1Sa 5:1-6:18 | TNotes | STEP | 5:1 Ebenezer: See study note on 4:1b. • Ashdod , one of the five important Philistine cities (see 6:17 ), was located along the same major trade highway (the Great Trunk Road) as Aphek.

5:1 ^a Ebenezer: See study note on 4:1b.

• Ashdod, one of the five important Philistine cities (see 6:17 ^b), was located along the same major trade highway (the Great Trunk Road) as Aphek.
5:2 ^c Dagon was one of the Philistines’ gods (see Judg 16:23-24 ^d). The name could be related to the Hebrew dag (“fish”), an appropriate name for a god of seafaring people. More likely, it reflects the Hebrew dagan (“grain”), suggesting a fertility or agriculture god.
5:4 ^e his head and hands had broken off: A symbol of God’s supremacy over the idol (5:7 ^f; see also 17:51 ^g).
5:5 ^h step on its threshold: While the Philistines might have believed that Dagon’s amputations resulted from their failure to honor the god properly, the true failure was in worshiping an idol rather than honoring the one true God (Isa 44:6-20 ⁱ).
5:6 ^j tumors: The Hebrew term can mean simply “swellings.” A possible alternative translation is “hemorrhoids.” They were possibly the fatal buboes of bubonic plague, which attack the lower body, especially the rectal area. Rats are known carriers of the plague.
5:8 ^k rulers (or overlords): Each of the five major Philistine cities had its own ruler (6:16-18 ^l).

• Move it: Despite the obvious danger, the Philistines relished their captured trophy enough to relocate it rather than return it.

• Gath, one of the five major Philistine cities, was nearby.
5:9 ^m God often used great panic to incapacitate and overwhelm Israel’s enemies (14:15 ⁿ, 20 ^o; Deut 7:23 ^p; Ezek 22:5 ^q; Amos 3:9 ^r).
5:10 ^s Ekron, another of the five major Philistine cities (see 6:17 ^t), was just five miles north of Gath.

‏ 1 Samuel 6:1-18

6:2 ^u priests and diviners: Divination was a part of Philistine religion (cp. 28:7 ^v; Deut 18:10-14 ^w).
6:3 ^x It is unlikely the Philistines were aware of Israelite worship regulations. A Philistine guilt offering would have been a payment to the deity in an attempt to avert his wrath (contrast the notion of atonement from Lev 16 ^y).
6:4 ^z rats: See study note on 5:6.
6:6 ^aa The Philistines had thought they could overcome the Lord by fighting harder (4:9 ^ab). They had defeated the Israelites, but they now realized that they could not defeat Israel’s God.
6:7 ^ac shut their calves away: If the cows went against their maternal nature and left their calves to take the Ark to Israel, it would prove that the plague was from Israel’s God (6:9 ^ad).
6:9 ^ae Beth-shemesh was the closest Israelite town to Ekron (5:10 ^af).
6:13 ^ag Harvesting wheat was usually done in May or June.
6:14 ^ah This burnt offering could have been for forgiveness of sin (see 7:9-10 ^ai; Lev 1:3-17 ^aj), but it was more likely a freewill expression of love or thanksgiving (see Lev 22:18-22 ^ak).
6:15 ^al Providentially, the Ark had arrived in Beth-shemesh (6:13 ^am), which was a Levite city (Josh 21:13-16 ^an). The men of the tribe of Levi who lived there could safely move the Ark (see Num 4:15 ^ao).
6:17 ^ap guilt offering: See study note on 6:3.

• Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron: These five major Philistine cities were located on or near the Great Trunk Road. This major ancient trade route connected Egypt with Mesopotamia via the coastal plain of Canaan. Each city was governed by a king-like ruler (6:16 ^aq).