1 Samuele 4:2

2 I Filistei si schierarono in battaglia in faccia ad Israele; e, impegnatosi il combattimento, Israele fu sconfitto dai Filistei, che uccisero sul campo di battaglia circa quattromila uomini.

1 Samuele 4:2 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 4:2

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel,
&c.] Prepared for battle, and put themselves in a posture for it; formed themselves in a line of battle, and so invited and challenged the Israelites to fight them:

and when they joined battle;
engaged with each other, the Israelites doing the same, putting themselves in a proper form and posture for fighting; or "the battle was spread", or "spread itself" ^F2; that is, as the Targum, they that made war were spread; the soldiers were placed in order for battle, to the right and left, which took up on both sides a large space; though Abarbinel understands this in a very different sense, and takes the word to have the same signification as in ( Psalms 78:60 ) , where it has the sense of forsaking; and so here the Israelites forsook the battle, and fled, which brought on their destruction, flight being, as the Jews say ^F3, the beginning of fall or ruin, as it follows:

Israel was smitten before the Philistines;
they had the worst of it and were beaten:

and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men;
so many fell upon the spot, in the field.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 (hmxlmh vjtw) "et diffusum est praelium", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius.
F3 Misn. Sotah, c. 8. sect. 6.

1 Samuele 4:2 In-Context

1 Or Israele uscì contro i Filistei per dar battaglia, e si accampò presso Eben-Ezer; i Filistei erano accampati presso Afek.

2 I Filistei si schierarono in battaglia in faccia ad Israele; e, impegnatosi il combattimento, Israele fu sconfitto dai Filistei, che uccisero sul campo di battaglia circa quattromila uomini.

3 Quando il popolo fu tornato nell’accampamento, gli anziani d’Israele dissero: "Perché l’Eterno ci ha egli oggi sconfitti davanti ai Filistei? Andiamo a prendere a Sciloh l’arca del patto dell’Eterno, e venga essa in mezzo a noi e ci salvi dalle mani de’ nostri nemici!"

4 Il popolo quindi mandò gente a Sciloh, e di la fu portata l’arca del patto dell’Eterno degli eserciti, il quale sta fra i cherubini; e i due figliuoli di Eli, Hofni e Fineas, erano là, con l’arca del patto di Dio.

5 E quando l’arca del patto dell’Eterno entrò nel campo, tutto Israele diè in grandi grida di gioia, sì che ne rimbombo la terra.