Woe to us: for there was no such great joy yesterday, and the day before: Woe to us. Who shall deliver us from the hand of these high Gods? these are the Gods that struck Egypt with all the plagues in the desert.
א֣וֹי לָ֔נוּ מִ֣י יַצִּילֵ֔נוּ מִיַּ֛ד הָאֱלֹהִ֥ים הָאַדִּירִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה אֵ֧לֶּה הֵ֣ם הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים הַמַּכִּ֧ים אֶת־מִצְרַ֛יִם בְּכָל־מַכָּ֖ה בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
On another occasion, amid conflict, when they beheld the ark, the Philistines exclaimed, "Alas for us! It is the mighty God who has struck down Egypt! Woe to us! Who will rescue us from the power of this mighty God?" They had learned from history how He humbled Pharaoh.
Among all the nations, this specific nation alone embraced a teacher sent by God. This is further illustrated by the dread experienced by outsiders upon the ark's arrival, as they remarked to one another, "This is the God who struck the Egyptians; woe to us, outsiders." God entrusted the ark to these foreigners to reveal the wickedness among His people. Those who had so blatantly violated the law could not expect to make it their ally. Nevertheless, even the ark, which was surrendered, retains its sacredness, demonstrating to the foreigners that they did not triumph over God, but rather over the sins of humanity.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS