Chapter 5

1Now, the Philistines had taken the Ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.   אוּפְלִשְׁתִּים֙ לָֽקְח֔וּ אֵ֖ת אֲר֣וֹן הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיְבִאֻ֛הוּ מֵאֶ֥בֶן הָעֵ֖זֶר אַשְׁדּֽוֹדָה:
2And the Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon, and set it up beside Dagon.   בוַיִּקְח֚וּ פְלִשְׁתִּים֙ אֶת־אֲר֣וֹן הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וַיָּבִ֥אוּ אֹת֖וֹ בֵּ֣ית דָּג֑וֹן וַיַּצִּ֥יגוּ אֹת֖וֹ אֵ֥צֶל דָּגֽוֹן:
the house of Dagon: An idol made in the likeness of a fish.   אצל דגון: דמות עשוי כדמות דג:
3And the Ashdodites arose early on the morrow, and behold, Dagon was falling face downward to the ground before the Ark of the Lord, and they returned him to his place.   גוַיַּשְׁכִּ֚מוּ אַשְׁדּוֹדִים֙ מִֽמָּחֳרָ֔ת וְהִנֵּ֣ה דָג֗וֹן נֹפֵ֚ל לְפָנָיו֙ אַ֔רְצָה לִפְנֵ֖י אֲר֣וֹן יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיִּקְחוּ֙ אֶת־דָּג֔וֹן וַיָּשִׁ֥בוּ אֹת֖וֹ לִמְקוֹמֽוֹ:
4And they arose early the next morning, and behold, Dagon was falling face downward to the ground, before the Ark of the Lord, and Dagon's head and the two palms of his hands were cut off, (and lying) on the threshold; only Dagon('s trunk) alone remained upon him.   דוַיַּשְׁכִּ֣מוּ בַבֹּקֶר֘ מִֽמָּחֳרָת֒ וְהִנֵּ֣ה דָג֗וֹן נֹפֵ֚ל לְפָנָיו֙ אַ֔רְצָה לִפְנֵ֖י אֲר֣וֹן יְהֹוָ֑ה וְרֹ֨אשׁ דָּג֜וֹן וּשְׁתֵּ֣י | כַּפּ֣וֹת יָדָ֗יו כְּרֻתוֹת֙ אֶל־הַמִּפְתָּ֔ן רַ֥ק דָּג֖וֹן נִשְׁאַ֥ר עָלָֽיו:
the threshold: (Heb. ‘ha miftan,’) equivalent to the Mishnaic ‘askupah.’   המפתן: אסקופה:
5Therefore, the priests of Dagon and all those who come to the house of Dagon, do not tread upon the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod until this day.   העַל־כֵּ֡ן לֹֽא־יִדְרְכוּ֩ כֹהֲנֵ֨י דָג֜וֹן וְכָֽל־הַבָּאִ֧ים בֵּית־דָּג֛וֹן עַל־מִפְתַּ֥ן דָּג֖וֹן בְּאַשְׁדּ֑וֹד עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה:
6And the hand of the Lord became heavy upon the Ashdodites, and He ravaged them, and He smote them with hemorrhoids, Ashdod and its borders.   ווַתִּכְבַּ֧ד יַד־יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶל־הָאַשְׁדּוֹדִ֖ים וַיְשִׁמֵּ֑ם וַיַּ֚ךְ אֹתָם֙ בַּטְּחֹרִ֔ים (כתיב בַּעְפֹלִ֔ים) אֶת־אַשְׁדּ֖וֹד וְאֶת־גְּבוּלֶֽיהָ:
and He ravaged them: (Heb. ‘va’y’shimmem,’) an expression of desolation (‘sh’mamah’).   וישמם: לשון שממה:
with hemorrhoids: (‘t’chorim’ refers to) the mesentery of the large intestine; (i.e., He smote them with) a plague of the rectum. Mice would enter their recta, disembowel them, and crawl out.   בטחורים: חלחולת, כרכשא, מכת הנקב, עכברים נכנסין בנקביהם ושומטין בני מעיהם, ויוצאין:
7And the people of Ashdod saw that it was so, and they said, "Let not the Ark of the God of Israel dwell with us, for His hand is severe upon us and upon Dagon, our god.   זוַיִּרְא֥וּ אַנְשֵֽׁי־אַשְׁדּ֖וֹד כִּֽי־כֵ֑ן וְאָמְר֗וּ לֹֽא־יֵשֵׁ֞ב אֲר֨וֹן אֱלֹהֵ֚י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ עִמָּ֔נוּ כִּֽי־קָשְׁתָ֚ה יָדוֹ֙ עָלֵ֔ינוּ וְעַ֖ל דָּג֥וֹן אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ:
