Philistine captivity of the Ark
ThePhilistine captivity of the Arkwas an episode described in the biblical history of theIsraelites,in which theArk of the Covenantwas in the possession of thePhilistines,who had captured it after defeating the Israelites in a battle at a location betweenEben-ezer,where the Israelites encamped, andAphek(probablyAntipatris), where the Philistines encamped.
The ark narrative does not include any mention ofSamuel;Bill Arnold suggests that it is "in order to celebrate the power of Yahweh's ark."[1]Many scholars put1 Samuel 4- 6 together with 2 Samuel 6 and believe that it reflects an old source that was eventually incorporated into the History of David's Rise or into the laterDeuteronomistic History.[2]
According to1 Samuel4,prior to the battle the Ark had been residing at the ancient sanctuary ofShiloh,but was brought out by the Israelites in hope of victory in the war. The Israelites suffered a significant defeat;Hophni and Phinehas,sons of theHigh PriestEli,were killed and the ark was captured. The news of the ark's capture was such a shock to Eli that he fell off his chair and died, whilePhinehas' wifedied in childbirth as she heard the news, giving birth toIchabod,whose name means "Where is the glory?"Robert Alterargues that 1 Samuel 4:22 should be translated as "Glory isexiledfrom Israel, "and that the story of the Philistine captivity of the ark is one ofexile.[3]Peter Leithartsuggests that Israel deserved to go into exile, but the ark did so instead: "Yahweh went into exile, taking on the curse of the covenant for His people, and while in exile He fought for them and defeated the gods of Philistia."[4]
1 Samuel 5 and 6 describe the Philistines as having to move the Ark to several parts of their territory, as tumours orhemorrhoids( "emerods") afflicted the people in each town to which it was taken:Ashdod,thenGath,thenEkron.TheSeptuagintadds that "micesprang up in the midst of their country ". Other translations use the words" rats "or" rodents "and recent research suggests this may have been thebubonic plague.[5][6][7]Stirrup points out that the "severity of the punishments increases through the passage": tumours in Ashdod (vv. 6–8), extensive tumours and panic in Gath, which had volunteered to take on the Ark (vv. 9,10a), and tumours on those who did not die and deathly panic in Ekron, which was 'volunteered' to take the Ark (vv. 10b-12).[8]The text explicitly ascribes the plague to "Yahweh's hand "(1 Samuel 5:6).
In Ashdod, when the Ark was placed in the temple ofDagon,the statue of Dagon was foundprostratein front of the Ark the next morning; after the statue of Dagon was restored to its place, it was again found prostrate the next morning, and this time its head and hands had also been broken off.
Leithart provides a number of parallels between the Philistine captivity of the Ark and thePlagues of Egyptin theBook of Exodus.The ark brings about plagues, humbles the gods of the Philistines and returns full of treasure.[9]In fact, the Philistine diviners refer to the events of theExodusin 1 Samuel 6:6. On the advice of thesedivinersabout how to end the plagues, the Philistines made a guilt offering of five goldentumorsand five goldmice(representing the five Philistine rulers). They then placed the gold along with the ark on a cart drawn by twomilch cows,who head straight for Israel and do not waver. The ark stops atBeth Shemeshbefore finding a more permanent home atKiriath-Jearim.
References
[edit]- ^Bill T. Arnold, "Samuel, Books of" in Bill T. Arnold andHugh G. M. Williamson(eds.),Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books(InterVarsity Press, 2005), 867.
- ^K. L. Sparks, "Ark of the Covenant" in Bill T. Arnold and H. G. M. Williamson (eds.),Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books(InterVarsity Press, 2005), 91.
- ^Robert Alter,The David Story(New York: W. W. Norton, 2000), 26.
- ^Peter Leithart,A Son to Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel(Moscow, Idaho:Canon Press,2003), 56.
- ^Asensi, Victor; Fierer, Joshua (January 2018)."Of Rats and Men: Poussin's Plague at Ashdod".Emerging Infectious Diseases.24(1): 186–187.doi:10.3201/eid2401.AC2401.ISSN1080-6040.PMC5749463.
- ^Freemon, Frank R (September 2005)."Bubonic plague in the Book of Samuel".Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.98(9): 436.doi:10.1177/014107680509800923.ISSN0141-0768.PMC1199652.PMID16140864.
- ^1 Samuel 5:6 (Brenton Septuagint Translation)
- ^A. Stirrup, "'Why has Yahweh defeated us today before the Philistines?' The question of the ark narrativeArchived2011-07-06 at theWayback Machine,"Tyndale Bulletin,51 [2000], 94.
- ^Peter Leithart,A Son to Me,57.