The name of the town is a metonym for the people living in the town. "both the people of Ashdod and the people in the land surrounding Ashdod" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
# realized
"understood"
# ark of the God of Israel
See how you translated this in [1 Samuel 3:3](../03/01.md). This is the a same as the "ark of the covenant of God" in [1 Samuel 4:3-4](../04/03.md).