King James Version
1 Samuel 4
22 verses with commentary
The Philistines Capture the Ark
And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. came: or, came to pass: Hebr. was
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Chapter 4 opens with a transition: 'the word of Samuel came to all Israel.' Samuel now speaks with prophetic authority, though the narrative quickly shifts to the Philistine crisis. Israel's battle against the Philistines near Ebenezer results in catastrophic defeat. The geographic markers (Ebenezer, Aphek) locate the conflict in the central hill country, Philistine territory encroaching on Israel...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **And the word of Samuel.**—To which portion of the narrative does this statement belong? Is it part of that account of the Lord’s dealings with Samuel which closed the preceding chapter? Does it close that brief narrative which tells of the Divine voice which called to, and the vision seen by, the young chosen servant of the Highest, with a note simply relating how the word of the boy-prophet...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-7. the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said--**The injured husband gave a brief and unvarnished recital of the tragic outrage, from which it appears that force was used, which he could not resist. His testimony was doubtless corroborated by those of his servant and the old Ephraimite. There was no need of strong or highly colored description to work upon the feeli...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The kinsman refuses to redeem Ruth's inheritance.(1-8)
Boaz marries Ruth.(9-12)
Birth of Obed.(13-22)
**Verses 1-8**
This matter depended on the laws given by Moses about inheritances, and doubtless the whole was settled in the regular and legal manner. This kinsman, when he heard the conditions of the bargain, refused it. In like manner many are shy...
Read full commentary →And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. they joined: Heb. the battle was spread army: Heb. array
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The initial defeat - four thousand Israelites killed - prompts self-examination. The elders' question 'Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us?' shows theological awareness: defeat comes from the LORD, not merely from Philistine superiority. Their solution, however, reveals dangerous theology: bring the Ark to make it 'save us.' The Ark becomes a magical talisman rather than symbol of covenant relation...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-7. the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said--**The injured husband gave a brief and unvarnished recital of the tragic outrage, from which it appears that force was used, which he could not resist. His testimony was doubtless corroborated by those of his servant and the old Ephraimite. There was no need of strong or highly colored description to work upon the feeli...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The kinsman refuses to redeem Ruth's inheritance.(1-8)
Boaz marries Ruth.(9-12)
Birth of Obed.(13-22)
**Verses 1-8**
This matter depended on the laws given by Moses about inheritances, and doubtless the whole was settled in the regular and legal manner. This kinsman, when he heard the conditions of the bargain, refused it. In like manner many are shy...
Read full commentary →And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. fetch: Heb. take unto us
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The elders' statement reveals both right and wrong. Rightly, they acknowledge the LORD 'smote us.' Wrongly, they conclude that bringing the Ark will guarantee deliverance. The phrase 'when it cometh among us, it may save us' treats the Ark as an independent power source. Notice the shift from 'the LORD' to 'it' - the object has replaced the Person. This theological error - trusting symbols rather ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us?**—The people and the elders who, as we have seen above, had undertaken the war of liberty at the instigation or the young man of God, amazed at their defeat, were puzzled to understand why God was evidently not in their midst; they showed by their next procedure how thoroughly they had gone astray from the old pure religion.
**Let us fetch the ark of the c...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-7. the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said--**The injured husband gave a brief and unvarnished recital of the tragic outrage, from which it appears that force was used, which he could not resist. His testimony was doubtless corroborated by those of his servant and the old Ephraimite. There was no need of strong or highly colored description to work upon the feeli...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The kinsman refuses to redeem Ruth's inheritance.(1-8)
Boaz marries Ruth.(9-12)
Birth of Obed.(13-22)
**Verses 1-8**
This matter depended on the laws given by Moses about inheritances, and doubtless the whole was settled in the regular and legal manner. This kinsman, when he heard the conditions of the bargain, refused it. In like manner many are shy...
