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1 Samuel
Chapter Four
New King James Version (NKJV)
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, 1 Samuel 4:1, 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, 1 Samuel 4:8, the
news of which being brought to Eli, he fell back and died, 1 Samuel 4:12 and
to his daughter-in-law, who upon it fell into labour, and died also, 1 Samuel 4:19.
1 Samuel 4:1 And the word of
Samuel came to all Israel.[a] Now Israel
went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and
the Philistines encamped in Aphek.
YLT
1And the word of Samuel is
to all Israel, and Israel goeth out to meet the Philistines for battle, and
they encamp by Eben-Ezer, and the Philistines have encamped in Aphek,
And the word of Samuel came to all Israel,.... Or was
"known", as the Targum, the word of prophecy by him, which related to
what befell Eli and his family; this was spread throughout the land, and
everyone almost had knowledge of it, and which began to be fulfilled in the war
between Israel and the Philistines, later related; or the doctrine,
instructions, and exhortations of Samuel to the people of Israel, were by the
means of others conveyed throughout the land; and yet they went into measures
which proved fatal and ruinous to them; or the word of Samuel, which was from
the Lord, came to Israel, to stir them up to go to war with the Philistines,
whereby the punishment threatened to Eli's family would begin to have its
accomplishment:
now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle; according to
the word of Samuel, or of the Lord by him; though Ben Gersom thinks they did
this of themselves, which was their sin, and did not ask counsel of the Lord,
nor of Samuel his prophet; but it seems as if the Philistines were the
aggressors, and first came forth to war against them, and they went out to meet
themF1לקראת "in occursum",
Pagninus, Montanus. , as the word is, and defend themselves as it became them:
this was forty years after the death of Samson, and at the end of Eli's
government, who judged Israel so many years, when they had recruited
themselves, and recovered their losses they sustained by Samson; and when they
perceived a new judge was raised up among the Israelites, who was likely to be
of great service to them, and to prevent their authority over them, and
therefore thought to begin with them as soon as possible:
and pitched beside Ebenezer; a place so called by
anticipation, and had its name from an later victory obtained, when Samuel set
up a stone between Mizpeh and Shen, and called it by this name, 1 Samuel 7:12, it
signifies a stone of help:
and the Philistines pitched in Aphek; a city in the
tribe of Judah, bordering on the Philistines; see Gill on Joshua 12:18.
1 Samuel 4:2 2 Then
the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they
joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four
thousand men of the army in the field.
YLT
2and the Philistines set
themselves in array to meet Israel, and the battle spreadeth itself, and Israel
is smitten before the Philistines, and they smite among the ranks in the field
about four thousand men.
And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel,.... 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"F2ותטש המלחמה "et diffusum est
praelium", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius. ; 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 Psalm 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 sayF3Misn.
Sotah, c. 8. sect. 6. , 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.
1 Samuel 4:3 3 And
when the people had come into 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 from Shiloh to
us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.”
YLT
3And the people cometh in
unto the camp, and the elders of Israel say, `Why hath Jehovah smitten us
to-day before the Philistines? we take unto us from Shiloh the ark of the
covenant of Jehovah, and it cometh into our midst, and He doth save us out of
the hand of our enemies.'
