But the hand of Yahweh was heavy on them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and struck them with tumors, even Ashdod and the borders of it.
The conclusion of scholars that the disease which struck the Philistines was bubonic plague is well supported; and John Willis has a full discussion of this.[22]  A key factor in the evidence is that the disease was likely spread by rats, indicated by the Philistines making golden images of those creatures ("The Hebrews did not distinguish between mice and rats.")[23]  Willis quoted the Septuagint (LXX) and the Vulgate versions which declare that, "Their territory swarmed with rats.  There was death and destruction all through the city."  Of course, rats were a part of the necessary pre-conditions for development of the bubonic plague. Another element in the deadly triangle was the Cheops flea.  The flea-infested rat died of the disease; the flea then bit a man, and he died.