Bible Strands
1 Samuel 5:10
So they sent the ark of God to Ekron, but as it arrived, the Ekronites cried out, “They have brought us the ark of the God of Israel in order to kill us and our people!”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator reports the Philistines transferring the ark to Ekron, after which the Ekronite population reacts upon its arrival. The people cry out among themselves and to their rulers, fearing the ark's presence will bring death.
The words — וַֽיְשַׁלְּח֛וּ (wa-yə-šal-lə-ḥū) means "and they sent," marking the decisive transfer of the object. אֲר֥וֹן הָ/אֱלֹהִ֖ים ('a-rōn hā-ʾĕ-lō-hîm) literally reads "the ark of the God," identifying the specific object of the Philistines' failed strategy.
The thread — Ekron appears elsewhere as a Philistine city targeted by divine judgment in Amos 1:8 and allotted to Judah in Joshua 15:45. Its inclusion in Judges 1:18 as captured by Judah further establishes its role in Israel's territorial conflicts.
Why it lands — The text records the Ekronites' explicit fear that the ark's arrival will kill them and their people. It demands recognition that human relocation of sacred objects cannot neutralize divine presence or its consequences.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.
Cross-references
- Amos 1:8 I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod and the one who wields the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says the Lord GOD.
- Joshua 15:45 Ekron, with its towns and villages;
- Judges 1:18 And Judah also captured Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron—each with its territory.
- 2 Kings 1:2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers and instructed them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.”