And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.

1 SAMUEL 5:9KJV
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1 Samuel 5:9 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 5:9 mean?

1 Samuel 5:9 describes how, after the Philistines moved the Ark of the Covenant to another city, God’s power brought a severe disaster upon that city. The men of the city, both young and old, were struck with painful “emerods” (likely tumors or swellings) in their private parts as a sign of God’s judgment.

This verse is set during the time when the Philistines had captured the Ark from Israel and were moving it from place to place. The verse shows that wherever the Ark went, God’s presence brought trouble to the Philistine cities, making it clear that the Ark was not a powerless object but a sign of God’s active involvement. The suffering affected everyone in the city, showing the seriousness of the situation and the power of the God of Israel.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 5:9

  • “Hand” (יָד, yad): This word often represents power or action. Here, “the hand of the LORD” (יְהוָה, YHWH) means God’s direct intervention against the city, not just a general misfortune.
  • “Destruction” (מְהוּמָה, mehūmah): This word can mean panic, confusion, or disaster. The verse emphasizes that what happened was not just sickness but a widespread, overwhelming calamity.
  • “Emerods” (טְחֹרִים, teḥorim): This word refers to painful swellings or tumors, often understood as hemorrhoids or similar afflictions. The detail that these were “in their secret parts” (מִסְתָּרִים, mistarim) highlights the humiliating and distressing nature of the plague.

Why 1 Samuel 5:9 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the Ark was not a trophy for the Philistines but a source of trouble when taken from its rightful place, showing God’s sovereignty.
  • The use of “both small and great” stresses that no one was exempt from the judgment, underlining the seriousness of the offense.
  • The verse connects to the larger story, where each Philistine city that received the Ark suffered, leading to the eventual return of the Ark to Israel. This demonstrates the futility of trying to control or misuse what is holy.

Where else these words appear

“emerods” Hebrew H2914 · used in 8 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:27 The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
  • 1 Samuel 5:12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
  • 1 Samuel 6:5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

“emerods” Hebrew H6076 · used in 9 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:27 The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
  • 1 Samuel 5:12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
  • 2 Kings 5:24 And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.

“destruction” Hebrew H4103 · used in 12 verses

  • Deuteronomy 7:23 But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.
  • 1 Samuel 14:20 And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
  • Ezekiel 7:7 The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains.

“small” Hebrew H6996 · used in 100 verses

  • Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
  • 1 Samuel 16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:30 And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.