The scene now shifts westwards, from the hills towards the coastal plain, which the Philistines had conquered a century earlier. This small but powerful nation had begun to dominate parts of Israel in the time of Samson, and their well-trained army now posed a new threat. It is not surprising, then, that the Philistines won a swift victory at Aphek; but it was a shock to the Israelite elders, who evidently had fully expected God to give Israel the victory. The passage shows how little the Israelites understood about God. Both Israelites and Philistines believed that the ark of the covenant itself was a sort of idol, a magic object which would give Israel great power on the battlefield