And when the people came into the camp,.... At
Ebenezer, where they pitched their tents, and from whence they went out to
battle, and whither they returned after their defeat:
the elders of Israel said, wherefore hath the Lord smitten us
today before the Philistines? they were right in ascribing it to the
Lord, who had suffered them to be defeated by their enemies, but it is strange
they should be so insensible of the cause of it; there was a reason ready at
hand, their sins and iniquities were the cause of it, the corruption of manners
among them, their neglect of bringing their offerings to the Lord, and the
idolatry that many of them were guilty of, at least secretly, 1 Samuel 2:24 to
punish them for which, they were brought into this war, and smitten in it; and
yet they wonder at it, that so it should be, that they the people of God should
be smitten before Heathens and uncircumcised Philistines; and the rather, since
they went to battle with them according to the word of the Lord by Samuel; not
considering that they went into this war without humiliation for their sins,
and without praying to God for success, and that it was intended as a
correction of them for their offences against God:
let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh
unto us; in which the law was, sometimes called the covenant between God
and them; and which was a symbol of the divine Presence, for want of which they
supposed they had not the presence of God with them, and so had not success;
and the rather they were encouraged to take this step and method, because that
formerly Israel had success against their enemies when the ark was with them, Numbers 31:6 though
no doubt in this there was an overruling providence of God, by which they were
led to take such a step as this, in order to bring the two sons of Eli into the
camp, that they might be slain in one day, according to the divine prediction:
that when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of
our enemies; foolishly placing their confidence in an external symbol, and
not in the Lord himself; ascribing salvation to that, which only belongs to
him, whether of a temporal or spiritual kind: and such folly and vanity are men
guilty of when they seek to, make use of, and trust in anything short of Christ
for salvation; as in carnal descent; in the rituals of the law; in the
ordinances of the Gospel; in any religious exercises, private or public; or in
any works of righteousness done by them: in Christ alone is salvation from
spiritual enemies; and indeed from the Lord only is salvation and deliverance
from temporal enemies.
1 Samuel 4:4 4 So
the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the
covenant of the Lord
of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli,
Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
YLT
4And the people sendeth to
Shiloh, and they take up thence the ark of the covenant of Jehovah of Hosts,
inhabiting the cherubs, and there [are] two sons of Eli, with the ark of the
covenant of God, Hophni and Phinehas.
So the people sent to Shiloh,.... They liked the
proposal of the elders, took their advice, and joined with them in a message to
Eli the high priest at Shiloh:
that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the
Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubim; which
overshadowed the mercy seat that was upon the ark, and was the residence of the
divine Majesty; wherefore having this with them, they concluded they should
have the presence of God with them, and so success, see Psalm 53:1.
and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the
ark of the covenant of God; these, either with or without the leave of
Eli, took the ark out of the tabernacle, and carried it on their shoulders to
the camp, or however attended it there, being borne by other priests or
Levites; and by this means they were brought into the camp, and so to battle,
to meet their doom there; according to BuntingF4Travels of the
Patriarchs, &c. p. 123. , it was carried by them forty two miles.
1 Samuel 4:5 5 And when the ark of the
covenant of the Lord
came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook.
YLT
5And it cometh to pass, at
the coming in of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto the camp, that all
Israel shout -- a great shout -- and the earth is moved.
And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp,.... Being
brought thither by the men that carried it:
all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the
earth rang again; this they did as now sure of victory, because of the ark, and
to give spirit and courage to each other to go forth to battle, and to strike a
panic into their enemies.
1 Samuel 4:6 6 Now when the Philistines
heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the sound of this
great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that
the ark of the Lord
had come into the camp.
YLT
6And the Philistines hear
the noise of the shouting, and say, `What [is] the noise of this great shout in
the camp of the Hebrews?' and they perceive that the ark of Jehovah hath come
in unto the camp.
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 4:7 7 So the Philistines were
afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us!
For such a thing has never happened before.
YLT
7And the Philistines are
afraid, for they said, `God hath come in unto the camp;' and they say, `Wo to
us, for there hath not been like this heretofore.
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 4:8 8 Woe to us! Who will
deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who
struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
YLT
8Wo to us, who doth deliver
us out of the hand of these honourable gods? these [are] the gods who are
smiting the Egyptians with every plague in the wilderness.
