12 Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.
12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
12 Those who didn't die were hit with tumors. All over the city cries of pain and lament filled the air.
12 And the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
12 Those who didn't die were afflicted with tumors; and the cry from the town rose to heaven.
11 In the streets they cry out for wine; all joy turns to gloom, all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
11 There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has grown dark; the gladness of the earth is banished.
11 People riot in the streets for wine, but the good times are gone forever - no more joy for this old world.
11 There is a cry for wine in the streets, All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone.
11 Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine. Joy has turned to gloom. Gladness has been banished from the land.
(Read Isaiah 24:1-12)
All whose treasures and happiness are laid up on earth, will soon be brought to want and misery. It is good to apply to ourselves what the Scripture says of the vanity and vexation of spirit which attend all things here below. Sin has turned the earth upside down; the earth is become quite different to man, from what it was when God first made it to be his habitation. It is, at the best, like a flower, which withers in the hands of those that please themselves with it, and lay it in their bosoms. The world we live in is a world of disappointment, a vale of tears; the children of men in it are but of few days, and full of trouble, See the power of God's curse, how it makes all empty, and lays waste all ranks and conditions. Sin brings these calamities upon the earth; it is polluted by the sins of men, therefore it is made desolate by God's judgments. Carnal joy will soon be at end, and the end of it is heaviness. God has many ways to imbitter wine and strong drink to those who love them; distemper of body, anguish of mind, and the ruin of the estate, will make strong drink bitter, and the delights of sense tasteless. Let men learn to mourn for sin, and rejoice in God; then no man, no event, can take their joy from them.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Samuel 5:12
Commentary on 1 Samuel 5:6-12
(Read 1 Samuel 5:6-12)
The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Philistines; he not only convinced them of their folly, but severely chastised their insolence. Yet they would not renounce Dagon; and instead of seeking God's mercy, they desired to get clear of his ark. Carnal hearts, when they smart under the judgments of God, would rather, if it were possible, put him far from them, than enter into covenant or communion with him, and seek him for their friend. But their devices to escape the Divine judgments only increase them. Those that fight against God will soon have enough of it.