1 Samuel 5:4
New International Version
But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained.

New Living Translation
But the next morning the same thing happened—Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the LORD again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of his body was left intact.

English Standard Version
But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it.

New American Standard Bible
But when they got up early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the torso of Dagon was left.

NASB 1995
But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on 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 on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

NASB 1977
But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on 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 on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

Legacy Standard Bible
But they arose early the next morning, and behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

Amplified Bible
But when they got up early the next morning, behold, Dagon had [again] fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and his head and both palms of his hands were [lying] cut off on the threshold; only the trunk [portion] of [the idol of] Dagon was left on him.

Christian Standard Bible
But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. This time, Dagon’s head and both of his hands were broken off and lying on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso remained.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. This time, both Dagon’s head and the palms of his hands were broken off and lying on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso remained.

American Standard Version
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.

Contemporary English Version
But early the next morning, it had fallen over again and was lying facedown on the floor in front of the chest. The body of the statue was still in one piece, but its head and both hands had broken off and were lying on the stone floor in the doorway.

English Revised Version
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 lay cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But the next morning they saw that Dagon had [again] fallen forward on the ground in front of the LORD's ark. Dagon's head and his two hands were cut off [and were lying] on the temple's threshold. The rest of Dagon's body was intact.

Good News Translation
Early the following morning they saw that the statue had again fallen down in front of the Covenant Box. This time its head and both its arms were broken off and were lying in the doorway; only the body was left. (

International Standard Version
But when they got up the next morning, there was Dagon, lying on the ground again in front of the Ark of the LORD. Dagon's head and both of his arms were broken off and lying on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left intact.

Majority Standard Bible
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.

NET Bible
But when they got up early the following day, Dagon was again lying on the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and his two hands were sheared off and were lying at the threshold. Only Dagon's body was left intact.

New Heart English Bible
And it came about when they arose early the next morning, look, Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso was intact.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon had 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 threshhold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

World English Bible
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.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they rise early in the morning on the next day, and behold, Dagon is fallen on its face to the earth, before the Ark of YHWH, and the head of Dagon, and the two palms of its hands are cut off at the threshold, only Dagon’s [body] has been left of him;

Young's Literal Translation
And they rise early in the morning on the morrow, and lo, Dagon is fallen on its face to the earth, before the ark of Jehovah, and the head of Dagon, and the two palms of its hands are cut off at the threshold, only the fishy part hath been left to him;

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will rise early in the morning, and behold, Dagon fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah: and the head of Dagon, and the two palms of his hands cut off upon the threshold; only Dagon was left upon him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the next day again, when they rose in the morning, they found Dagon lying upon his face on the earth before the ark of the Lord: and the head of Dagon, and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And again, on the next day, rising up in the morning, they found Dagon lying on his face upon the ground, before the ark of the Lord. But the head of Dagon, and both palms of his hands had been cut off upon the threshold.

New American Bible
But early the next morning, when they arose, Dagon lay face down on the ground before the ark of the LORD, his head and hands broken off and lying on the threshold, his trunk alone intact.

New Revised Standard Version
But when they rose early on the next morning, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off upon the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they arose at dawn the next day, and behold, Dagun was cast on his face on the ground before the Ark of LORD JEHOVAH, and the head of Dagun and both palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold of the door, and the body of Dagun remained
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
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 lay cut off upon the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And it came to pass when they rose early in the morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off each before the threshold, and both the wrists of his hands had fallen on the floor of the porch; only the stump of Dagon was left.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Ark Afflicts the Philistines
3When 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. 4But 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. 5That is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the threshold.…

Cross References
Isaiah 46:1-2
Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal. / The gods cower; they crouch together, unable to relieve the burden; but they themselves go into captivity.

Jeremiah 50:2
“Announce and declare to the nations; lift up a banner and proclaim it; hold nothing back when you say, ‘Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in pieces.’

Jeremiah 51:44
I will punish Bel in Babylon. I will make him spew out what he swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him; even the wall of Babylon will fall.

Judges 16:23-24
Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.” / And when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy who destroyed our land and multiplied our dead.”

1 Kings 18:26-29
And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made. / At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!” / So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them. ...

2 Kings 19:37
One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.

Isaiah 37:38
One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.

Daniel 5:1-4
Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. / Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king could drink from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. / Thus they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king drank from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. ...

Daniel 5:23
Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you drank wine from them with your nobles, wives, and concubines, you praised your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you have failed to glorify the God who holds in His hand your very breath and all your ways.

Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; ...

Psalm 135:15-18
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. ...

Isaiah 44:9-20
All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. / Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing? / Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are only human. Let them all assemble and take their stand; they will all be brought to terror and shame. ...

Isaiah 45:20
Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save.

Acts 17:29
Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.

Romans 1:23
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.


Treasury of Scripture

And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen on 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 on the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

the head

Isaiah 2:18,19
And the idols he shall utterly abolish…

Isaiah 27:9
By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.

Jeremiah 10:11
Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.