Woe unto us, who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty
gods?.... Of whom they spoke in an ironical and sneering manner; or if
seriously and through fear, they use their own Heathenish language, as if the
Israelites had many gods, as they had, though mightier than theirs; though the
Syriac and Arabic versions read in the singular, out of the hand of God, or the
most strong God; and so the Targum, out of the hand of the Word of the Lord:
these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues
in the wilderness: the ten plagues were inflicted on the Egyptians in the land of
Egypt, and not in the wilderness; wherefore the Philistines may be supposed to
be mistaken in this circumstance; which is not to be wondered at, since many
historians who have written of the affairs of the Jews have been mistaken in
them, as Justin, Tacitus, and others; nay, even Josephus himself in some
things: but perhaps respect is had to the drowning of Pharaoh and his host in
the Red sea, which had the wilderness of Etham on both sides of it; and this
stroke was the finishing one of the plagues on the Egyptians. R. Joseph Kimchi
supposes the word for wilderness has the signification of speech, as in Song of Solomon 4:3
and that the sense of the Philistines is, that God smote the Egyptians with all
the plagues he did by his word, his orders, and commands; but now he was come
in person, and would smite them by himself; this sense Abarbinel calls a
beautiful one.
1 Samuel 4:9 9 Be strong and conduct
yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the
Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!”
YLT
9Strengthen yourselves, and
become men, O Philistines, lest ye do service to Hebrews, as they have done to
you -- then ye have become men, and have fought.'
Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines,.... Since
this was all they had to depend upon, their manly courage; if they did not
exert that it was all over with them; and seeing their case was desperate,
having gods as well as men to fight with, it became them to exert themselves to
the uttermost; which did they, there was a possibility still of gaining
victory, and so immortal honour to themselves; these words seem to be spoken by
the generals and officers of the army of the Philistines to the common
soldiers:
that ye be not servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you; that is,
before and in the times of Samson; but it appears from hence that at this time
neither the Philistines ruled over the Israelites, nor the Israelites over
them; but as there was danger of their becoming subject to Israel, they had
better die gloriously in the field of battle than to be in the base state of
servitude:
quit yourselves like men, and fight; this is repeated to
animate them to battle, which they supposed was not far off by the shoutings of
the Israelites, and which they must prepare for.
1 Samuel 4:10 10 So the Philistines fought,
and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great
slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.
YLT
10And the Philistines fight,
and Israel is smitten, and they flee each to his tents, and the blow is very
great, and there fall of Israel thirty thousand footmen;
And the Philistines fought,.... With great ardour
and spirit, quitted themselves like men of valour and courage, their case being
desperate as they imagined, since God was in the camp of Israel:
and Israel was smitten: were routed and beaten:
and they fled every man into his tent; such of them
as escaped the sword of the Philistines fled to their own houses in the several
cities from whence they came; so the Targum,"every man to his city'so that
their army was quite broken up:
and there was a very great slaughter far greater
than in the first battle:
For there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen; their army
chiefly, if not altogether, consisting of footmen, there being few horses in
Israel; and if any cavalry now, these may be supposed to flee; before they lost
only 4000, now 30,000; so that the ark was no security to them, which was
suffered, to show their vain trust and confidence in it.
1 Samuel 4:11 11 Also the ark of God was
captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
YLT
11and the ark of God hath
been taken, and the two sons of Eli have died, Hophni and Phinehas.
And the ark of God was taken,.... By the Philistines;
which was suffered partly as a punishment to the Israelites, for fetching it
from the tabernacle without the will of God, and for their vain confidence in it;
and partly that the Philistines might have an experiment of the power and might
of God, as Procopius Gazaeus observes, by what they would suffer through having
it among them; some have thought that this was an emblem of Christ being
delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, and of the Gospel being translated
from the Jews to them: and the two sons of Eli:
Hophni and Phinehas, were slain; which
fulfilled the prophecy of the man of God, that they should both die in one day,
1 Samuel 2:34. It
is very probable they stood fast by the ark, and chose rather to die than to
give it up freely; having received a charge from their father, that if the ark
was taken, not to desire life, nor ever dare to come into his presence more, as
JosephusF1Antiqu. l. 5. c. 11. sect. 2. relates.
1 Samuel 4:12 12 Then a man of Benjamin ran
from the battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and
dirt on his head.
