1 Samuel 4: The ark is taken, Eli dies, and Ichabod is born
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What happens?
Israel goes out to fight the Philistines and is beaten, and about four thousand men are killed. The elders bring the ark of Yahweh's covenant from Shiloh, with Eli's sons Hophni and Phinehas, and when it comes into the camp all Israel shouts. The Philistines are afraid, but they fight, and Israel is beaten again: thirty thousand foot soldiers fall, the ark of God is taken, and Hophni and Phinehas die. A man of Benjamin runs to Shiloh with the news, and when he speaks of the ark, Eli, ninety-eight years old, falls backward off his seat, breaks his neck and dies; he had judged Israel forty years. Phinehas' wife gives birth as she is dying, and names the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!"
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. No verse is in gold: God speaks no words in this chapter. The elders of Israel speak in verse 3. The Philistines speak in verses 6 to 9. Eli asks what the noise is in verse 14, and the man from the battle answers him in verses 16 and 17; Eli asks him "How did it go, my son?" in verse 16. The women who stand by Phinehas' wife speak in verse 20, and she names her son in verses 21 and 22. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1The word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.
In plain English: Samuel's word came to all Israel. Israel went out to battle against (literally: to meet) the Philistines and camped beside Ebenezer, and the Philistines camped at Aphek.
Good to know: This Bible prints "The word of Samuel came to all Israel" at the start of chapter 4, and the battle story begins with the next words. The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) begins the verse differently: "And it came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered themselves together against Israel to war". The place called Ebenezer here is the name Samuel gives a stone in (see the note there).
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2The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel. When they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field.
In plain English: The Philistines lined up for battle against Israel. When the battle spread (this Bible: when they joined battle), Israel was beaten by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men in the battle line in the field.
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3When the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has Yahweh defeated us today before the Philistines? Let’s get the ark of Yahweh’s covenant out of Shiloh and bring it to us, that it may come among us and save us out of the hand of our enemies.”
In plain English: When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has Yahweh let us be beaten (this Bible: defeated us) today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of Yahweh's covenant here from Shiloh, so that it (or: he) may come among us and save us from the hand of our enemies."
Good to know: In Hebrew the word for "it" in "it may come among us and save us" can also be read "he". So the elders may mean the ark, or Yahweh himself. The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) has "it shall save us". The text does not say that the elders asked Yahweh before they sent for the ark.
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4So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of Armies, who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
In plain English: So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they brought the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of Armies, who sits (or: is enthroned) above the cherubim. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
Good to know: The cherubim were the two figures of hammered gold at the two ends of the mercy seat on the ark (), and Yahweh said, "I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim" (). The same title, "Yahweh of Armies who sits above the cherubim", is used in .
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5When the ark of Yahweh’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded.
In plain English: When the ark of Yahweh's covenant came into the camp, all Israel gave a great shout, so that the earth shook (this Bible: resounded).
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6When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” They understood that Yahweh’s ark had come into the camp.
In plain English: When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" Then they learned (this Bible: understood) that Yahweh's ark had come into the camp.
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7The Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” They said, “Woe to us! For there has not been such a thing before.
In plain English: The Philistines were afraid, because they said, "God (or: a god) has come into the camp." They said, "Woe to us! Nothing like this has happened before (literally: yesterday or the day before).
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8Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.
In plain English: Woe to us! Who will rescue us from the hand of these mighty gods (or: this mighty God)? These are the gods (or: This is the God) who struck the Egyptians with every kind of plague in the wilderness.
The Hebrew word: "Gods" is elohim, which the dictionary gives as "gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used ... of the supreme God". Here the Philistines speak of it in the plural: "these mighty", "these are".
What changes: Read as "gods", the Philistines speak of Israel's God as they would of their own many gods. Read as "God", they mean the one God of Israel. Either way, these are the Philistines' words.
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9Be strong and behave like men, O you Philistines, that you not be servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Strengthen yourselves like men, and fight!”
In plain English: Be strong and act like men, you Philistines, so that you do not become slaves (this Bible: servants) to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Act like men and fight!"
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10The Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter; for thirty thousand footmen of Israel fell.
In plain English: So the Philistines fought, and Israel was beaten, and every man ran to his tent. The slaughter was very great: thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
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11God’s ark was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
In plain English: The ark of God was taken, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died (this Bible: were slain).
Good to know: This is the sign the man of God gave Eli in : "in one day they will both die".
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12A man of Benjamin ran out of the army and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head.
In plain English: A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh that same day, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
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13When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for God’s ark. When the man came into the city and told about it, all the city cried out.
In plain English: When he came, there was Eli, sitting on his seat by the road, watching, because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. When the man came into the town and told the news, the whole town cried out.
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14When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, “What does the noise of this tumult mean?” The man hurried, and came and told Eli.
In plain English: When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, "What does the noise of this uproar (this Bible: tumult) mean?" The man hurried and came and told Eli.
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15Now Eli was ninety-eight years old. His eyes were set, so that he could not see.
In plain English: Eli was ninety-eight years old. His eyes were fixed (this Bible: set), so that he could not see.
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16The man said to Eli, “I am he who came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army.” He said, “How did the matter go, my son?”
In plain English: The man said to Eli, "I am the one who came from the battle line (this Bible: army). I ran away from the battle today." Eli said, "How did it go (literally: what was the matter), my son?"
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17He who brought the news answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and God’s ark has been captured.”
In plain English: The one who brought the news answered, "Israel has run away before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead too, and the ark of God has been taken."
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18When he made mention of God’s ark, Eli fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck broke, and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.
In plain English: When he spoke of the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his seat by the side of the gate. His neck broke and he died, because he was an old man and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years.
Good to know: The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) gives different numbers: Eli is "ninety years old" (verse 15), and "he judged Israel twenty years". The Hebrew has ninety-eight years and forty years, as this Bible prints them.
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19His daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to giving birth. When she heard the news that God’s ark was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth; for her pains came on her.
In plain English: His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time to give birth. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been taken and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bent down (this Bible: bowed herself) and gave birth, because her labor pains came on her (literally: turned on her).
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20About the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.” But she didn’t answer, neither did she regard it.
In plain English: As she was dying, the women standing by her said to her, "Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son." But she did not answer or pay attention (literally: set her heart on it).
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21She named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because God’s ark was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
In plain English: She named the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has gone (literally: gone into exile; this Bible: departed) from Israel!" because the ark of God had been taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
The Hebrew words: "Ichabod" is I-kavod. The second part, kavod, is the word for "glory" in her words, which the dictionary gives as "properly, weight, but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness". The dictionary gives the name only as "a son of Phineas", and the text gives the reason in her own words: "The glory has departed from Israel!"
What changes: The first part, i, can be read as the dictionary's "not", so the name says "no glory". It can also be heard as ay, which the dictionary gives as "where? hence how?", so the name asks "where is the glory?" Either way, the name says the glory is gone.
How it is translated: This Bible says "glory" in 146 of the 189 verses that use kavod, and "honor" or a longer form in 36.
Good to know: "Departed" is galah, which the dictionary gives as "to denude ... by implication, to exile ... figuratively, to reveal". It is the word for "revealed" in (Yahweh's word was not yet revealed to Samuel) and (Yahweh revealed himself to Samuel). Here it is used of the glory going away, as people go into exile.
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22She said, “The glory has departed from Israel; for God’s ark has been taken.”
In plain English: She said, "The glory has gone from Israel, because the ark of God has been taken."
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