.
• Similar language describes the plague of hail in Egypt, when “it struck down everything in the field” (Exodus 9:25).
• God dismantles security to expose false gods: Ashdod’s idol had already toppled (1 Samuel 5:3–4); now the community itself reels, proving no earthly refuge can stand against the Almighty.
and afflicting them with tumors• The affliction is specific: “tumors” (1 Samuel 5:6).Deuteronomy 28:27 lists tumors among covenant curses, highlighting that the Philistines experience covenant‐type judgments without the covenant’s blessings.
• The plague spreads to Gath and Ekron (1 Samuel 5:9, 12), and when the Philistines later make guilt offerings, they fashion “five gold tumors and five gold rats” (1 Samuel 6:4), acknowledging both the disease and its possible carriers.
• Every detail presses the lesson: God’s holiness demands respect; mocking it brings bodily consequences.
Summary1 Samuel 5:6 shows God’s powerful, personal response to the Philistines’ irreverence. His “heavy hand” proves He is not an idle spectator but the living Lord who defends His glory, disciplines sin, and calls nations to acknowledge Him. The verse invites us to revere His holiness, trust His justice, and remember that safety lies not in possessing religious objects but in honoring the God they represent.
(6)
But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod.--A painful and distressing sickness, in the form, perhaps, of tumours--(the word
emerodsshould be spelt
hemorrhoids)--broke out among the inhabitants of the Philistine city in which was situated the idol temple, where was placed the Ark of the Covenant. The LXX. has an addition to the Hebrew text here which speaks of a terrible land plague which, apparently from subsequent notices, visited Philistia in addition to the bodily sufferings here spoken of. The Greek Version adds to
1Samuel 5:6 these words: "and mice were produced in the land, and there arose a great and deadly confusion in the city." In
1Samuel 6:4, &c, among the expiatory offerings sent by the idolators to Israel to appease what they imagined the offended Hebrew God, "golden mice" are mentioned: "images of the mice that mar the land." The mouse, according to Herodotus and the testimony of hieroglyphics, was an old symbol of pestilence. The Greek translators, however, failing to understand the meaning of the offering of golden mice, added the words--apparently in accordance with a received tradition--by way of explanation.
Verse 6. -
But the hand of Jehovah was heavy upon them of Ashdod.I.e. his power and might were exercised in smiting them with severe plagues. A question here arises whether, as the Septuagint affirms, besides the scourge of emerods, their land was desolated by swarms of field mice. It is certain that they sent as votive offerings golden images of "the mice that mar the land" (
1 Samuel 6:5); but the translators of the Septuagint too often attempt to make all things easy by unauthorised additions, suggested by the context; and so probably here it was the wish to explain why mice were sent which made them add, "and mice were produced in the land." Really the mouse was a symbol of pestilence (Herod., 2:141), and appears as such in hieroglyphics; and by sending golden mice with golden emerods the lords of the Philistines expressed very clearly that the emerods had been epidemic. This word, more correctly spelt haemorrhoids, has this in its favour, that the noun used here,
ophalim, is never read in the synagogue. Wherever the word occurs the reader was instructed to say
tehorim, the vowels of which are actually attached to the consonants of
ophalim in the text of our Hebrew Bibles. In
Deuteronomy 28:27.
tehorim is mentioned as one of the loathsome skin diseases of Egypt, and though rendered "emerods" in the A.V., is possibly, as translated by Aquila, "an eating ulcer."
Ophalim need only mean
turnouts, swellings, its original signification being "a hill" (
2 Chronicles 27:3); yet as the word was not thought fit for public reading in the synagogue, we may feel sure that it means some such tumours as the A.V. describes.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Now the handיַד־(yaḏ-)Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3027:A handof the LORDיְהוָ֛ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israelwas heavyוַתִּכְבַּ֧ד(wat·tiḵ·baḏ)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3513:To be heavy, weighty, or burdensomeonאֶל־(’el-)Preposition
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, tothe people of Ashdodהָאַשְׁדּוֹדִ֖ים(hā·’aš·dō·w·ḏîm)Article | Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 796:Ashdodites -- an inhabitant of Ashdodand its vicinity,גְּבוּלֶֽיהָ׃(gə·ḇū·le·hā)Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 1366:A cord, a boundary, the territory inclosedravaging themוַיְשִׁמֵּ֑ם(way·šim·mêm)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 8074:To stun, devastate, stupefyand afflictingוַיַּ֤ךְ(way·yaḵ)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5221:To strikethemאֹתָם֙(’ō·ṯām)Direct object marker | third person masculine plural
Strong's 853:Untranslatable mark of the accusative casewith tumors.בַּטְּחֹרִ֔ים(baṭ·ṭə·ḥō·rîm)Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6076:A tumor, a mound, fortress
Links
1 Samuel 5:6 NIV1 Samuel 5:6 NLT1 Samuel 5:6 ESV1 Samuel 5:6 NASB1 Samuel 5:6 KJV
1 Samuel 5:6 BibleApps.com1 Samuel 5:6 Biblia Paralela1 Samuel 5:6 Chinese Bible1 Samuel 5:6 French Bible1 Samuel 5:6 Catholic Bible
OT History: 1 Samuel 5:6 But the hand of Yahweh was heavy (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa) 
