ANUS of the Philistines. The Ark of the Lord having been taken by the 1 Sam. v. 6. 70. ‘Εις τὰς ἕδρας αὐτῶν. Vulg. In secretiori parte natium.Philistines, and laid up at Ashdod, the hand of God was heavy upon their City, and other Principalities of the Philistines, and afflicted them with a painful disease in the Anus, or in the most secret part of that place, whence the excrements issue. The Interpreters are not agreed concerning the signification of the original word which is translated Anus, nor as to the nature of the disease with which God visited the Philistines; some are of opinion, that God sent them the inward or hidden Piles: The Hebrew properly signifies, that which is obscure and hidden. Others suppose the Dysentery to be meant here; others again, a Fistula or Condyloma, which is a descent of the fundament out of its place. The Psalmist describes pretty clearly a Fistula in Psalm lxxviii.66.these words, He smote his enemies in the hinder parts, he put them to a perpetual shame. The Septuagint and Vulgate add to the ninth verse in the Hebrew, that the Philistines made them seats of skins to sit with more ease, by reason of their indisposition. Herodotus seems to have had some knowledge of this History; but he did not understand it rightly, and has attributed the cause of it to something else1. He says, the Scythians having plundered the temple of Askalon, a celebrated City of the Philistines, the Goddess (Derceto or Venus) who was adored there, afflicted them with an unhappy disease, thought to have been the Hæmorrhoids, which was communicated to their posterity. The Philistines perhaps related the story after this manner, but it passed all along for certain truth, that this disease was ancient, and sent by God among them, and that it descended to their Children.
The Philistines to secure themselves from this uneasiness, and the ravages committed by rats which laid waste their Country, were advised by their Priests and 1 Sam. vi. 1, 2, 3, &c.Soothsayers to send back the Ark into the territories of Israel, but not without some presents, to make five figures of a golden Anus, and as many in the same metal of rats, to place them in or near the Ark, and give glory to God by acknowledging, that this plague was the pure effect of his justice. This advice was followed, and the Ark was returned. Josephus2 and some Interpreters after him believed, that the five Cities of the Philistines made each a statue, which they consecrated to God, as a monument of their deliverance. The Heathens have often imitated this conduct of the Philistines, in offering figures to the Gods representing those parts of the body, which have been diseased. Christians in imitation of them still at this day, in several places, consecrate in honour of the saints Images made of wax or metal, describing those parts of the body, wherein they believe they have experienced their power, in the cure wrought for them3.
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