What are the "tumors" in 1 Samuel 5 and 6?

What are the "tumors" in 1 Samuel 5 and 6?

  • cancer

    Votes: 2 6.7%
  • hemorrhoids

    Votes: 10 33.3%
  • the bubonic plague (or something similar)

    Votes: 8 26.7%
  • something else

    Votes: 10 33.3%

  • Total voters
    30
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Marrow Man

Drunk with Powder
The scholarly consensus seems to be a plague like the bubonic plague (the description, the mention of mice/rats, etc. seems to fit). The KJV uses an older spelling of hemorrhoids. Any other thoughts? Please list them below.
 
Simple- they were a painful, debilitating problem that the Philistines could only attribute to the presence of the Ark and thus to the wrath of God.

It can be fun to hypothesize on such things (like Paul's thorn in the flesh and such) but it can also be quite dangerous; possibly leading to anything from interpretive maximalism to full blown division over 'mere words'.

Theognome
 
Some scholars have hinted at elephantiasis.

The Scriptures simply don't say and frankly it's not so important to know exactly what they were, just that the Philistines were stricken with them, and that it was God's doing.
 
It was plainly something you could make images of, which seems to suggest a fairly discrete appearance.
 
I suggest genetic mutation.

That would explain some of the weirder statues with multiple appendages.
 
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law." Deut 29:29

If God doesn't tell us, we not only don't know, but we should refrain from speculation.
 
Gesenius and Baumgartner (HAL) agree:

Gesenius:
טְחוֹרִים m. pl. tumours of the anus, hæmorrhoidal mariscœ, protruding from the anus (see טָחַר), protruding through tenesmus in voiding. 1 Sam. 6:11, 17; and Deu. 28:27; 1 Sa. 5:6, 9.

HAL:

טְחֹרִים: טחר, Bauer-L. Heb. 468z; tantum pl.; JArm.tg טְחוֹרִין, Syr. also ṭe/ṭuḥāra haemorrhoids: טְחֹרֵי, טְחֹרֵיהֶם: ulcers of the anus haemorrhoids 1S 611.17
 
Perhaps they were cancerous hemorrhoids brought on by the bubonic plague...
...or something else.

But I like "Liberals". Good answer.
 
It's not a tumor!

tumor.jpg
 
I alway thought it was the bubonic plague it'd be funny if it was hemorrhoids.

If it was hemorrhoids, I'm sure they weren't laughing.

I am sure it wasnt funny but I just cant see how someone could die from hemorrhoids.


Well, if they were really big, or even worse, an intestinal prolapse, it could be pretty bad.

I like the Gesinius derivation too. The image of bronzing them is remarkably strange and yet plausible. People were pretty weird and earthy in those parts.
 
A hemorrhoid is not a tumor, but they may have not known the dif or had a word specifically for what is was God gave them.

But wouldn't that hurt to bronze a hemorrhoid?
 
Context seems to indicate that it was in fact hemorrhoids (AV-emerods). Consider 1 Sam. 5:9 "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."

Also, I don't read where it mentions that anyone died from the "emerods". God smote the men of the city that they died but it wasn't a result of the "emerods".

12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
 
Context seems to indicate that it was in fact hemorrhoids (AV-emerods). Consider 1 Sam. 5:9 "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."

Also, I don't read where it mentions that anyone died from the "emerods". God smote the men of the city that they died but it wasn't a result of the "emerods".

12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

hey welcome to the PB
Good thoughts.
:book2:
 
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