1 Samuel 5:4
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.

the stump.

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1 Samuel 5
1. The Philistines having brought the ark into Ashdod, set it in the house Dagon
3. Dagon is smitten down and cut and cut in pieces,
5. and they of Ashdod smitten with tumors
8. So God deals with them of Gath, when it was brought thither
10. and so with them of Ekron, when it was brought thither














But when they got up early the next morning
This phrase sets the scene for a new day, emphasizing the continuity of God's actions and the unfolding of His divine plan. The Philistines, having captured the Ark of the Covenant, are about to witness a powerful demonstration of God's supremacy. The early morning signifies a fresh revelation, a new opportunity for the Philistines to recognize the power of the God of Israel.

there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground
Dagon, the chief deity of the Philistines, is depicted here in a posture of submission and defeat. The Hebrew root for "fallen" (נָפַל, naphal) conveys a sense of being overthrown or cast down. This imagery is significant as it symbolizes the impotence of false gods before the true God. Historically, Dagon was associated with fertility and grain, yet here he is powerless, emphasizing the futility of idol worship.

before the ark of the LORD
The Ark of the Covenant represents the presence and power of Yahweh, the God of Israel. Its presence in the temple of Dagon serves as a stark contrast between the living God and lifeless idols. The phrase underscores the theme of divine sovereignty, as the ark's presence alone causes the downfall of Dagon, illustrating that no other power can stand before the Lord.

with his head and hands broken off
The breaking of Dagon's head and hands is symbolic of total defeat and humiliation. In ancient Near Eastern culture, the head represented wisdom and authority, while hands symbolized power and action. The Hebrew word for "broken" (כָּרַת, karath) implies a cutting off or severing, indicating a decisive and irreversible act by God. This act serves as a divine judgment against idolatry and a demonstration of God's unmatched power.

and lying on the threshold
The threshold of a temple was considered a sacred boundary. The fact that Dagon's head and hands are found there signifies a desecration of the Philistine temple and a clear message that their god has been rendered powerless. This detail highlights the futility of trusting in idols and the need to recognize the true God who transcends all human and divine boundaries.

Only Dagon’s body remained
This phrase emphasizes the completeness of Dagon's defeat. The Hebrew word for "body" (גְּוִיָּה, geviyah) refers to a lifeless corpse, underscoring the idea that Dagon is nothing more than a powerless idol. The narrative invites readers to reflect on the emptiness of idolatry and the need to turn to the living God, who alone is worthy of worship and reverence.

(4) When they arose early on the morrow.--Strange to say, on the next day a new and startling circumstance aroused and disturbed the exultant Philistines. The idol was again fallen, but this time broken. No mere accident could account for what had happened. The head and hands were severed from the image, and thrown contemptuously on the threshold of the temple, upon which the foot of every priest or worshipper as he passed into the sacred house must tread.

Only the stump of Dagon.--The Hebrew, rendered literally, would run, only Dagon was left to him: that is to say, only "the fish," the least noble part of the idol image, was left standing; the human head and hands were tossed down for men as they passed in to trample on; "only the form of a fish was left in him."--R. D. Kimchi.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But when they got up early
וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣מוּ (way·yaš·ki·mū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7925: To load up, to start early in the morning

the next
מִֽמָּחֳרָת֒ (mim·mā·ḥo·rāṯ)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4283: The morrow, tomorrow

morning,
בַבֹּקֶר֮ (ḇab·bō·qer)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1242: Dawn, morning

there
וְהִנֵּ֣ה (wə·hin·nêh)
Conjunctive waw | Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

was Dagon,
דָג֗וֹן (ḏā·ḡō·wn)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1712: Dagon -- a god and an idol of the Philistines

fallen
נֹפֵ֤ל (nō·p̄êl)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

on his face
לְפָנָיו֙ (lə·p̄ā·nāw)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face

before
לִפְנֵ֖י (lip̄·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

the ark
אֲר֣וֹן (’ă·rō·wn)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 727: A chest, ark

of the LORD,
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

with his head
וְרֹ֨אשׁ (wə·rōš)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7218: The head

[and]
כַּפּ֣וֹת (kap·pō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 3709: Hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot), a pan

his hands
יָדָ֗יו (yā·ḏāw)
Noun - fdc | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

broken off
כְּרֻתוֹת֙ (kə·ru·ṯō·wṯ)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine plural
Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant

and lying on
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the threshold.
הַמִּפְתָּ֔ן (ham·mip̄·tān)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4670: A stretcher, a sill

Only
רַ֥ק (raq)
Adverb
Strong's 7535: But, even, except, howbeit howsoever, at the least, nevertheless

[the torso]
דָּג֖וֹן (dā·ḡō·wn)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1712: Dagon -- a god and an idol of the Philistines

remained.
נִשְׁאַ֥ר (niš·’ar)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7604: To swell up, be, redundant


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OT History: 1 Samuel 5:4 When they arose early on the next (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 5:3
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