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1 Samuel

1 Samuelchapter 4

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A.The ark carried into battle and capturedvv. 1-11

1 Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield. 3 When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great shout that it shook the ground. 6 On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 9 Take courage and be men, O Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight!” 10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

B.Eli falls backward at the gatevv. 12-18

12 That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line all the way to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out. 14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?” So the man hurried over and reported to Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his gaze was fixed because he could not see. 16 “I have just come from the battle,” the man said to Eli. “I fled from there today.” “What happened, my son?” Eli asked. 17 The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 As soon as the ark of God was mentioned, Eli fell backward from his chair by the city gate, and being old and heavy, he broke his neck and died. And Eli had judged Israel forty years.

C.Ichabod: the glory is departed from Israelvv. 19-22

19 Now Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news of the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth, for her labor pains overtook her. 20 As she was dying, the women attending to her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son!” But she did not respond or pay any heed. 21 And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed. 22 “The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “for the ark of God has been captured.”

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition
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Chapter summary

Israel is beaten at Aphek, so the elders fetch the ark from Shiloh as a talisman, Hophni and Phinehas beside it.

Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾

Israel is beaten at Aphek, so the elders fetch the ark from Shiloh as a talisman, Hophni and Phinehas beside it. The camp shouts till the earth rings; the Philistines hear, fear the gods who smote Egypt, and fight the harder. Thirty thousand footmen fall, the ark is captured, and both priests die in one day as the man of God foretold. A runner brings word to Eli, ninety-eight and blind, watching by the way; at the news of the ark he falls backward, breaks his neck, and dies after judging Israel forty years. His dying daughter-in-law names her newborn Ichabod: 'The glory is departed from Israel.'

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.

Context

History · Samuel, Nathan, Gad — 1 Samuel overview

  • A. 1–11 The ark carried into battle and captured
  • B. 12–18 Eli falls backward at the gate
  • C. 19–22 Ichabod: the glory is departed from Israel
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
  • 1 Samuel 44 verses
    • 1 Samuel 4:2The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield.
    • 1 Samuel 4:10So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
    • 1 Samuel 4:18As soon as the ark of God was mentioned, Eli fell backward from his chair by the city gate, and being old and heavy, he broke his neck and died. And Eli had judged Israel forty years.
    • 1 Samuel 4:21And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.
    • Read 1 Samuel 4 →
  • Joshua 73 verses
    • Joshua 7:6Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.
    • Joshua 7:12This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you whatever is devoted to destruction.
    • Joshua 7:19So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
    • Read Joshua 7 →
  • Psalms 783 verses
    • Psalms 78:43when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.
    • Psalms 78:61He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.
    • Psalms 78:64His priests fell by the sword, but their widows could not lament.
    • Read Psalms 78 →
  • 1 Samuel 33 verses
    • 1 Samuel 3:2And at that time Eli, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room.
    • 1 Samuel 3:6Once again the LORD called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”
    • 1 Samuel 3:11Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel at which the ears of all who hear it will tingle.
    • Read 1 Samuel 3 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
  • Joshua 62 verses
    • Joshua 6:5And when there is a long blast of the ram’s horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse and all your people will charge straight into the city.”
    • Joshua 6:20So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it.
    • Read Joshua 6 →
  • Psalms 261 verse
  • 1 Samuel 291 verse
  • 1 Samuel 51 verse

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.