Introduction
The so-called Philistine plague has been proposed to have been the first record for bubonic plague in the Mediterranean area [1] and [2]. However, the case for Yersinia pestis is not conclusive, has been seriously questioned [3], and dysentery has also been proposed as an alternative explanation for this epidemic [4].
According to the historical record, a wooden box was moved from an isolated Hebrew sanctuary to a battle scene. The Philistines gained the upper hand, seized the box as booty, and brought it to their temple within the town of Ashdod. Three events followed: a deadly plague characterized by tumors developed in each town after the arrival of the box, a Philistine idol repeatedly fell on the floor at night after the box was placed in a local temple, and rodents started being noticed across the country. After 7 months, the Philistines concluded they may have brought this disaster on themselves, and could atone by returning the box to the original owners, alongside providing settlement by offering five replicas in gold of tumors and mice, one set of replicas for each of their towns. The Philistines’ action spread the pestilence to the first Hebrew settlement where the box arrived, and the plague only subsided after the box was quarantined in a farm (1Sa.4.3-7.1) [5].