1 Samuel 5 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter continues the first section of the book, chapters 1–7, which describe Samuel as a religious leader of Israel. It continues a story that provides background for how Samuel helped the Israelites genuinely worship Yahweh again. This chapter describes how Yahweh struck the people of Philistine cities with plagues when they put the Box of the Covenant in their idol temples.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

The Box of the Covenant in Philistine cities

The Philistines took the Box of the Covenant to the city of Ashdod and put it in the temple of their idol Dagon. That was a way of claiming that Dagon had enabled them to defeat the Israelites and even that Dagon was stronger than Yahweh. However, the large statue of Dagon in the temple fell down in front of the Box as if it were a slave prostrating himself before his master. That showed that Yahweh was actually much greater and stronger than Dagon. The people of Ashdod also began getting tumors, and swarms of mice began eating up their crops. So the people of Ashdod sent the Box to the city of Gath. But the same bad things happened to the people of Gath. So they sent the Box to the city of Ekron. The people there were so afraid of the Box that they did not want it there, and they asked their rulers to send it back to Israel.