Why do the Philistines ask that the captured ark return to its own place?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Dagon falls twice before the ark, and the Lord’s hand is heavy upon the Philistine cities. After deaths and affliction spread while the ark is carried about, they ask that it be sent away so it will not kill them and their people.

Chapter breakdown

The Philistines take the ark of God from the Stone of help to Azotus, bring it into Dagon’s temple and set it by Dagon. Early the next day the Azotians find Dagon lying face down on the ground before the Lord’s ark. They take him and set him back in his place. When they rise the next morning, they again find him face down before the ark, with his head and both palms of his hands cut off upon the threshold. Only Dagon’s stump remains in its place. Because of this, neither Dagon’s priests nor anyone entering the temple treads on Dagon’s threshold in Azotus to the time described as this day.

The Lord’s hand is heavy on the Azotians: he destroys them and afflicts Azotus and its coasts with emerods. A multitude of mice comes out in the country’s villages and fields, and there is the confusion of great mortality in the city. Seeing the plague, the men of Azotus say the ark of Israel’s God must not stay with them, because his hand is heavy on them and on their god Dagon. They send and gather all the Philistine lords, asking what to do with the ark. The Gethites answer that it should be carried about, and it is. While they carry it about, the Lord’s hand comes on every city with very great slaughter. He strikes the men of every city, both small and great, and they have emerods in their secret parts. The Gethites consult together and make seats of skins. They then send the ark to Accaron. On its arrival the Accaronites cry that it has been brought to kill them and their people.

They send and gather all the Philistine lords and ask them to send away the ark of Israel’s God, letting it return to its own place so it does not kill them and their people. Every city fears death, and God’s hand is exceedingly heavy. Men who do not die are also afflicted with emerods, and the cry of every city goes up to heaven.

The story inside

The ark’s placement beside Dagon is followed by two discoveries of Dagon face down before it. The second includes the severed head and palms and explains the threshold practice. Azotus then suffers deaths, emerods and mice. Its men ask the assembled lords what to do, and the Gethites propose carrying the ark about. Slaughter and affliction continue across the cities, and the arrival at Accaron meets a protest that the ark will kill its people. The closing assembly asks for its return to its own place, while deaths, survivors’ affliction and cries are still described. This chapter records that request; it does not yet narrate the return.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Putting Dagon back does not end the account. He is found down again the next morning, this time with head and both palms cut off. The chapter connects that event with the threshold practice without adding a motive for those who observe it.
2
Carrying the ark about does not end the affliction. The Lord’s hand comes upon every city, striking small and great, and Accaron protests its arrival. The seats of skins remain a recorded Gethite action without an invented medical explanation.
3
The final request gives its own reason. They ask that the ark return to its own place so it will not kill them and their people. The account still names fear, death, afflicted survivors and cries, so asking for removal must not be reported as an already completed return.

Test your recall

What changes between Dagon’s first and second falls, how does the ark’s movement lead to Accaron’s protest, and why do the gathered lords hear a request for its return?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 28599–28621
1 Kings Chapter 5 Dagon twice falleth down before the ark. The Philistines are grievously afflicted, wherever the ark cometh. 5:1. And the Philistines took the ark of God, and carried it from the Stone of help into Azotus. 5:2. And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the temple of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 5:3. And when the Azotians arose early the next day, behold Dagon lay upon his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord: and they took Dagon, and set him again in his place. 5:4. And the next day again, when they rose in the morning, they found Dagon lying upon his face on the earth before the ark of the Lord: and the head of Dagon, and both the palms of his hands, were cut off upon the threshold: 5:5. And only the stump of Dagon remained in its place. For this cause neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that go into the temple, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Azotus unto this day.
Lines 28623–28647
5:6. And the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Azotians, and he destroyed them, and afflicted Azotus and the coasts thereof with emerods. And in the villages and fields in the midst of that country, there came forth a multitude of mice, and there was the confusion of a great mortality in the city. 5:7. And the men of Azotus seeing this kind of plague, said: The ark of the God of Israel shall not stay with us: for his hand is heavy upon us, and upon Dagon, our god. 5:8. And sending, they gathered together all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said: What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And the Gethites answered: Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about. 5:9. And while they were carrying it about, the hand of the Lord came upon every city with an exceeding great slaughter: and he smote the men of every city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts. And the Gethites consulted together, and made themselves seats of skins. 5:10. Therefore they sent the ark of God into Accaron. And when the ark of God was come into Accaron, the Accaronites cried out, saying: They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people.
Lines 28649–28657
5:11. They sent therefore, and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines: and they said: Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return into its own place, and not kill us and our people. 5:12. For there was the fear of death in every city, and the hand of God was exceeding heavy. The men also that did not die, were afflicted with the emerods: and the cry of every city went up to heaven.