YLT
12And a man of Benjamin
runneth out of the ranks, and cometh into Shiloh, on that day, and his long
robes [are] rent, and earth on his head;
And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army,.... Out of
the rank in which he was, before the whole army was quite broken up. This was a
young man as JosephusF2Antiqu. l. 5. c. 11. sect. 3. says, which is
highly probable; though not at all to be depended on is what the JewsF3Shalshalet
Hakabala. fol. 8. 1. Jarchi in loc. say, that this was Saul, later king of
Israel:
and came to Shiloh the same day; which, according to
BuntingF4Travels of the Patriarchs, &c. p. 123. , was forty two
miles from Ebenezer, near to which the battle was fought; and that it was a
long way is pretty plain by the remark made, that this messenger came the same
day the battle was fought; though not at such a distance as some Jewish writers
say, some sixty, some one hundred and twenty milesF5Midrash Schemuel
apud Abarbinel in loc. ; which is not at all probable:
with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head; which were
both tokens of distress and mourning, and showed that he was a messenger of bad
tidings from the army; See Gill on Joshua 7:6.
1 Samuel 4:13 13 Now when he came, there
was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching,[b] for his
heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told
it, all the city cried out.
YLT
13and he cometh in, and lo,
Eli is sitting on the throne by the side of the way, watching, for his heart
hath been trembling for the ark of God, and the man hath come in to declare
[it] in the city, and all the city crieth out.
And when he came,.... To Shiloh; he either passed by Eli, who
being blind could not see him, 1 Samuel 4:15 or he
came in at another gate of the city on the other side of it, as Abarbinel
thinks; though the former seems more likely by what follows, he not choosing to
deliver the bad news to Eli first, whom he knew it would very much grieve, and
therefore slipped by him into the city:
lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: by the
"hand" of the way, as the marginal reading, and which we follow; it
seems to be a place where two ways or more met, and where was a way post
erected, with an hand directing what places they led to. The text is,
"he", or "it smote", as if his heart smote him for letting
the ark go; so KimchiF6Vid. David de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 47. 1. ;
here Eli had a seat placed, which, as the Targum says, was at the ascent of the
way to the gate; and so the Septuagint has it, at the gate; and JosephusF7Ut
supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 11. sect. 3.) says it was at one of the gates; either
of his own house, or of the tabernacle, or rather of the city; here he was
watching for news, to hear what he could, and as soon as he could, how it fared
with the army, with his sons, and especially with the ark:
for his heart trembled for the ark of God; not so much
for his sons, whose death he might expect from the divine prediction, but for
the ark, about which he was doubtful; fearing lest it should fall into the
hands of the uncircumcised Philistines, who would triumph upon it, and which
would make sad the heart of every true Israelite, and reflect much dishonour on
the God of Israel; and very probably he might tremble the more when he
reflected on his own sin and folly in suffering his sons to take it with them.
Eli here may represent a good man in pain for the church of God, and the
interest of religion in declining times, both with respect to ministers of the
word, and members of churches: as when Gospel ministers are removed by death,
few raised up in their stead, and those that do appear in the ministry, either
unregenerate, as it may be feared; or have not gifts and abilities qualifying
them for it; or are of immoral lives and conversations, or propagate false
doctrines, errors, and heresies: and also when among professors of religion and
members of churches there is a great decay of powerful godliness; and they are
got into a drowsy, sleepy, frame of spirit, are become lukewarm and indifferent
to spiritual exercises, want zeal for the Gospel and cause of Christ; are
careless about the honour and interest of religion, unstable and inconstant in
doctrine and worship, and in their affections to one another, and the ministers
of the word; and their conversation not as becomes their profession:
and when the man came into the city, and told it; how that the
army of Israel was beaten, what a number of men was killed, among whom were the
two sons of the high priest, and the ark was taken:
all the city cried out; that is, all the
inhabitants of the city, having most of them perhaps relations and friends in
the army, for whom they were concerned, fearing their lives were lost; but
especially the loss of the ark was insupportable by them, it being of so much
advantage to that city particularly, both with respect to things temporal and
spiritual; wherefore, upon hearing this bad news, there was a general shriek
and cry throughout the whole city.