Read full commentary →So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The Ark's arrival with Hophni and Phinehas - the very priests under judgment - seals Israel's fate. The full title 'the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims' emphasizes the Ark's significance, making its subsequent capture more shocking. The condemned priests accompany the Ark to war, ensuring that God's judgment will encompass both priesthood and people. ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **So the people sent to Shiloh.**—There was, no doubt, in the minds of the elders, the memory of many a glorious victory gained in the old heroic days of Moses and Joshua in the presence of their sacred Ark; but *then *God was with His people, and the sacred Ark of the Covenant served as a reminder of His ever-presence with them; now they had been disloyal to their unseen King, His very sanctu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-7. the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said--**The injured husband gave a brief and unvarnished recital of the tragic outrage, from which it appears that force was used, which he could not resist. His testimony was doubtless corroborated by those of his servant and the old Ephraimite. There was no need of strong or highly colored description to work upon the feeli...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The kinsman refuses to redeem Ruth's inheritance.(1-8)
Boaz marries Ruth.(9-12)
Birth of Obed.(13-22)
**Verses 1-8**
This matter depended on the laws given by Moses about inheritances, and doubtless the whole was settled in the regular and legal manner. This kinsman, when he heard the conditions of the bargain, refused it. In like manner many are shy...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Israel's response to the Ark's arrival - shouting so the 'earth rang again' - reflects confident expectation of victory. The Hebrew shout (teru'ah) typically accompanies military action and worship. Their enthusiasm is genuine but misplaced. They trust the Ark's presence without examining their hearts or the condition of their leadership. The shout echoes earlier victory celebrations (Joshua 6:5, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **And when the ark . . . came into the camp.**—As far as we know, this was the first time since the establishment of the people in Canaan that the Ark had been brought from the permanent sanctuary into the camp. The shout of joy represented the confidence of the army that now the Ark, which had witnessed so many splendid victories of the chosen race, was among them, discomfiture was out of the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:8-17. Their Decree.
**8-13. all the people arose as one man--**The extraordinary unanimity that prevailed shows, that notwithstanding great disorders had broken out in many parts, the people were sound at the core; and remembering their national covenant with God, they now felt the necessity of wiping out so foul a stain on their character as a people. It was resolved that the inhabitants ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The kinsman refuses to redeem Ruth's inheritance.(1-8)
Boaz marries Ruth.(9-12)
Birth of Obed.(13-22)
**Verses 1-8**
This matter depended on the laws given by Moses about inheritances, and doubtless the whole was settled in the regular and legal manner. This kinsman, when he heard the conditions of the bargain, refused it. In like manner many are shy...
Read full commentary →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 was come into the camp.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The Philistines hear the shout and understand its significance: 'God is come into the camp.' Even pagans recognize that Israel's God is associated with the Ark. Their assessment, though coming from idolaters, is partially correct - except that God has not come to fight for Israel but to judge them. The Philistines' fear shows they know something of Yahweh's reputation. Their subsequent rally demon...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:8-17. Their Decree.
**8-13. all the people arose as one man--**The extraordinary unanimity that prevailed shows, that notwithstanding great disorders had broken out in many parts, the people were sound at the core; and remembering their national covenant with God, they now felt the necessity of wiping out so foul a stain on their character as a people. It was resolved that the inhabitants ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The kinsman refuses to redeem Ruth's inheritance.(1-8)
Boaz marries Ruth.(9-12)
Birth of Obed.(13-22)
**Verses 1-8**
This matter depended on the laws given by Moses about inheritances, and doubtless the whole was settled in the regular and legal manner. This kinsman, when he heard the conditions of the bargain, refused it. In like manner many are shy...
Read full commentary →And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore . heretofore: Heb. yesterday, or, the third day
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Philistine fear intensifies: 'Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.' Their alarm reflects awareness that this battle differs from ordinary conflicts. The statement 'God is come into the camp' uses singular for 'God,' acknowledging Yahweh's singular power. Yet their fear, though appropriate, will not prevent victory because Israel's God is fighting against, not for, His own ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **God is come into the camp.**—The joy manifested by the Israelites at the arrival of the Ark from the sanctuary made the Philistines suspect that their enemies’ God was now present with the defeated army.
