Haemorrhoids

Haemorrhoids (also spelled hemorrhoids; rendered emerods in older translations) are mentioned in Scripture in connection with the plague God sent upon the Philistines when they captured the ark of the covenant and placed it in the temple of Dagon at Ashdod (1 Sam. 5:6, 9, 12; 6:4–5). The affliction spread from Ashdod to Gath and Ekron as the ark was moved from city to city, causing panic among the Philistine population. When the Philistines returned the ark to Israel, they sent five golden images of the tumors and five golden mice as a guilt offering.

The Hebrew term ophalim is generally understood to refer to swollen tumors or growths associated with the disease. Some scholars have proposed that the plague involved bubonic plague transmitted by rodents—explaining both the tumors (swollen lymph nodes or buboes) and the golden mice—while others maintain the traditional interpretation of hemorrhoidal disease. The episode served to demonstrate to both Philistines and Israelites that Yahweh's power accompanied the ark even in enemy territory.