Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Samuel 5:6

"But the hand of Jehovah was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with tumors, even Ashdod and the borders thereof." — 1 Samuel 5:6 (ASV)

Emerods is a corrupted form of the word “hemorrhoids.” It is mentioned in Deuteronomy 28:27 among the diseases with which God threatened to punish the Israelites for disobedience.