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1 Samuel 4:1-11

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The Philistines Capture the Ark

1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at 1Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at 2Aphek.
2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle.
3 And when the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here 3from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies."
4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, 4who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel 5gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded.
6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, "What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" And when they learned that the ark of the LORD had come to the camp,
7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "A god has come into the camp." And they said, "Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.
8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness.
9 6Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews 7as they have been to you; be men and fight."
10 So the Philistines fought, 8and Israel was defeated, 9and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.
11 10And the ark of God was captured, 11and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
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1 Samuel 4:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 4

This chapter is a narrative of a war between Israel and the Philistines, in the time of Samuel, and of the consequences of it. In the first battle, the Philistines had the better of the Israelites, which caused the latter to inquire into the reason of it, and who proposed to fetch the ark of the Lord, and did, to repair their loss, and prepare for a second battle, in which they hoped to succeed, and which struck a panic into their enemies, 1Sa 4:1-7, who yet encouraged and stirred up one another to behave in a courageous manner, and victory a second time was on their side, a great number of the Israelites were slain, among whom were Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, and the ark of God was taken, 1Sa 4:8-11, the news of which being brought to Eli, he fell back and died, 1Sa 4:12-18 and to his daughter-in-law, who upon it fell into labour, and died also, 1Sa 4:19-22.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 11

  • 1. [1 Samuel 5:1; 1 Samuel 7:12]
  • 2. 1 Samuel 29:1; Joshua 12:18
  • 3. Joshua 18:1
  • 4. Exodus 25:22; 2 Samuel 6:2; Psalms 80:1; Psalms 99:1; [Numbers 7:89]
  • 5. Joshua 6:5, 20
  • 6. [2 Samuel 10:12; 1 Corinthians 16:13]
  • 7. Judges 13:1
  • 8. ver. 2; Psalms 78:62; [Leviticus 26:17; Deuteronomy 28:25]
  • 9. 2 Samuel 18:17; 2 Samuel 19:8; 2 Kings 14:12; 2 Chronicles 25:22
  • 10. [1 Samuel 2:32; Psalms 78:60, 61]
  • 11. 1 Samuel 2:34; Psalms 78:64
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.