1 Samuel 4:5
in 1 Samuel 4When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great shout that it shook the ground.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when the ark of the covenant of Jehovah came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
KJV
And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 4
Commentary
8 notes on this verseAll Israel shouted - Had they humbled themselves, and prayed devoutly and fervently for success, they would have been heard and saved. Their shouting proved both their vanity and irreligion.
This site's exposition
raised such a great shout that it shook the ground
on 1 Samuel 4:5-6
When the ark enters the camp, Israel raises such a shout that “it shook the ground”. Israel treats the noise and the ark as enough in themselves and never asks whether the Lord goes with them in favor or under judgment. The Philistines hear the shout from their own lines and learn that “the ark of the LORD had entered the camp” before the fighting resumes.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 3, Chapter 2 · Written before 604.
proposed
7. Because indeed, from the fact that they receive the knowledge of the law carnally, they chatter in reproach of the holy Church without any demonstration of reason. For those who are said to have cried out and yet to have said nothing express precisely what they do, because while they endeavor to speak of spiritual things carnally, they indeed have clamor in their chattering, but they do not have the reason of truth.
And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, etc. When the Lord was born in the flesh, all Israel was disturbed, and at the preaching, some were moved to believe, others to contradict; and with the earthly conscience, the …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
): They shouted, so that the earth rang again. Now they thought themselves sure of victory, and therefore gave a triumphant shout before the battle, as if the day was without fail their own, intending, by this mighty shout, to animate themselves and their own forces, and to intimidate their adversaries.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Shouted - From their great joy and confidence of success. So formal Christians triumph in external privileges and performances: as if the ark in the camp would bring them to heaven, tho' the world and the flesh reign in the heart.
And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp,.... Being brought thither by the men that carried it: all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again; this they did as now sure of victory, because of the ark, and to give spirit and courage to each other to go forth to battle, and to strike a panic into their enemies.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
In short, the shout raised in the Hebrew camp, on the arrival of the ark, indicated very plainly the prevalence among the Israelites at this time of a belief in national deities--whose influence was local, and whose interest was especially exerted in behalf of the people who adored them.
The words behind it
14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֗י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כְּב֨וֹא | kevo' | when came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֲר֤וֹן | ʾaron | [the] ark of | H727 → | 202 times |
| בְּרִית־ | berit- | [the] covenant of | H1285 → | 284 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה | hamachaneh | the camp | H4264 → | 215 times |
| וַיָּרִ֥עוּ | vaiyariu | and they shouted | H7321 → | 44 times |
| כָל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| תְּרוּעָ֣ה | teruah | a shout | H8643 → | 36 times |
| גְדוֹלָ֑ה | gedolah | great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| וַתֵּהֹ֖ם | vatehom | and it was stirred | H1949 → | |
| הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | haaretz | the ground | H776 → | 2504 times |
וַיְהִ֗יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
כְּב֨וֹאwhen came
kevo'H935 →2568 times
אֲר֤וֹן[the] ark of
ʾaronH727 →202 times
בְּרִית־[the] covenant of
berit-H1285 →284 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶל־into
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔הthe camp
hamachanehH4264 →215 times
וַיָּרִ֥עוּand they shouted
vaiyariuH7321 →44 times
כָל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
תְּרוּעָ֣הa shout
teruahH8643 →36 times
גְדוֹלָ֑הgreat
gedolahH1419 →526 times
וַתֵּהֹ֖םand it was stirred
vatehomH1949 →
הָאָֽרֶץ׃the ground
haaretzH776 →2504 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
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…
it leads to
- Hebrews 11:30
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4–5
The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Joshua 6:5
And 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…
- Hebrews 11:30
Through
Job 20:5the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?
it leads to
- Psalms 37:35–36
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
- Psalms 37:35–36
Through
Jeremiah 7:4Do not trust in deceptive words, chanting: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’
it leads to
- Micah 3:11
Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster…
- Micah 3:11
Through
Amos 6:3You dismiss the day of calamity and bring near a reign of violence.
it leads to
- Amos 9:10
All the sinners among My people will die by the sword—all those who say, ‘Disaster will never draw near or confront us.’”
- Ezekiel 12:27
“Son of man, take note that the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many years from now; he prophesies about the distant future.’
- Amos 9:10
Through
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…
it leads to
- Exodus 19:19
And as the sound of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder.
- Exodus 19:19
Where this verse is studied
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About 1 Samuel
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 3, Chapter 2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.