So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.
So they called together all the Philistine rulers and said, 'Send the ark of the God of Israel back to where it belongs, so it won't kill us and our people. There has been deadly destruction throughout our whole city, and God's judgment has been crushing us.'
The Philistine leaders desperately wanted to get rid of Israel's ark because God was bringing severe punishment and death to their city.
📚 Historical Context
The Philistines had captured the ark of the covenant from Israel in battle and brought it to their cities as a war trophy. However, God demonstrated His power by bringing plagues and destruction wherever the ark was taken among the Philistines. This verse shows the climax of their fear after experiencing God's judgment in multiple cities.
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