1 SAM 5:4 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) But then the next morning, more shock: Dagon had fallen to the ground on its face in front of Yahweh’s box but now its hands and head were cut off, and were lying on the threshhold. Only its body remained intact.

Key: khaki:verbs, green:YHWH.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ὤρθρισαν τοπρωῒ, καὶ ἰδοὺ Δαγὼν, πεπτωκὼς ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐνώπιον κιβωτοῦ διαθήκης Κυρίου· καὶ κεφαλὴ Δαγὼν καὶ ἀμφότερα τὰ ἴχνη χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀφῃρημένα ἐπὶ τὰ ἐμπρόσθια ἁμαφὲθ ἕκαστοι, καὶ ἀμφότεροι οἱ καρποὶ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ πεπτωκότες ἐπὶ τὸ πρόθυρον, πλὴν ἡ ῥάχις Δαγὼν ὑπελείφθη.
(Kai egeneto hote ōrthrisan toprōi, kai idou Dagōn, peptōkōs epi prosōpon autou enōpion kibōtou diathaʸkaʸs Kuriou; kai kefalaʸ Dagōn kai amfotera ta iⱪnaʸ ⱪeirōn autou afaʸraʸmena epi ta emprosthia hamafeth hekastoi, kai amfoteroi hoi karpoi tōn ⱪeirōn autou peptōkotes epi to prothuron, plaʸn haʸ ɽaⱪis Dagōn hupeleifthaʸ. )

BrTr And it came to pass when they rose early in the morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off each before the threshold, and both the wrists of his hands had fallen on the floor of the porch; only the stump of Dagon was left.

ULT And they arose early in the morning on the next day, and behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground to the face of the Box of Yahweh. And the head of Dagon and the two of the palms of his hands were cut off, on the threshold. Only Dagon was left on him.

UST But when they first got up the following morning, they saw that it was once again lying face down on the ground in front of Yahweh’s sacred chest. And the statue no longer had its head or hands. Those were lying in the doorway. All it had left was its body.

BSB But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD, with [his] head [and] his hands broken off and lying on the threshold. Only [the torso] remained

OEB But when they arose early on the following morning, behold there was Dagon fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both his hands were cut off upon the threshold, and only the body of Dagon was left.

WEBBE When they arose early on the following morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the LORD’s ark; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso was intact.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET But when they got up early the following day, Dagon was again lying on the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and his two hands were sheared off and were lying at the threshold. Only Dagon’s body was left intact.

LSV And they rise early in the morning on the next day, and behold, Dagon is fallen on its face to the earth, before the Ark of YHWH, and the head of Dagon, and the two palms of its hands are cut off at the threshold, only Dagon’s [body] has been left of him;

FBV When they got up early the next morning, they saw Dagon had fallen on his face in front of the Ark of the Lord, with his head and hands broken off lying on the doorstep. Only his body remained intact.

T4T But the following morning, they saw that it had fallen down in front of the sacred chest again. But this time, the statue’s head and hands had broken off, and were lying in the doorway. Only its body remained intact/unbroken.

LEB No LEB 1 SAM book available

BBE And when they got up early on the morning after, Dagon had come down to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord; and his head and his hands were broken off on the doorstep; only the base was in its place.

Moff No Moff 1 SAM book available

JPS And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

ASV And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

DRA 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:

YLT And they rise early in the morning on the morrow, and lo, Dagon is fallen on its face to the earth, before the ark of Jehovah, and the head of Dagon, and the two palms of its hands are cut off at the threshold, only the fishy part hath been left to him;

Drby And when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the fish-stump was left to him.

RV And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

SLT And they will rise early in the morning, and behold, Dagon fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah: and the head of Dagon, and the two palms of his hands cut off upon the threshold; only Dagon was left upon him.

Wbstr And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD: and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshhold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

KJB-1769 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.[fn]

5.4 the stump…: or, the fishy part

KJB-1611 [fn]And when they arose earely on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen vpon his face to the ground, before the Arke of the LORD: and the head of Dagon, and both the palmes of his hands were cut off vpon the threshold, only the stumpe of Dagon was left to him.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes))

5:4 Or, the filthy part.

Bshps No Bshps 1 SAM book available

Gnva Also they rose vp earely in the morning the next day, and beholde, Dagon was fallen vpon his face on the ground before the Arke of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and the two palmes of his hands were cut off vpon the thresholde: onely the stumpe of Dagon was left to him.
(Also they rose up early in the morning the next day, and behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and the two palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold: only the stump of Dagon was left to him. )

Cvdl No Cvdl 1 SAM book available

Wycl No Wycl 1 SAM book available

Luth No Luth 1 SAM book available

ClVg Rursumque mane die altera consurgentes, invenerunt Dagon jacentem super faciem suam in terra coram arca Domini: caput autem Dagon, et duæ palmæ manuum ejus abscissæ erant super limen:[fn]
(And_again in_the_morning day the_other consurgentes, they_found Dagon yacentem over face his_own in/into/on earth/land before box Master: the_head however Dagon, and two palm_trees hands his abscissæ they_were over threshold: )

5.4 Caput. Superbia diaboli, qui est initium omnis peccati Eccle. 10.. Super. RAB. Finem præfinitum significat, in quo cessaret idololatria. Limen enim finis est itineris.

5.4 Caput. Superbia diaboli, who it_is the_beginning everyone of_sin Eccle. 10.. Super. RAB. Finem beforefinitum means, in/into/on where to_ceaset idololatria. Threshold because end/limit it_is journey.

