Their priests fell by the sword
Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, and other priests; which
shows the cruelty of the enemy, not to spare men unarmed, as the
priests were; and the justice of God, which pursued these men,
who were very wicked, and whose character and office could not
secure them from divine wrath:
and their widows made no lamentation;
for their husbands the priests, who fell by the sword;
particularly the widow of Phinehas, who upon the news fell into
labour, and as soon as she brought forth her child died, and
while she lived took no notice of the death of her husband, nor
lamented that, only that the ark of the Lord was taken, (
1
Samuel 4:19-22 ) , and which might be the case of others; nor
could they attend their funerals, or follow them to the grave
with lamentations, they falling in battle; and such was their
concern for the public loss, that their private sorrow was
swallowed up in it. Some understand it of the disrespect and
neglect of others, who came not to lament with them, and comfort
them, as was usual: one of the Targums paraphrases the whole
thus,
``at the time that the Philistines carried captive the ark of the Lord, the priests of Shiloh, Hophni, and Phinehas, fell by the sword; and at the time they brought their wives the news of it, they wept not, for they died even the same day.''