The Philistines took the ark of God from the Israelites and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. They placed it in the house of Dagon and set it by him, which was the chief god of the Philistines. This Dagon was thought to have controled the weather and the fertility of the land. Philistia was an impportant grain producing region; the worship of Dagon was thought to ensure a good crop. When the people rose up early in the morning, found the idol face down before the ark of the Lord. So they put Dagon in its place. The next morning, they found Dagon with the head and palms broken off. The destruction of Dagon’s idol resulted in the Philistia custom of stepping over the treshold of Dagon’s temple. The Philistine god Dagon was represented with a half man, half fish figure.
The Lord dealt with the people of Ashdod by stirking the people in the area of Ashdod with tumors or swellings. The Philistines said, “The ark of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.” They sent for the rulers of the five cities of Philistia. and it was decided that the ark would be sent to Gath, one of the five cities. When the ark came to Gath, the Lord struck the men of the city with tumors. The ark was sent next to Ekron much to the citizens disapproval. Again the Lord sent tumors to the city and the people of the city cried out.
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