וּפְלִשְׁתִּים לָקְחוּ אֵת אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים וַיְבִאֻהוּ מֵאֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר אַשְׁדּוֹדָה

The Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it from Even HaEzer, where they were encamped, to Ashdod, one of the large Philistine cities.

וַיִּקְחוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶת אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים וַיָּבִיאוּ אֹתוֹ בֵּית דָּגוֹן וַיַּצִּיגוּ אֹתוֹ אֵצֶל דָּגוֹן

The Philistines took the Ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon their idol, and set it near Dagon. By doing so, they attempted to treat the ark in a somewhat respectful manner, although they considered it a defeated power.

וַיַּשְׁכִּמוּ אַשְׁדּוֹדִים מִמָּחֳרָת וְהִנֵּה דָגוֹן נֹפֵל לְפָנָיו אַרְצָה לִפְנֵי אֲרוֹן ה' וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת דָּגוֹן וַיָּשִׁבוּ אֹתוֹ לִמְקוֹמוֹ

The Ashdodites arose early the next day, and behold, Dagon was fallen on its face to the ground, as though it were prostrating before the Ark of the Lord, and they took Dagon, and restored it erect to its place, under the assumption that this had occurred by accident.

וַיַּשְׁכִּמוּ בַבֹּקֶר מִמָּחֳרָת וְהִנֵּה דָגוֹן נֹפֵל לְפָנָיו אַרְצָה לִפְנֵי אֲרוֹן ה' רֹאשׁ דָּגוֹן וּשְׁתֵּי כַּפּוֹת יָדָיו כְּרֻתוֹת אֶל הַמִּפְתָּן רַק דָּגוֹן נִשְׁאַר עָלָיו

They arose early in the morning on the next day, and behold, Dagon was again fallen on its face to the ground before the Ark of the Lord, and this time, the head of Dagon and both of its hands were severed on the threshold; only the body of Dagon remained upon it. Some commentaries explain that Dagon’s body was in the form of a fish [dag], with a human head and hands or feet. When the head and palms of the idol’s hands were removed, only the form of the fish remained. Others explain that Dagon was a Canaanite god associated with grain [dagan] and that it did not have the appearance of a fish. Either way, the phrase “only Dagon remained upon it,” serves to stress that an idol has no need for sensory limbs or a head, which is why the verse still refers to the body as Dagon even without them.

עַל כֵּן לֹא יִדְרְכוּ כֹהֲנֵי דָגוֹן וְכָל הַבָּאִים בֵּית דָּגוֹן עַל מִפְתַּן דָּגוֹן בְּאַשְׁדּוֹד עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

Therefore, as the limbs of Dagon were found there, or due to the idol’s fall, the priests of Dagon and all those who come to the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

וַתִּכְבַּד יַד ה' אֶל הָאַשְׁדּוֹדִים וַיְשִׁמֵּם וַיַּךְ אֹתָם בַּטְּחֹרִים אֶת אַשְׁדּוֹד וְאֶת גְּבוּלֶיהָ

The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Ashdodites. God treated them harshly and in a very exacting manner, and He devastated them [vayeshimem]; alternatively, He terrified them, and smote them with hemorrhoids, Ashdod and its environs.

וַיִּרְאוּ אַנְשֵׁי אַשְׁדּוֹד כִּי כֵן וְאָמְרוּ לֹא יֵשֵׁב אֲרוֹן אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עִמָּנוּ כִּי קָשְׁתָה יָדוֹ עָלֵינוּ וְעַל דָּגוֹן אֱלֹהֵינוּ

The people of Ashdod saw that it, the situation, was so, and they said: The Ark of the God of Israel shall not remain with us, as His hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god.

וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ וַיַּאַסְפוּ אֶת כָּל סַרְנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים אֲלֵיהֶם וַיֹּאמְרוּ מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה לַאֲרוֹן אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמְרוּ גַּת יִסֹּב אֲרוֹן אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּסֵּבּוּ אֶת אֲרוֹן אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

They sent and gathered all the Philistine governors to them, and they said: What shall we do with the Ark of the God of Israel? They said: Let the Ark of the God of Israel be relocated to Gat, and they relocated the Ark of the God of Israel.

וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי הֵסַבּוּ אֹתוֹ וַתְּהִי יַד ה' בָּעִיר מְהוּמָה גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד; וַיַּךְ אֶת אַנְשֵׁי הָעִיר מִקָּטֹן וְעַד גָּדוֹל וַיִּשָּׂתְרוּ לָהֶם טְחֹרִים

It was after they relocated it to Gat; the hand of the Lord was against the city, and there was a very great panic, and He smote the people of the city, from small to great with various types of plagues, and hemorrhoids erupted [vayisateru] upon them. Some commentaries associate vayisateru with seter, hidden, as the hemorrhoids struck them in the concealed areas of the body.

וַיְשַׁלְּחוּ אֶת אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים עֶקְרוֹן וַיְהִי כְּבוֹא אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים עֶקְרוֹן וַיִּזְעֲקוּ הָעֶקְרֹנִים לֵאמֹר הֵסַבּוּ אֵלַי אֶת אֲרוֹן אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַהֲמִיתֵנִי וְאֶת עַמִּי

They, the inhabitants of Gat, sent the Ark of God to Ekron, another important Philistine city. It was with the arrival of the Ark of God in Ekron, the Ekronites cried out to their lords, saying: They have relocated the Ark of the God of Israel to me, to put me and my people to death, as this ark brings nothing but misfortune.

וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ וַיַּאַסְפוּ אֶת כָּל סַרְנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיֹּאמְרוּ שַׁלְּחוּ אֶת אֲרוֹן אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיָשֹׁב לִמְקֹמוֹ וְלֹא יָמִית אֹתִי וְאֶת עַמִּי כִּי הָיְתָה מְהוּמַת מָוֶת בְּכָל הָעִיר כָּבְדָה מְאֹד יַד הָאֱלֹהִים שָׁם

They, the inhabitants of Ekron, sent and gathered all the Philistine governors, and they said: Send forth the Ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its place, that it not put me and my people to death, for there was a panic of death, or a great confusion, in the entire city; the hand of God was very heavy there, in the form of the plagues that had struck the city.

וְהָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר לֹא מֵתוּ הֻכּוּ בַּטְּחֹרִים וַתַּעַל שַׁוְעַת הָעִיר הַשָּׁמָיִם

And the people who did not die were smitten with hemorrhoids, which meant that all of the residents of the city were beset with some type of affliction; and the plea of the city ascended heavenward.