1 Samuel 4:14 14 When Eli heard the noise
of the outcry, he said, “What does the sound of this tumult mean?”
And the man came quickly and told Eli.
YLT
14And Eli heareth the noise
of the cry, and saith, `What -- the noise of this tumult!' And the man hasted,
and cometh in, and declareth to Eli.
And when Eli heard the noise of the crying,.... The
shrieks of the men and women, which were very clamorous and terrible. Eli had
his hearing, though not his sight; he could not see the distress in their
countenances, but he heard the lamentations they made:
and said, what meaneth the noise of this tumult? it seems the
people ran about, wringing their hands, and making doleful shrieks; the noise
of which Eli heard, and the meaning of which he inquired after, or what should
be the cause of it:
and the man came in hastily, and told Eli; or made
haste, and came to him, and related all that is later expressed; for Eli was
not in any house, but on a seat by the way side, and therefore could not be
said to come "in" to him; but he came to him, where he was, being
brought by some of the citizens Eli had inquired of what should be the meaning
of this noise; and therefore without delay the man was hastened to give the
whole account unto him, as it was highly proper he should, being the supreme
magistrate.
1 Samuel 4:15 15 Eli was ninety-eight years
old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see.
YLT
15And Eli is a son of ninety
and eight years, and his eyes have stood, and he hath not been able to see.
Now Eli was ninety eight years old,.... Which is very
properly observed, he being now come to the end of his days, and which also
accounts for his blindness after mentioned:
and his eyes were dim, that he could not see; could not see
the messenger, and read in his countenance, and perceive by his clothes rent,
and earth on his head, that he was a bringer of bad tidings; or his eyes each
of them "stood"F8קמה
"stetit", Montanus; "stabant", Tigurine version. ; were
fixed and immovable, as the eyes of blind men be. In 1 Samuel 3:2 it is
said, "his eyes began to wax dim"; but here that they
"were" become dim; and there might be some years between that time
and this, for Samuel then was very young, but now more grown up: though
Procopius Gazaeus thinks that Eli was then ninety eight years of age, and that
the affair there related was just before his death; but it rather appears to be
some time before.
1 Samuel 4:16 16 Then the man said to Eli,
“I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle
line.” And he said, “What happened, my son?”
YLT
16And the man saith unto Eli,
`I [am] he who hath come out of the ranks, and I out of the ranks have fled
to-day;' and he saith, `What hath been the matter, my son?'
And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army,.... It is
very probable that the people Eli inquired of told him there was a messenger
come from the army, though they did not choose to relate to him the news he
brought:
and I fled today out of the army; so that as he was an
eyewitness of what was done in the army, the account he brought was the
earliest that could be had, in bringing which he had made great dispatch,
having ran perhaps all the way:
and he said, what is there done, my son? has a battle
been fought? on which side is the victory? is Israel beaten, or have they
conquered? how do things go? he uses the kind and tender appellation, my son,
to engage him to tell him all freely and openly.
1 Samuel 4:17 17 So the messenger answered
and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great
slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead;
and the ark of God has been captured.”
YLT
17And he who is bearing
tidings answereth and saith, `Israel hath fled before the Philistines, and also
a great slaughter hath been among the people, and also thy two sons have died
-- Hophni and Phinehas -- and the ark of God hath been captured.'
And the messenger answered and said,.... He delivered his
account gradually, beginning with generals, and then proceeding to particulars,
and with what he thought Eli could better bear the news of, and so prepared him
for the worst; in which he acted a wise part:
Israel is fled before the Philistines; they have
given way and retreated, and which might possibly be done without great loss,
and which, though it was bad news, might not be so very bad:
and there hath also been a great slaughter among the people; this is worse
news still; however, the number of the slain is not given, nor any mention of
particular persons that were killed: so that, for any thing yet said, his own
sons might be safe: but then it follows:
and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; the news of
which must be very affecting to him, and strike him closely; though he might
expect and be prepared for it by what both the man of God and Samuel from the
Lord had related to him:
and the ark of God is taken; the thing he feared, and
his heart trembled before for it; this was the closing and cutting part of the
account; the messenger foresaw that this would the most affect him, and
therefore referred it to the last.
