Lectionary Calendar
Monday, May 5th, 2025
the Third Week after Easter
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

1 Samuel 5:5

That is why, still today, the priests of Dagon and everyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on Dagon’s threshold.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Superstition;   Scofield Reference Index - Miracles;   Thompson Chain Reference - Idolatrous;   Leaders;   Priests;   Religious;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Miracle;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ashdod;   Dagon;   Philistia, philistines;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Priest, Priesthood;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ashdod;   Dagon;   Threshold;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ashdod;   Dagon;   Pentateuch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ark of the Covenant;   Dagon;   Gods, Pagan;   Philistines, the;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ashdod;   Philistines;   Samson;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ashdod ;   Dagon ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ashdod;   Philistia;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Da'gon;   Philis'tines;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Dagon;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ark of the Covenant;   Dagon;   Elijah;   House;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ashdod;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Cherethites;   Dagon;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore neither the Kohanim of Dagon, nor any who come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, to this day.
King James Version
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.
Lexham English Bible
(Therefore the priests of Dagon and all who come into the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod until this very day.)
English Standard Version
This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
New Century Version
So, even today, Dagon's priests and others who enter his temple at Ashdod refuse to step on the doorsill.
New English Translation
(For this reason, to this very day, neither Dagon's priests nor anyone else who enters Dagon's temple step on Dagon's threshold in Ashdod.)
Amplified Bible
This is the reason neither the priests of Dagon nor any who enter Dagon's house step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
New American Standard Bible
For that reason neither the priests of Dagon nor any who enter Dagon's house step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore the Priests of Dagon, & all that come into Dagons house tread not on the thresholde of Dagon in Ashdod, vnto this day.
Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
Contemporary English Version
This is the reason the priests and everyone else step over that part of the doorway when they enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod.
Complete Jewish Bible
This is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and those entering his temple never walk on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod.
Darby Translation
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any that come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
Easy-to-Read Version
That is why, even today, the priests or other people refuse to step on the threshold when they enter Dagon's temple at Ashdod.
George Lamsa Translation
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any that enter Dagons house cross the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
Good News Translation
(That is why even today the priests of Dagon and all his worshipers in Ashdod step over that place and do not walk on it.)
Literal Translation
On account of this the priests of Dagon, and all those coming into the house of Dagon, do not step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod until this day.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore the prestes of Dagon, and all they that go in to his house, treade not vpo the threßsholde of Dagon at Aßdod vnto this daye.
American Standard Version
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, unto this day.
Bible in Basic English
So to this day no priest of Dagon, or any who come into Dagon's house, will put his foot on the doorstep of the house of Dagon in Ashdod.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And therfore is it, that the priestes of Dagon, neither any man that commeth into Dagons house, treade not on the thresholde of Dagon in Asdod, vnto this day.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.
King James Version (1611)
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagons house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod vnto this day.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Therefore the priests of Dagon, and every one that enters into the house of Dagon, do not tread upon the threshold of the house of Dagon in Azotus until this day, for they step over.
English Revised Version
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon’s house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, unto this day.
Berean Standard Bible
That 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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
certis the stok aloone of Dagon lefte in his place. For this cause the preestis of Dagon, and alle that entren in to his temple, treden not on the threisfold of Dagon in Azotus til in to this dai.
Young's Literal Translation
therefore the priests of Dagon, and all those coming into the house of Dagon, tread not on the threshold of Dagon, in Ashdod, till this day.
Update Bible Version
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, to this day.
Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshhold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
World English Bible
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any who come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, to this day.
New King James Version
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
New Living Translation
That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor anyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod will step on its threshold.
New Life Bible
So the religious leaders of Dagon and all who go into Dagon's house do not step on the bottom part of the doorway in Ashdod to this day.
New Revised Standard
This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For this cause, do not the priests of Dagon, nor any that enter into the house of Dagon, tread upon the threshold of Dagon, in Ashdod, - until this day.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And only the stump of Dagon remained in its place. For this cause neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that go into the temple, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Azotus unto this day.
Revised Standard Version
This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

Contextual Overview

1After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod, 2brought it into the temple of Dagon and placed it next to his statue. 3When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground 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 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. 5That is why, still today, the priests of Dagon and everyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on Dagon’s threshold.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

neither: Psalms 115:4-7, Psalms 135:15-18

tread: Joshua 5:15, Zephaniah 1:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 32:32 - eat not Exodus 20:23 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 3:19
You will eat bread by the sweat of your browuntil you return to the ground,since you were taken from it.For you are dust,and you will return to dust.”
Genesis 5:7
Seth lived 807 years after he fathered Enosh, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:8
So Seth’s life lasted 912 years; then he died.
Genesis 5:10
Enosh lived 815 years after he fathered Kenan, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:11
So Enosh’s life lasted 905 years; then he died.
Genesis 5:12
Kenan was 70 years old when he fathered Mahalalel.
Genesis 5:14
So Kenan’s life lasted 910 years; then he died.
Genesis 5:21
Enoch was 65 years old when he fathered Methuselah.
Genesis 5:22
And after he fathered Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and fathered other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:32
Noah was 500 years old, and he fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house,.... Neither the priests that continually attended the worship and service of Dagon, nor the people that came there to pay their devotions to him:

tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day: but used to leap over it, either reckoning it sacred because touched by their idol, which fell upon it; or rather, as it should seem, in a way of detestation, because it had been the means of cutting off the head and hands of their idol; and this custom not only continued to the latter days of Samuel, the writer of this book; but even among the Philistines in one place or another to the times of Zephaniah, who seems to allude to it, Zephaniah 1:9. In later times there was another deity worshipped at Ashdod; according to Masius s, the Philistine Venus, or Astarte, was worshipped in this place; though perhaps she may be no other than Atergatis, or Adergatis, which with Selden t is only a corruption of Addir-dag, the magnificent fish, in which form Dagon is supposed to be; so the Phoenician goddess Derceto, worshipped at Ashkelon had the face of a woman, and the other part was all fish; though Ben Gersom says Dagon was in the form of a man, and which is confirmed by the Complutensian edition of the Septuagint, which on 1 Samuel 5:4 reads, "the soles of his feet were cut off"; which is a much better reading than the common one, "the soles of his hands", which is not sense; by which it appears that he had head, hands, and feet; wherefore it seems most likely that he had his name from Dagon, signifying corn:

1 Samuel 5:4- :.

s Comment. in Jos. xv. 47. t De Dis. Syr. Syntagu. l. 2. c. 3. p. 267.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This custom still existed among the worshippers of Dagon so late as the reign of Josiah (see the marginal reference).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 5:5. Tread on the threshold — Because the arms, c., of Dagon were broken off by his fall on the threshold, the threshold became sacred, and neither his priests nor worshippers ever tread on the threshold. Thus it was ordered, in the Divine providence, that, by a religious custom of their own, they should perpetuate their disgrace, the insufficiency of their worship, and the superiority of the God of Israel.

It is supposed that the idolatrous Israelites, in the time of Zephaniah, had adopted the worship of Dagon: and that in this sense 1 Samuel 1:9 is to be understood: In the same day will I punish all those who leap upon the threshold. In order to go into such temples, and not tread on the threshold, the people must step or leap over them and in this way the above passage may be understood. Indeed, the thresholds of the temples in various places were deemed so sacred that the people were accustomed to fall down and kiss them. When Christianity became corrupted, this adoration of the thresholds of the churches took place.


 
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