Emerod

Emerods (from the Old French emorroides, hemorrhoids) is the term used in the King James Version for the affliction that struck the Philistines when they captured the ark of the covenant and kept it in their territory. The Hebrew word ophalim (or techorim in the Ketiv/Qere reading) describes tumors or swellings—possibly hemorrhoids, tumors, or pustular swellings associated with bubonic plague—that broke out among the people of Ashdod, Gath, Ekron, and the surrounding regions.

The connection between the emerods, a plague of mice (or rats), and the sudden deaths in the Philistine cities has led many commentators to interpret the episode as an outbreak of bubonic plague, in which rodents serve as vectors and lymphatic swellings (buboes) are a characteristic symptom. As part of the guilt offering sent with the returned ark, the Philistines fashioned five golden emerods and five golden mice, one for each of the five Philistine lords, acknowledging the divine punishment and seeking relief.