When they of Ashdod arose early on the next day, behold, Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. They took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
Apparently, the priests of Dagon had planned some kind of public celebration of their maneuver with the ark, which would account for `the people of Ashdod' getting up early and going to their temple; but what they saw must have shocked them.  There was old Dagon lying on his belly prostrate before the ark of God!  Perhaps some of the intelligent people got the message at once, but not the priests.  They put the dead, senseless idol back where it had been before.