1 Samuel 5:8 kjva — They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of…

King James Version with Apocrypha

"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 with Apocrypha

Read in Another Translation

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1 Samuel 5:8 in Other Translations

6 versions All translations
  • KJV

    “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.”

  • ASV

    “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 thither. ”

  • WEB

    “They 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?" 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].”

  • NET

    “So they assembled all the leaders of the Philistines and asked,“What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They replied,“The ark of the God of Israel should be moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.”

  • DRB

    “And sending, they gathered together all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said: What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And the Gethites answered: Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about.”

  • BBE

    “So 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.”

1 Samuel 5 — Context

5

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.

6

But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.

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.

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.

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.

10

Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.

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.

1 Samuel 5:8 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does 1 Samuel 5:8 say?
1 Samuel 5:8 in the King James Version with Apocrypha reads: “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.”
Where is 1 Samuel 5:8 in the Bible?
1 Samuel 5:8 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 5, verse 8.
Who wrote 1 Samuel?
1 Samuel is traditionally attributed to Anonymous (traditionally Samuel, Nathan, and Gad). It was written c. 930–722 BC.
What is the book of 1 Samuel about?
1 Samuel marks Israel's transition from judges to kings. It traces the births and ministries of the prophet Samuel, the rise and tragic fall of Saul as Israel's first king, and the anointing of the shepherd boy David, whose faith makes him a man after God's own heart.
What are the major themes of 1 Samuel?
1 Samuel explores themes including Kingship, Prophet, Faith vs. Fear, God's Sovereign Choice, Anointing. These themes shape the meaning and context of 1 Samuel 5:8.
What translation should I read 1 Samuel 5:8 in?
1 Samuel 5:8 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize 1 Samuel 5:8?
1 Samuel 5:8 reads (KJVA): “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.” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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