How the Plague of Tumors Struck the Men of Ashdod

"And the hand of the LORD was heavy upon the Ashdodites, and He smote them with tumors" (1 Samuel 5:6). How so? A man would be sitting upon the tumor, and a mouse would come up from the deep and snatch away his bowels and go back down to the deep. And similar to this: "and the stone sank into his forehead" (1 Samuel 17:49). Yehuda b'Rabbi said: like into dough. And similar to this: "all their bones they crushed" (Daniel 6:25). Yehuda bar Rabbi said: like these wafers. "And tumors broke out for them" (1 Samuel 5:9). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: the outer part of their bowels was concealed. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: the inner part of their bowels was concealed. "And tumors broke out for them" — things that are in concealment.