And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, 'The ark of the God of Israel cannot stay with us, because his power is causing terrible trouble for us and for our god Dagon.'
The people of Ashdod realized that God's power was too strong and was bringing disaster to them and their false god, so they wanted to get rid of the ark.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of 1 Samuel, the Philistines had captured the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites during a battle and placed it in the temple of their god Dagon in the city of Ashdod. When they discovered Dagon repeatedly falling before the Ark and plagues breaking out among the people, they attributed these events to the power of Israel's God. This story underscores the Philistines' growing fear and recognition of Yahweh's supremacy over their idols.
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