The city of Aphek, near to which the camp of Israel was pitched, was close to the western entrance of the Pass of Beth-horon. The two defeats of Israel are termed in this Commentary the Batt...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:8-17. Their Decree.
**8-13. all the people arose as one man--**The extraordinary unanimity that prevailed shows, that notwithstanding great disorders had broken out in many parts, the people were sound at the core; and remembering their national covenant with God, they now felt the necessity of wiping out so foul a stain on their character as a people. It was resolved that the inhabitants ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The kinsman refuses to redeem Ruth's inheritance.(1-8)
Boaz marries Ruth.(9-12)
Birth of Obed.(13-22)
**Verses 1-8**
This matter depended on the laws given by Moses about inheritances, and doubtless the whole was settled in the regular and legal manner. This kinsman, when he heard the conditions of the bargain, refused it. In like manner many are shy...
Read full commentary →Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The Philistine memory of Egypt shows how widely Yahweh's reputation had spread. Their summary is confused (plagues 'in the wilderness' mixes locations) but reflects genuine terror. The rhetorical question 'who shall deliver us?' anticipates no answer - they expect defeat. Yet God has purposed their victory for His own reasons. The irony is thick: pagans invoke Israel's salvation history while Isra...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **These are the Gods that smote the Egyptians.**—No doubt the compiler of these “Memoirs of Samuel” has given us the very words of the Philistines, preserved in their national traditions of this sad time. They are the expression of idolaters who knew of “Gods” and dreaded their malevolent influence, but who had no conception of the One Most High God. The plural form Elohim, so often found in t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:8-17. Their Decree.
**8-13. all the people arose as one man--**The extraordinary unanimity that prevailed shows, that notwithstanding great disorders had broken out in many parts, the people were sound at the core; and remembering their national covenant with God, they now felt the necessity of wiping out so foul a stain on their character as a people. It was resolved that the inhabitants ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
The kinsman refuses to redeem Ruth's inheritance.(1-8)
Boaz marries Ruth.(9-12)
Birth of Obed.(13-22)
**Verses 1-8**
This matter depended on the laws given by Moses about inheritances, and doubtless the whole was settled in the regular and legal manner. This kinsman, when he heard the conditions of the bargain, refused it. In like manner many are shy...
Read full commentary →Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. quit: Heb. be men
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Philistine leaders rally their troops with appeals to courage and survival: 'Be strong, and quit yourselves like men.' The warning against becoming 'servants unto the Hebrews' reverses actual historical relationships - the Philistines were oppressors, not the oppressed. Yet their fear of role reversal motivates fierce resistance. Human resolve, even pagan resolve, can accomplish great things when ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Be strong, . . . O ye Philistines . . .**—The ring of these striking words—part of the same Philistine tradition of their splendid success—probably embodied in some well-known hymn of victory, was evidently in St. Paul’s mind when he wrote his stirring words of exhortation to his loved Corinthian Church, “Quit ye like men; be strong.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:8-17. Their Decree.
**8-13. all the people arose as one man--**The extraordinary unanimity that prevailed shows, that notwithstanding great disorders had broken out in many parts, the people were sound at the core; and remembering their national covenant with God, they now felt the necessity of wiping out so foul a stain on their character as a people. It was resolved that the inhabitants ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-18**
Hannah mingled tears with her prayers; she considered the mercy of our God, who knows the troubled soul. God gives us leave, in prayer, not only to ask good things in general, but to mention that special good thing we most need and desire. She spoke softly, none could hear her. Hereby she testified her belief of God's knowledge of the heart and its desires. Eli was high priest,...
Read full commentary →And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The battle's outcome devastates Israel: complete rout ('they fled every man into his tent'), catastrophic casualties ('thirty thousand footmen'), and the unthinkable - the Ark captured. The phrase 'Israel was smitten' uses the same language as verse 2, but now sevenfold worse. God has not merely permitted defeat but actively judged His people. The Ark's capture fulfills the prophecy: 'thou shalt s...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **And Israel was smitten.**—The result was strictly in accordance with those immutable laws which have ever guided the connection of Israel and their God-Friend. As long as they clave to the invisible Preserver, and served Him with their whole heart and soul, and kept themselves pure from the pollution of the idol nations around them, so long was He in their midst, so long would they be invin...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:8-17. Their Decree.