1 Samuel 4:18 18 Then it happened, when he
made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side
of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and
heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
YLT
18And it cometh to pass, at
his mentioning the ark of God, that he falleth from off the throne backward, by
the side of the gate, and his neck is broken, and he dieth, for the man [is]
old and heavy, and he hath judged Israel forty years.
And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God,.... Of the
taking of that, it struck him to the heart, and killed him; the rest he bore
tolerably well, the flight of Israel before the Philistines, the great
slaughter made of them, the death of his two sons; but the taking of the ark
was so dreadful to him, that he could not support under it:
that he fell from off the seat backward, by the side of the gate; which
confirms the sense of 1 Samuel 4:13
though whether it was the gate of his own house, or of the tabernacle, or of
the city is not certain; the latter is most probable: it seems the seat on
which he sat had no back to it, and might be placed only for present
convenience:
and his neck brake; the back part of it, the
"vertebrae" of it, which has its name in Hebrew from the several
joints in it:
and he died; not through the breaking of his neck, for it is very probable he
died directly upon hearing the ark was taken, and which was the reason of his
falling backward, and that brake his neck:
for he was an old man, and heavy; full of flesh, a very
fat man, and so fell heavy, which occasioned the breaking of his neck:
and he had judged Israel forty years; had governed
them in the capacity both of an high priest and judge, so that he must enter on
his government when fifty eight years of age; the Septuagint version has it
very wrongly twenty years. According to the JewsF9Schulchan Aruch,
par. 1. c. 580. sect. 2. , he died on the tenth of Ijar, answering to part of
April and May, and his two sons and the ark taken; for which a fast was kept on
it.
1 Samuel 4:19 19 Now his daughter-in-law,
Phinehas’s wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard
the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her
husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came
upon her.
YLT
19And his daughter-in-law,
wife of Phinehas, [is] pregnant, about to bear, and she heareth the report of
the taking of the ark of God, that her father-in-law and her husband have died,
and she boweth, and beareth, for her pains have turned upon her.
And his daughter in law, Phinehas's wife, was with child, near to
be delivered,.... Was near her time, as it is commonly expressed. Ben Gersom
derives the word from a root which signifies to complete and finishF11כלה "absolvere, consummare, perficere", Buxtorf.
; denoting that her time to bring forth was completed and filled up; though
JosephusF12Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 3.) sect. 4. says that it was
a seven months' birth, so that she came two months before her time; the margin
of our Bibles is, "to cry out"F13ללת
"ad ululandum", Montanus; so some in Munster; "ad
ejulandum", as some in Vatablus. ; and so Moses Kimchi, as his brother
relates, derives the word from a root which signifies to howl and lament, and
so is expressive of a woman's crying out when her pains come upon her:
and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken: which is
mentioned first, as being the most distressing to her:
and that her father in law and her husband were dead; her father-in-law
Eli is put first, being the high priest of God, and so his death gave her the
greatest concern, as the death of an high priest was always matter of grief to
the Israelites; and next the death of her husband, who should have succeeded
him in the priesthood; for though he was a bad man, yet not so bad as Hophni,
as Ben Gersom observes; and therefore the priesthood was continued in his line
unto the reign of Solomon; and no notice is taken by her of the death of her
brother-in-law:
she bowed herself, and travailed; put herself in a posture
for travailing; perceiving she was coming to it, she fell upon her knees, as
the word used signifies; and we are toldF14Ludolph. Hist. Aethiop.
l. 1. c. 14. , that the Ethiopian women, when they bring forth, fall upon their
knees, and bear their young, rarely making use of a midwife, and so it seems it
was the way of the Hebrew women:
for her pains came upon her; sooner it is very
probable than otherwise they would, which is sometimes the case, when frights
seize a person in such circumstances: or were "turned upon her"F15נהפכו "versae erant", Pagninus, Montanus. ; they
ceased, so that she could not make the necessary evacuations after the birth,
which issued in her death; some render it, "her doors were turned"F16"Quoniam
inversi sunt super eam eardines ejus", Munster; so Jarchi; Vid. T. Bab.
