Contradictions and Paradoxes in 1 Samuel 5:7

Check out Contradictions Catalog of 1 Samuel 5:7 for the comprehensive list of verses that contradicts 1 Samuel 5:7. Some key contradictions and paradoxes are described below.

According to the author of 1 Samuel, the people in a place called Ashdod didn't want to keep a special box called the Ark, because they believed it was causing bad things to happen to them and their own god. They thought the Ark was too powerful and made their lives hard.

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.

Contradiction with 1 Samuel 4:8

This verse speaks of the fear of the Israelites toward the ark, whereas in 1 Samuel 5:7, the Philistines express a different aspect of fear after capturing it.

1 Samuel 4:8: Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these [are] the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.

Contradiction with 2 Samuel 6:9

David's fear of the ark parallels the fear seen in the Philistines in 1 Samuel 5:7, but his fear stems from the improper handling of the ark which highlights a personal reverence rather than tribal dismay.

2 Samuel 6:9: And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?

Paradox #1

The moral conflict in 1 Samuel 5:7 could be seen in the differing views on divine justice and suffering. On one hand, it portrays the idea that misfortune is a result of offending God, as the Philistines suffer because they have captured the Ark of the Covenant. From a modern ethical standpoint, this could conflict with the view that innocent people should not suffer for circumstances beyond their control. People today might find it difficult to understand why an entire community would be punished for the actions of a few, raising questions about fairness and collective punishment.

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