1 Samuel 5 · Verse 8

1 Samuel 5:8

They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.
1 Samuel 5:8, King James Version

1 Samuel 5:8 in other translations

BSBSo they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” “It must be moved to Gath,” they replied. So they carried away the ark of the God of Israel.
WEBThey sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried over to Gath.” They carried the ark of the God of Israel there.
ASVThey sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel thither.
YLTAnd they send and gather all the princes of the Philistines unto them, and say, ‘What do we do to the ark of the God of Israel?' and they say, ‘To Gath let the ark of the God of Israel be brought round;' and they bring round the ark of the God of Israel;
DARBYAnd they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they said, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about to Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.
BBESo they sent for all the lords of the Philistines to come together there, and said, What are we to do with the ark of the God of Israel? And their answer was, Let the ark of the God of Israel be taken away to Gath. So they took the ark of the God of Israel away.
WebsterThey sent therefore, and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about to Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel thither.

What does 1 Samuel 5:8 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 8 The lords of the Philistines - The word סרני sarney, which we translate lords, is rendered by the Chaldee טורני tureney, tyrants. The Syriac is the same. By the Vulgate and Septuagint, satrapae, satraps. Palestine was divided into five satrapies: Ashdod, Ekron, Askelon, Gath, and Gaza. See Jos 13:8. But these were all federates and acted under one general government, for which they assembled in council. Let the ark - be carried about - They probably thought that their affliction rose from some natural cause; and therefore they wished the ark to be carried about from place to place, to see what the effects might be. If they found the same evil produced wherever it came, then they must conclude that it was a judgment from the God of Israel.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 5:6-12

The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Philistines; he not only convinced them of their folly, but severely chastised their insolence. Yet they would not renounce Dagon; and instead of seeking God's mercy, they desired to get clear of his ark. Carnal hearts, when they smart under the judgments of God, would rather, if it were possible, put him far from them, than enter into covenant or communion with him, and seek…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 5:6-12 →

1 Samuel 5:8 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיִּשְׁלְח֡וּvai.yish.le.Chuand they sentH7971
וַיַּאַסְפוּ֩vai.ya.'as.Fuand they gatheredH622
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
סַרְנֵ֨יsar.Nei[the] rulers ofH5633
פְלִשְׁתִּ֜יםfe.lish.Tim[the] PhilistinesH6430
אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם'a.lei.Hemto themH413
וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙vai.yo.me.Ruand they saidH559
מַֽה\־mah-what?H4100
נַּעֲשֶׂ֗הna.'a.Sehwill we doH6213
לַֽאֲרוֹן֙la.'a.rOnto [the] ark ofH727
אֱלֹהֵ֣י'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּvai.Yo.me.Ruand they saidH559
גַּ֣תgatGathH1661
יִסֹּ֔בyi.Solet it go roundH5437
אֲר֖וֹן'a.Ron[the] ark ofH727
אֱלֹהֵ֣י'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
וַיַּסֵּ֕בּוּvai.yas.Se.buand they brought roundH5437
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
אֲר֖וֹן'a.Ron[the] ark ofH727
אֱלֹהֵ֥י'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל\׃\ \סYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 5:8

  • 1 Samuel 5:11

    So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

  • Zechariah 12:3

    And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

  • Amos 6:2

    Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

  • 1 Samuel 17:4

    And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
What shall.
Zec 12:3
Gath.
17:4; Am 6:2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 5:7

    And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

  • 1 Samuel 5:8

    They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.

  • 1 Samuel 5:9

    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.

Read all of 1 Samuel 5

1 Samuel 5:8 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Enviaron pues á juntar á sí todos los príncipes de los Filisteos, y dijeron: ¿Qué haremos del arca del Dios de Israel? Y ellos respondieron: Pásese el arca del Dios de Israel á Gath. Y pasaron allá el arca del Dios de Israel.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et ils envoyèrent, et assemblèrent auprès d’eux tous les princes des Philistins, et dirent: Que ferons-nous de l’arche du dieu d’Israël? Et ils dirent: Qu’on dirige l’arche du dieu d’Israël vers Gath. Et ils y dirigèrent l’arche du Dieu d’Israël.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und sie sandten hin und versammelten alle Fürsten der Philister zu sich und sprachen: Was sollen wir mit der Lade des Gottes Israels tun? Und sie sprachen: Man schaffe die Lade des Gottes Israels nach Gath. Und sie schafften die Lade des Gottes Israels hin.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et mittentes congregaverunt omnes satrapas Philisthinorum ad se, et dixerunt: Quid faciemus de arca Dei Israël? Responderuntque Gethæi: Circumducatur arca Dei Israël. Et circumduxerunt arcam Dei Israël.