RP-GNT No RP-GNT 1 SAM book available

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

Canaanite Religion

The Canaanites explained nature by reference to their gods. Each god represented some force of nature. The moon, sun, important stars, and visible planets each were considered a god or goddess. Canaanite deities had two striking features: an extraordinary fluidity of personality, and names whose meanings were related to their function. A few of these gods were particularly influential in the interaction of the Israelites with the Canaanite peoples:

El: “the powerful one,” the head of the Canaanite pantheon. El was distant, living far away from Canaan “at the source of the two rivers” (a lingering memory of Eden, perhaps). He presided over a divine council of gods who were his children. In the Old Testament, El (pl. Elohim) is used to speak of God, though the Lord is not identical with the Canaanite deity.
Baal: “lord,” the great storm god and king of the gods. Baal acted as El’s prime minister and was functionally far more important than El. He was the giver of all fertility. When he died, all vegetation and procreation temporarily ceased. He was the god of justice, the terror of evildoers.
Dagon: “fish” or “grain,” sometimes referred to as the father of Baal. Dagon was the chief god of the Philistine city of Ashdod (1 Sam 5:1-7).
Ashtoreth, Anath, Asherah: the three main goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon, concerned mainly with sex and war. Their primary function was to have sexual relations with Baal on a continual yearly cycle, maintaining Baal’s virility and thus the fertility of the earth.

The Canaanites’ personification of the forces of nature accounted for the succession of the seasons. The dry period from April to the end of October represented the duration of Baal’s death after an unsuccessful battle each spring. Commencement of the autumn rains signaled Baal’s revival as the rain and vegetation god, continuing until the following April. The Canaanites believed that the land regained its fertility because of the annual mating of Baal and his female consort, and their own religious activities included imitation of their gods’ behavior.

The Canaanites thus worshiped things they felt would benefit them materially. If the gods and goddesses were pleased by the worship, the result would be a plentiful harvest. If a god became angry, animal or human sacrifice might appease the god (see 2 Kgs 3:26-27). Canaanite worship was therefore fundamentally based on fear and manipulation.

Contact among the many religions of the ancient Near East produced not only social tension but also religious borrowing. The Arameans and Philistines who settled in Canaan adopted the practices of the Canaanites; the Amorites similarly incorporated Sumerian religion when they moved into Mesopotamia.

Israel’s God, Yahweh, by contrast, demanded exclusive allegiance, and he insisted on worship based on faith rather than manipulative fear. Unfortunately, the Israelites failed to maintain their exclusive monotheism. They adopted pagan thinking and practices, worshiping the Canaanite gods in the Canaanite way, leading to the corruption of their culture and rousing God’s anger. As a result, God brought judgment upon his people, sending them into exile (see 2 Kgs 17:5-23; 24:18–25:21).

Passages for Further Study

1 Sam 5:1-12

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

וְ⁠רֹ֨אשׁ דָּג֜וֹן וּ⁠שְׁתֵּ֣י ׀ כַּפּ֣וֹת יָדָ֗י⁠ו כְּרֻתוֹת֙

and,head_of Dāgōn and,both_of palms_of hands_of,his cut_off

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [And it appeared that someone had cut off the head of Dagon and the two of the palms of his hands]

Note 2 topic: translate-symaction

וְ⁠רֹ֨אשׁ דָּג֜וֹן וּ⁠שְׁתֵּ֣י ׀ כַּפּ֣וֹת יָדָ֗י⁠ו כְּרֻתוֹת֙

and,head_of Dāgōn and,both_of palms_of hands_of,his cut_off

Cutting off the head and hands of Dagon was a symbolic action that indicated that this false god was not wise enough or strong enough to defend himself. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: [And the head of Dagon and the two of the palms of his hands were cut off, demonstrating how helpless he actually was]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicitinfo

וּ⁠שְׁתֵּ֣י ׀ כַּפּ֣וֹת יָדָ֗י⁠ו

and,both_of palms_of hands_of,his

The word that the ULT translates as hands could indicate someone’s entire lower arms, so the author is clarifying what specific part of them had been cut off. Your language may be able to refer to his part more simply, and so this expression may seem to contain extra information that would not be natural to express in your language. If so, you can shorten it. Alternate translation: [and his hands]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

אֶל־הַ⁠מִּפְתָּ֔ן

to/towards the,threshold

The author is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: [and they were lying on the threshold]

Note 5 topic: translate-symaction

אֶל־הַ⁠מִּפְתָּ֔ן

to/towards the,threshold

Leaving the head and hands of Dagon on the threshold, where people coming in and out of the temple would trample on them, was a symbolic action that expressed contempt for these symbols of Dagon’s supposed wisdom and power. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: [Someone had left them contemptuously on the threshold]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

רַ֥ק דָּג֖וֹן נִשְׁאַ֥ר עָלָֽי⁠ו

only Dāgōn left on/upon/above=him/it

The author assumes that his readers will understand that by Dagon, in this instance he means the part of the statute that looked like a fish. The name Dagon comes from the word for “fish.” Fish symbolized prosperity for the Philistines, who lived by the seacoast. Statues of Dagon had a human head and hands but the body of a fish. You could indicate this explicitly in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [the only thing left of the statute was the part that looked like a fish]

Parallel 1 SAM 5:4

Parallel 1 SAM 5:4