1 Samuel 5:4

When they arose early on the following morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before Yahweh’s ark; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso was intact.

World English Bible

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Other translations

WEBBE

When they arose early on the following morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the LORD’s ark; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso was intact.

BSB

But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD, with his head and his hands broken off and lying on the threshold. Only the torso remained.

KJV

And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

ASV

And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands [lay] cut off upon the threshold; only [the stump of] Dagon was left to him.

BBE

And when they got up early on the morning after, Dagon had come down to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord; and his head and his hands were broken off on the doorstep; only the base was in its place.

Original Hebrew

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וַיַּשְׁכִּמוּ vai·yash·ki·mu and they rose early H7925 בַבֹּקֶר va·bo·ker in the morning H1242 מִמָּחֳרָת mi·mo·cho·rat from [the] next day H4283 וְהִנֵּה ve·hi·neh and there H2009 דָגוֹן da·gon Dagon H1712 נֹפֵל no·fel [was] fallen H5307 לְפָנָיו le·fa·nav to face its H6440 אַרְצָה 'ar·tzah [the] ground towards H776 לִפְנֵי lif·nei (to) before H6440 אֲרוֹן 'a·ron [the] ark of H727 יְהוָה yah·weh Yahweh H3068 וְרֹאשׁ ve·rosh and [the] head of H7218 דָּגוֹן da·gon Dagon H1712 וּשְׁתֵּי u·she·tei and [the] two H8147 כַּפּוֹת ka·pot [the] palms of H3709 יָדָיו ya·dav hands its H3027 כְּרֻתוֹת ke·ru·tot were cut off H3772 אֶל־ 'el- to H413 הַמִּפְתָּן ha·mif·tan the threshold H4670 רַק rak only H7535 דָּגוֹן da·gon Dagon H1712 נִשְׁאַר nish·'ar it remained H7604 עָלָיו 'a·lav on it H5921

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 1–5

See the ark's triumph over Dagon. Thus the kingdom of Satan will certainly fall before the kingdom of Christ, error before truth, profaneness before godliness, and corruption before grace in the hearts of the faithful. When the interests of religion seem to be ready to sink, even then we may be confident that the day of their triumph will come. When Christ, the true Ark of the covenant, really enters the heart of fallen man, which is indeed Satan's temple, all idols will fall, every endeavour to set them up again will be vain, sin will be forsaken, and unrighteous gain restored; the Lord will claim and possess the throne. But pride, self-love, and worldly lusts, though dethroned and crucified, still remain within us, like the stump of Dagon. Let us watch and pray that they may not prevail. Let us seek to have them more entirely destroyed.

Read Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 5 →

Cross-references

People & places

Dagon

Topics

Idolatry

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.