The Meaning of 1 Samuel 5:4 Explained

1 Samuel 5:4

KJV: And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

YLT: And they rise early in the morning on the morrow, and lo, Dagon is fallen on its face to the earth, before the ark of Jehovah, and the head of Dagon, and the two palms of its hands are cut off at the threshold, only the fishy part hath been left to him;

Darby: And when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the fish-stump was left to him.

ASV: And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when they arose early  on the morrow  morning,  behold, Dagon  [was] fallen  upon his face  to the ground  before  the ark  of the LORD;  and the head  of Dagon  and both  the palms  of his hands  [were] cut off  upon the threshold;  only [the stump of] Dagon  was left  to him. 

What does 1 Samuel 5:4 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 5:1-12 - The Captured Ark Brings Trouble
Dagon's fall before the Ark of God has a sublime significance. In the evening, as the priests left the temple, the hideous image stood erect on its pedestal; in the morning, it was found prostrate before the sacred symbol. A repetition of the incident proved that it was no coincidence. So shall it be with all the idols of the heathen. They shall be utterly abolished, and the demons of whom they are the grotesque representations, together with the Devil whom they obey, shall be cast into the "bottomless pit," Revelation 20:3. Thus has it been in many countries already. They have "cast their idols to the moles and bats," Isaiah 2:20.
Let this scene be reproduced in your heart! Let Jesus enter and the dearest idols you have known will yield before Him. The presence of Christ, which brings terror to his foes, will bring blessing and deliverance to those that love Him. The dying thief passes from his cross to Paradise, while Judas goes to his own place. Dare to admit the Savior into the secret place of your heart. He will utterly destroy the works of Satan, and will drive out the evil things that have too long infested it. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 5

1  The Philistines having brought the ark into Ashdod, set it in the house Dagon
3  Dagon is smitten down and cut and cut in pieces,
5  and they of Ashdod smitten with tumors
8  So God deals with them of Gath, when it was brought thither
10  and so with them of Ekron, when it was brought thither

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 5:4 mean?

And when they arose the early next morning and there was Dagon fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh and the head of Dagon and the two palms of its hands [were] broken off on the threshold only Dagon's [torso] was left of it
וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣מוּ בַבֹּקֶר֮ מִֽמָּחֳרָת֒ וְהִנֵּ֣ה דָג֗וֹן נֹפֵ֤ל לְפָנָיו֙ אַ֔רְצָה לִפְנֵ֖י אֲר֣וֹן יְהוָ֑ה וְרֹ֨אשׁ דָּג֜וֹן וּשְׁתֵּ֣י ׀ כַּפּ֣וֹת יָדָ֗יו כְּרֻתוֹת֙ אֶל־ הַמִּפְתָּ֔ן רַ֥ק דָּג֖וֹן נִשְׁאַ֥ר עָלָֽיו

וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣מוּ  And  when  they  arose 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁכַם  
Sense: to rise or start early.
בַבֹּקֶר֮  the  early 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּקֶר 
Sense: morning, break of day.
מִֽמָּחֳרָת֒  next  morning 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מָחֳרָת  
Sense: the morrow, the day after.
וְהִנֵּ֣ה  and  there  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
דָג֗וֹן  Dagon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּגֹון  
Sense: a Philistine deity of fertility; represented with the face and hands of a man and the tail of a fish.
נֹפֵ֤ל  fallen 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
לְפָנָיו֙  on  its  face 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אַ֔רְצָה  to  the  ground 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
לִפְנֵ֖י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אֲר֣וֹן  the  ark 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: אֲרֹון  
Sense: chest, ark.
יְהוָ֑ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְרֹ֨אשׁ  and  the  head 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
דָּג֜וֹן  of  Dagon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּגֹון  
Sense: a Philistine deity of fertility; represented with the face and hands of a man and the tail of a fish.
וּשְׁתֵּ֣י ׀  and  the  two 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, fdc
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
כַּפּ֣וֹת  palms 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.
יָדָ֗יו  of  its  hands 
Parse: Noun, fdc, third person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
כְּרֻתוֹת֙  [were]  broken  off 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, feminine plural
Root: כָּרַת  
Sense: to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant.
הַמִּפְתָּ֔ן  the  threshold 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִפְתָּן  
Sense: threshold.
רַ֥ק  only 
Parse: Adverb
Root: רַק  
Sense: only, altogether, surely.
דָּג֖וֹן  Dagon's  [torso] 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּגֹון  
Sense: a Philistine deity of fertility; represented with the face and hands of a man and the tail of a fish.
נִשְׁאַ֥ר  was  left 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
עָלָֽיו  of  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.