1 Samuel 4:7

7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp!" And they said, "Woe unto us! For there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

1 Samuel 4:7 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 4:7

And the Philistines were afraid
When the spies returned, and reported to them the reason of the shouting:

for they said, God is come into the camp;
into the camp of Israel, because the ark represented him, and was the symbol of his presence; and these Heathens might take the ark itself for an idol of the Israelites; the Targum is,

``the ark of God is come''

and they said, woe unto us;
it is all over with us, destruction and ruin will be our case, victory will go on their side now their God is among them:

for there hath not been such a thing heretofore;
if by this they meant that the ark had never been in the camp of Israel before, they were mistaken; and it is no great wonder they should, being not so well acquainted with the affairs of Israel, and their customs; or rather, it was not so yesterday, or three days ago, when they were defeated; there was no shouting then: or the state of the war is altered; before we fought with the men of Israel, but now we must fight with the God of Israel also.

1 Samuel 4:7 In-Context

5 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.

6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?" And they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.

7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp!" And they said, "Woe unto us! For there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

8 Woe unto us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.

9 Be strong, and acquit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Acquit yourselves like men, and fight!"