''The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us...'' The Philistines who made the statement above were anxious to get rid of the ark because
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The Philistines who made the statement were anxious to get rid of the ark because the hand of God was heavy upon them. According to 1 Samuel 5, the Philistines had captured the ark of God in battle, but they began to experience plagues and calamities as a result of having it. They then decided to send it away, saying "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god." (1 Samuel 5:7)