1 Samuel 5:6

“But the hand of the Lord was heavy on them of Ashdod, etc.] Not only on their idol, but on themselves; it had crushed him to pieces, and now it fell heavy on them to their destruction: and he destroyed them; either by the disease after mentioned they were smitten with, or rather with some other, since that seems not to be mortal, though painful; it may be with the pestilence: and smote them with emerods; more properly haemorrhoids, which, as Kimchi says, was the name of a disease, but he says not what; Ben Gersom calls it a very painful disease, from whence comes a great quantity of blood. Josephus f101 takes it to be the dysentery or bloody flux; it seems to be what we commonly call the…”

“THE PHILISTINES ARE SMITTEN WITH EMERODS. (Sa1 5:6-12) the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod--The presumption of the Ashdodites was punished by a severe judgment that overtook them in the form of a pestilence. smote them with emerods--bleeding piles, hemorrhoids (Psa 78:66), in a very aggravated form. As the heathens generally regarded diseases affecting the secret parts of the body as punishments from the gods for trespasses committed against themselves, the Ashdodites would be the more ready to look upon the prevailing epidemic as demonstrating the anger of God, already shown against their idol.”

“Emerods - A corruption of “hemorrhoids.” It is mentioned Deuteronomy 28:27 among the diseases with which God threatened to punish the Israelites for disobedience. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Emerods - The piles. 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 5:8”

“5:6 tumors: The Hebrew term can mean simply “swellings.” A possible alternative translation is “hemorrhoids.” They were possibly the fatal buboes of bubonic plague, which attack the lower body, especially the rectal area. Rats are known carriers of the plague.”

“the hand: Sa1 5:7, Sa1 5:11; Exo 9:3; Psa 32:4; Act 13:11 emerods: Sa1 5:9, Sa1 5:11, Sa1 6:5; Deu 28:27; Job 31:3; Psa 78:66 thereof: The LXX and Vulgate add: Και μεσον της χωρας αυτης ανεφυησαν μυες και εγενετο συγχυσις θανατου μεγαλη εν τη πολει. (Et ebullierunt ville et agri in medio regionis illius, et nati sunt mures; et facta est confusio mortis magne in civitate). "And \[the cities and fields in Vulg.\] the midst of that region produced mice; \[Vulg. burst up, and mice were produced;\] and there was the confusion of a great death in the city." Sa1 6:4, Sa1 6:5 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 5:7”

“The visitation of God was not restricted to the demolition of the statue of Dagon, but affected the people of Ashdod as well. "The hand of Jehovah was heavy upon the Ashdodites, and laid them waste." השׁם, from שׁמם, when applied to men, as in Mic 6:13, signifies to make desolate not only by diseases, but also by the withdrawal or diminution of the means of subsistence, the devastation of the fields, and such like. That the latter is included here, is evident from the dedicatory offerings with which the Philistines sought to mitigate the wrath of the God of the Israelites ( Sa1 6:4-5, Sa1 6:11, Sa1 6:18), although the verse before us simply mentions the diseases with which God visited them.…”