1 Samuel 4:11
in 1 Samuel 4The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
KJV
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 4
Commentary
10 notes on this verseHow will it be true to say about that [earthly] tabernacle that only "the innocent in hands and pure in heart, who did not receive his soul in vain," will inhabit it, when the history of the kings transmits that the worst priests, "sons of pestilence," have dwelt in the tabernacle of God and the ark of the covenant itself also was captured by foreigners and detained with the impious and profane?
This site's exposition
thirty thousand footmen
on 1 Samuel 4:10-11
The second battle is worse than the first: thirty thousand footmen fall, the army scatters to its own tents, and the ark itself is carried off by the enemy it was fetched to defeat. Hophni and Phinehas die in the same clash, and their deaths on one day complete the sign the man of God spoke at 2:34 word for word. Bringing the ark did not bring victory, and the narrator lets the bare numbers make the point without comment.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
A commentator
Philoxenus of Mabbug13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence · Written before 523.
proposed
Now this is the first lust which conquered the world, and because of it the first transgression of the law took place. It demanded tribute from the priests, who, without right, were taking it away from those who made offerings; it dismissed the sons of …
The Medieval Church3 voices
And the ark of God was captured, etc. And the kingdom was taken away from the Jews and given to a nation producing its fruits. The order of the priesthood, which had not behaved rightly, was transferred by the judgment of the Lord.
And the ark of God was captured, etc. And with the proclamation of the apostles and the faith of the repenting people spreading far and wide, the grace of God was taken away from the Jews, and that priesthood of legal judgments, once glorious on …
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 3, Chapter 2 · Written before 604.
proposed
12. The Philistines, that is, "those falling by the cup," fight when the doctors of the holy Church with the banner of the catholic faith confront the attacking Jews. But Israel is turned back, because in every disputation the cunning of the Jews is overcome. For to be turned back, for him, is to be unable to oppose with equal strength. But he who is turned back while fighting is indeed in battle, but fleeing — although lacking in strength, nevertheless not losing the desire to harm. For so it is with all of Israel when repulsed.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Thus as God was no loser by this event, so the Philistines were no gainers by it; and Israel, all things considered, received more good than hurt by it.
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Their priests fell by the sword. The slaughter of the priests, considering their bad character, was no great loss to Israel, but it was a dreadful judgment upon the house of Eli. The word which God had spoken was fulfilled in it ( ch. ii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And the ark of God was taken,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Hophni and Phinehas were slain - They probably attempted to defend the ark, and lost their lives in the attempt.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
A Binyaminite man. This was Shaul, 5 Perhaps the reason for Scripture not revealing that it was Shaul, was to protect the honor of his kingship being that he was responsible in part for Eili’s death.—Da’as Sofrim who grabbed the Tablets from the hands of Golyas and fled.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And the Philistines did wage war. And Israel was shattered, and they retreated, every man to his city.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַאֲר֥וֹן | vaaron | and [the] ark of | H727 → | 202 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֖ים | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| נִלְקָ֑ח | nilkach | it was taken | H3947 → | 966 times |
| וּשְׁנֵ֤י | ushenei | and [the] two | H8147 → | 768 times |
| בְנֵֽי־ | venei- | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עֵלִי֙ | ʾeli | Eli | H5941 → | 33 times |
| מֵ֔תוּ | metu | they died | H4191 → | 839 times |
| חָפְנִ֖י | chafeni | Hophni | H2652 → | 5 times |
| וּפִֽינְחָֽס׃ | ufinechas | and Phinehas | H6372 → | 25 times |
וַאֲר֥וֹןand [the] ark of
vaaronH727 →202 times
אֱלֹהִ֖יםGod
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
נִלְקָ֑חit was taken
nilkachH3947 →966 times
וּשְׁנֵ֤יand [the] two
usheneiH8147 →768 times
בְנֵֽי־[the] sons of
venei-H1121 →4930 times
עֵלִי֙Eli
ʾeliH5941 →33 times
מֵ֔תוּthey died
metuH4191 →839 times
חָפְנִ֖יHophni
chafeniH2652 →5 times
וּפִֽינְחָֽס׃and Phinehas
ufinechasH6372 →25 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 3:11Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon them! For they will be repaid with what their hands have done.
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 8:13
Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
- James 2:13
For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Psalms 120:3–4
What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?
- Psalms 28:4
Repay them according to their deeds and for their works of evil. Repay them for what their hands have done; bring back on them what they deserve.
- Isaiah 65:20
No longer will a nursing infant live but a few days, or an old man fail to live out his years. For the youth will die at a hundred years, and he who fails…
- Ecclesiastes 8:13
Through
Psalms 78:64His priests fell by the sword, but their widows could not lament.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 4:17
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…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Samuel 4:17
Through
1 Samuel 2:32You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age.
it leads to
- Zechariah 8:4
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Old men and old women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of great age.
- Zechariah 8:4
Through
1 Samuel 2:34And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 13:3
That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’”
- 1 Kings 13:3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 3, Chapter 2; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON EXODUS 9.2 and Philoxenus of Mabbug, 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 11 -- On Abstinence.