1 Samuel 5 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
1 Samuel 5
The living God before powerless images
Editorial Christian thematic comparison: Paul contrasts idols with the one God and one Lord Jesus Christ [NT4, 1 Corinthians 8:4–6]. He does not there quote this narrative.
5:1–5 | Dagon falls before the ark
Verse MT 5:1 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:1
The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:1
The foreigners took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Greek allophyloi, “foreigners,” names the Philistines in this narrative. Ashdod represents the securely corresponding Greek Azōtos.
Verse MT 5:2 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:2
The Philistines took the ark of God, brought it into Dagon’s house, and set it beside Dagon.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:2
The foreigners took the ark of the Lord, brought it into Dagon’s house, and placed it beside Dagon.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew has “God”; Greek has “Lord.” The house is Dagon’s sanctuary.
Verse MT 5:3 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:3
When the Ashdodites rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen face down on the ground before the ark of YHWH. They took Dagon and returned him to his place.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:3
The Ashdodites rose early, entered Dagon’s house, and looked: there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of God. They raised Dagon and restored him to his place. The Lord’s hand became heavy upon the Ashdodites. He tormented them and struck them on their buttocks—Ashdod and its territory.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Text: Greek includes entry into the sanctuary and an affliction report before the second fall. Hebrew places its affliction report at 5:6. Greek hedrai here denotes the bodily “seats”; the English makes the anatomical sense explicit.
Verse MT 5:4 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:4
They rose early the following morning, and there was Dagon, fallen face down on the ground before the ark of YHWH. Dagon’s head and both palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold. Only Dagon was left upon it.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:4
When they rose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the Lord’s covenant. Dagon’s head and both soles of his hands were severed, each upon the front parts of amapheth; both wrists of his hands had fallen at the doorway. Only Dagon’s back remained.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Text: Hebrew’s “only Dagon” is difficult and commonly understood as his remaining body; the supplied idea “trunk” is kept out of the text. Greek adds wrists and explicitly names the back. “Soles of his hands” preserves an unusual Greek expression; amapheth is an untranslated form corresponding to Hebrew “threshold” [N]. Details remain provisional.
Verse MT 5:5 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:5
That is why Dagon’s priests and everyone entering Dagon’s house do not tread on Dagon’s threshold in Ashdod to this day.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:5
That is why Dagon’s priests and everyone entering Dagon’s house do not step on the step of Dagon’s house in Ashdod to this day: they always step over it.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Greek adds an emphatic explanation, literally “stepping over, they step over.” Hebrew specifies the threshold; Greek uses “step.”
5:6–12 | Affliction and the cities’ appeal
Verse MT 5:6 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:6
YHWH’s hand became heavy upon the Ashdodites. He devastated them and struck them with swellings—Ashdod and its territory.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:6
The Lord’s hand became heavy upon Ashdod. He brought affliction upon them, and it broke out upon them into the ships. Mice sprang up in the middle of its territory, and there was great deadly turmoil in the city.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Text: Hebrew names swellings. Greek has the difficult phrase “into the ships,” then mice and deadly turmoil; these are not corrected from Hebrew. “Affliction” supplies the unexpressed object of “brought upon.” The Greek syntax remains provisional; [N] confirms that ships is the displayed reading, not a modern geographical inference.
Verse MT 5:7 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:7
When Ashdod’s men saw that it was so, they said, “The ark of Israel’s God must not stay with us, for His hand is harsh upon us and upon Dagon our god.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:7
When Ashdod’s men saw that it was so, they said, “The ark of Israel’s God must not stay with us, for His hand is harsh upon us and upon Dagon our god.”
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: The complaint and its two affected parties agree.
Verse MT 5:8 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:8
They sent and gathered all the Philistine rulers to them. They said, “What shall we do with the ark of Israel’s God?” They said, “Let the ark of Israel’s God be moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of Israel’s God.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:8
They sent and gathered the foreigners’ satraps to them. They said, “What shall we do with the ark of Israel’s God?” The Gathites said, “Let the ark of God come over to us.” So the ark of God came over to Gath.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Greek identifies the Gathites as the speakers inviting the ark. Hebrew leaves the speakers unnamed and repeats the full title. Greek satrapai is retained as “satraps,” without imposing the later Persian administrative system on the story.
Verse MT 5:9 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:9
After they moved it, YHWH’s hand was against the city, causing exceedingly great panic. He struck the city’s men, small and great, and swellings broke out upon them.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:9
After it came over, the Lord’s hand was in the city, with exceedingly great turmoil. He struck the city’s men, small and great, and struck them on their buttocks. The Gathites made seats for themselves.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Text: The closing Greek action—making seats—is absent from Hebrew. Greek repeats hedrai with bodily and ordinary “seat” senses; the Hebrew swelling verb is rare and its exact force uncertain.
Verse MT 5:10 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:10
They sent the ark of God to Ekron. When the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, “They have brought the ark of Israel’s God around to me to kill me and my people!”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:10
They sent the ark of God away to Ashkelon. When the ark of God entered Ashkelon, the Ashkelonites cried out, “Why have you sent the ark of Israel’s God around to us to kill us and our people?”
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Text: The destination is Ekron in Hebrew and Ashkelon in Greek. Hebrew gives the city a collective singular voice; Greek addresses the senders in the plural and asks why.
Verse MT 5:11 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:11
They sent and gathered all the Philistine rulers. They said, “Send away the ark of Israel’s God. Let it return to its place so that it will not kill me and my people!” For deadly panic was throughout the city; God’s hand was very heavy there.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:11
They sent and gathered the foreigners’ satraps. They said, “Send away the ark of Israel’s God. Let it settle in its place, and it will certainly not kill us and our people!” For exceedingly heavy deadly turmoil was throughout the city when the ark of Israel’s God entered there.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew closes with God’s heavy hand; Greek closes with the ark’s arrival. The collective singular and plural contrast continues.
Verse MT 5:12 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
MT 5:12
The men who did not die were struck with swellings, and the city’s cry for help went up to heaven.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
LXX 5:12
Those who were alive and had not died were struck on their buttocks, and the city’s cry went up to heaven.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew names swellings; Greek names their bodily location and explicitly describes the survivors as living. Neither column diagnoses a modern disease.