8And they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and they said, "What shall we do to the Ark of the God of Israel?" And they said, "Let the Ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath," and (thereupon), they brought the Ark of the God of Israel around to Gath.   חוַיִּשְׁלְח֡וּ וַיַּאַסְפוּ֩ אֶת־כָּל־סַרְנֵ֨י פְלִשְׁתִּ֜ים אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ מַֽה־נַּעֲשֶֹ֗ה לַֽאֲרוֹן֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ גַּ֣ת יִסֹּ֔ב אֲר֖וֹן אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיַּסֵּ֕בּוּ אֶת־אֲר֖וֹן אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
9And it was, after they had brought it around, that the hand of the Lord was upon the city (with) a great panic, and He smote the people of the city, both young and old, and hemorrhoids broke out in their hidden parts.   טוַיְהִ֞י אַחֲרֵ֣י | הֵסַ֣בּוּ אֹת֗וֹ וַתְּהִ֨י יַד־יְהֹוָ֚ה | בָּעִיר֙ מְהוּמָה֙ גְּדוֹלָ֣ה מְאֹ֔ד וַיַּךְ֙ אֶת־אַנְשֵׁ֣י הָעִ֔יר מִקָּטֹ֖ן וְעַד־גָּד֑וֹל וַיִּשָּׂתְר֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם טְחֹרִֽים (כתיב עְפֹלִֽים) :
hidden: (Heb. ‘vayisath’ru,’ spelled with a ‘sien,’) identical with ‘vayisath’ru’ (spelled with a ‘samech,’) for it is listed in the Masora, among those words written with a ‘sien,’ and explained as though written with a ‘samech.’ I.e., there was a plague in the hidden parts of the body.   וישתרו: כמו ויסתרו, שהרי הוא במסורת כתובים שי"ן, ומפורשים בלשון סמ"ך, מכת בית הסתרים:
10And they sent away the Ark of God to Ekron, and it was that when the Ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought around the Ark of the God of Israel to me to kill me and my people.   יוַֽיְשַׁלְּח֛וּ אֶת־אֲר֥וֹן הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים עֶקְר֑וֹן וַיְהִ֗י כְּב֨וֹא אֲר֚וֹן הָאֱלֹהִים֙ עֶקְר֔וֹן וַיִּזְעֲק֨וּ הָֽעֶקְרֹנִ֜ים לֵאמֹ֗ר הֵסַ֚בּוּ אֵלַי֙ אֶת־אֲרוֹן֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לַהֲמִיתֵ֖נִי וְאֶת־עַמִּֽי:
11And they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines, and they said, "Send away the Ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its place, so that it will not kill me and my people," for there was a panic of death in the entire city; the hand of God was very heavy there.   יאוַיִּשְׁלְח֨וּ וַיַּאַסְפ֜וּ אֶת־כָּל־סַרְנֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ שַׁלְּח֞וּ אֶת־אֲר֨וֹן אֱלֹהֵ֚י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְיָשֹׁ֣ב לִמְקוֹמ֔וֹ וְלֹֽא־יָמִ֥ית אֹתִ֖י וְאֶת־עַמִּ֑י כִּֽי־הָיְתָ֚ה מְהֽוּמַת־מָ֙וֶת֙ בְּכָל־הָעִ֔יר כָּבְדָ֥ה מְאֹ֛ד יַ֥ד הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים שָֽׁם:
a panic of death: All panics (mentioned in the Scriptures) are caused by thunder; the following is the origin thereof: “And the Lord thundered with a mighty voice on that day upon the Philistines, and He threw them into confusion” (infra 7:10). This is explained in the Aggadah of Thirty two Rules of Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Rabbi Jose the Galilean (not found in our edition).   מהומת מות: כל מהומות על ידי רעם, וזה אביהן, (לקמן ז י): וירעם ה' בקול גדול (ביום ההוא) על פלשתים ויהומם, כך מפורש באגדת 'שלשים ושתים מדות' דרבי אליעזר בנו של רבי יוסי הגלילי:
12And the people who did not die, were smitten with hemorrhoids, and the cry of the city ascended to heaven.   יבוְהָֽאֲנָשִׁים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־מֵ֔תוּ הֻכּ֖וּ בַּטְּחֹרִ֑ים (כתיב בַּעְפֹלִ֑ים) וַתַּ֛עַל שַֽׁוְעַ֥ת הָעִ֖יר הַשָּׁמָֽיִם: