Bible Strands
1 Samuel 5:3
When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative places the Ashdodites at dawn on the morning after they placed the captured ark in Dagon’s temple. They discover the idol’s position and react by physically resetting it.
The words — נֹפֵל (no.Fel) literally means “fallen,” describing Dagon’s posture on the ground before the ark. The verb וַ/יַּשְׁכִּ֤מוּ (va/i.yash.Ki.mu) denotes the people rising early to inspect the scene.
The thread — This motif of idols collapsing before Yahweh appears in Isaiah 19:1 and Isaiah 46:1, while Isaiah 46:7 contrasts them with man-made images that cannot move from their place.
Why it lands — It demands recognition that human efforts to control or house the divine are futile against sovereign power. Readers must confront the reality that false gods cannot withstand the presence of the true God.
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
And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 19:1 This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them.
- Isaiah 46:1 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal.
- Isaiah 46:7 They lift it to their shoulder and carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; it saves no one from his troubles.
- Mark 3:11 And when the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!”
- Zephaniah 2:11 The LORD will be terrifying to them when He starves all the gods of the earth. Then the nations of every shore will bow in worship to Him, each in its own place.
- Luke 10:18 So He told them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
- Exodus 12:12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.
- Psalms 97:7 All worshipers of images are put to shame—those who boast in idols. Worship Him, all you gods!
- Isaiah 40:20 One lacking such an offering chooses wood that will not rot. He seeks a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.
- Isaiah 41:7 The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who wields the hammer cheers him who strikes the anvil, saying of the welding, “It is good.” He nails it down so it will not be toppled.