1 Samuel 4:6

6 The Philistines heard the noise. They asked, "What's all that shouting about in the Hebrew camp?" Then the Philistines found out that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.

1 Samuel 4:6 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 4:6

And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout
For it being so loud as to make the earth ring, it was heard in the camp of the Philistines, which might not be at any great distance from the camp of Israel; how far from each other were Aphek and Ebenezer is not certain;

they said, what meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of
the Hebrews?
they could not conceive what should be the reason of it, seeing they had no occasion to shout for joy, having been lately defeated; and a shout is made generally just before a battle is begun, and the onset made, or when victory is obtained; neither of which was the case now:

and they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp:
this they understood by spies, which they sent to find out the meaning of the shout; which is more probable than that they came to the knowledge of it by deserters; seeing it is not very likely that any Israelites would desert to the Philistines.

1 Samuel 4:6 In-Context

4 So the people sent men to Shiloh. They brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He sits there on his throne between the cherubim. He is the One who rules over all. Eli's two sons Hophni and Phinehas were with the ark of the covenant of God in Shiloh.

5 The ark of the LORD's covenant was brought into the camp. Then all of the people of Israel shouted so loudly that the ground shook.

6 The Philistines heard the noise. They asked, "What's all that shouting about in the Hebrew camp?" Then the Philistines found out that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.

7 So they were afraid. "A god has come into their camp," they said. "We're in trouble! Nothing like this has ever happened before.

8 How terrible it will be for us! Who will save us from the power of those mighty gods? They struck down the people of Egypt in the desert. They sent all kinds of plagues on them.