Becorot, fol. 45. 1. , or changed; the doors of her womb, as in Job 3:10, though
these had been opened for the bringing forth of her child, yet were reversed,
changed, and altered, so as to prevent the after birth coming away, which
caused her death, as follows.
1 Samuel 4:20 20 And about the time of her
death the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not fear, for you have borne
a son.” But she did not answer, nor did she regard it.
YLT
20And at the time of her
death, when the women who are standing by her say, `Fear not, for a son thou
hast borne,' she hath not answered, nor set her heart [to it];
And about the time of her death,.... Which quickly came
on after she was brought to bed:
the women that stood by her; who were called to her
labour, and assisted at it:
said unto her, fear not, for thou hast born a son; perceiving
that she was very low spirited, endeavoured to cheer and comfort her, by
observing to her that the worst was over; and besides she had brought forth a
man child, which was usually matter of joy to a family, and particularly to the
woman that bears it, which causes her to forget the sorrows and pains she has
gone through in bearing it, John 16:21 but she
answered not, neither did she regard it; said not one word in answer to them,
nor was the least affected with joy and pleasure at what they related to her;
being not only a dying woman, on the borders of another world, and so had no
relish for temporal enjoyments, but also overcome with grief with what had
happened, not only to her family, but more especially to the ark of God.
1 Samuel 4:21 21 Then she named the child
Ichabod,[c] saying,
“The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured
and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
YLT
21and she calleth the youth
I-Chabod, saying, `Honour hath removed from Israel,' because of the taking of
the ark of God, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
And she named the child Ichabod,.... Which some render,
"where is the glory?" as in the margin of our Bibles; but it
signifies "no glory", as Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it; her husband
being dead, she gives her child its name; the reason for which name follows:
saying, the glory is departed from Israel: the God of
glory, or the glorious Lord, was departed from Israel; the ark, the symbol of
his presence, being taken from them, and carried captive by the enemy; see Psalm 78:61.
because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in
law, and her husband; who were dead; these are the words either of the writer of this
book, or, as Abarbinel thinks, of the women that assisted at her labour; who
interpreted the name of the child, and suggested what were her intentions in
giving this name, which she had only expressed in general terms; the
particulars of which they thought fit to give, agreeably to her meaning, as
they supposed; which were the taking of the ark, and the death of her
father-in-law, and of her husband; but according to the same writer she before
her death corrected the sense they put upon her intention in thus naming the
child; showing that it was not on the account of the death of her father and
husband that she supposed the glory to be departed, and therefore named her
child Ichabod: but solely and alone because the ark was taken, as in the next
verse.
1 Samuel 4:22 22 And she said, “The glory
has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
YLT
22And she saith, `Honour hath
removed from Israel, for the ark of God hath been taken.'
And she said,.... Repeating what she had said before, for
the confirmation of it, or as correcting what the women had said; and so may be
rendered:
but she said; giving her own and only reason for the name
of the child:
the glory is departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken; so when the
word, worship, and ordinances of God are removed from a people, the glory is
gone from them; the God of glory is no more seen among them, who is so glorious
in his nature, perfections, and works; and Christ, the Lord of life and glory,
is no more held forth unto them in the glories of his person, offices, and
grace; and the glorious Gospel of Christ is no more preached unto them, so full
of glorious doctrines and promises; and the glorious ordinances of it no more
administered: and, when this is the case, the glory is departed from a people;
and which is owing to their formality, lukewarmness, unfruitfulness, negligent
attendance on the worship of God, contempt of the word and ordinances, and an
unbecoming walk and conversation.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)