**8-13. all the people arose as one man--**The extraordinary unanimity that prevailed shows, that notwithstanding great disorders had broken out in many parts, the people were sound at the core; and remembering their national covenant with God, they now felt the necessity of wiping out so foul a stain on their character as a people. It was resolved that the inhabitants ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-11**
The taking of the ark was a great judgment upon Israel, and a certain token of God's displeasure. Let none think to shelter themselves from the wrath of God, under the cloak of outward profession.
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. were slain: Heb. died
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The prophecy's sign finds fulfillment: Hophni and Phinehas die together on the same day (2:34). Their deaths validate the entire prophetic oracle and seal judgment on Eli's house. The Ark's capture completes the disaster - symbol of God's presence carried away by pagans. Yet even in this catastrophe, God remains sovereign. The Ark's captivity will become the occasion for demonstrating His power ov...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **And the ark of God was taken.**—The bare fact, without comment or note, is given of this, the greatest calamity that had yet happened to Israel. All the people would know by this terrible sign that their invisible King had withdrawn His countenance from them; but the loss of the Ark to the heathen taught another lesson, not merely for the Israel of the days of Eli and Samuel—the eternal tru...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14-17. the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah--**Allowing their valor to be ever so great, nothing but blind passion and unbending obstinacy could have impelled them to take the field against their brethren with such a disparity of numbers.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-11**
The taking of the ark was a great judgment upon Israel, and a certain token of God's displeasure. Let none think to shelter themselves from the wrath of God, under the cloak of outward profession.
Eli's Death
And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
A Benjamite messenger runs from the battlefield to Shiloh, arriving the same day with torn clothes and earth on his head - traditional signs of mourning and disaster. The urgency of his journey matches the severity of his news. Benjamin's territory lay between Ephraim (where Shiloh stood) and the coastal plain (where the Philistines camped), making a Benjamite courier geographically appropriate. H...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **And there ran a man of Benjamin.**—The Rabbinical tradition relates that this messenger was Saul, who snatched from Goliath the tables of the Law taken out of the Ark, in order to save them. The whole of this account is so vivid, and is so full of detail that it must have come from some eye-witness—probably from Samuel himself. These swift runners are still employed to carry news in war tim...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14-17. the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah--**Allowing their valor to be ever so great, nothing but blind passion and unbending obstinacy could have impelled them to take the field against their brethren with such a disparity of numbers.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The defeat of the army was very grievous to Eli as a judge; the tidings of the death of his two sons, to whom he had been so indulgent, and who, as he had reason to fear, died impenitent, touched him as a father; yet there was a greater concern on his spirit. And when the messenger concluded his story with, "The ark of God is taken," he is struck to the heart, and died immedia...
Read full commentary →And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: 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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Eli sits 'by the wayside watching,' heart trembling for the Ark. Despite his failures, Eli's concern for the Ark shows genuine devotion to God's honor. The narrator emphasizes this: 'his heart trembled for the ark of God.' When the messenger arrives and the city cries out, Eli hears but cannot see - his physical blindness now fully symbolic. The aged priest awaits news that will confirm both his w...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Eli sat upon a seat.**—The text here is a little confused, but the sense is perfectly clear. The best and most accurate rendering would be, *Eli sat by the side of the way of the watchers: i.e., *the street or way in Shiloh, so named probably from the watch-tower which was situated in it. (See *Speaker’s Commentary *here.) The LXX. renders it, “by the side of the gate watching the way.”
The...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14-17. the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah--**Allowing their valor to be ever so great, nothing but blind passion and unbending obstinacy could have impelled them to take the field against their brethren with such a disparity of numbers.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The defeat of the army was very grievous to Eli as a judge; the tidings of the death of his two sons, to whom he had been so indulgent, and who, as he had reason to fear, died impenitent, touched him as a father; yet there was a greater concern on his spirit. And when the messenger concluded his story with, "The ark of God is taken," he is struck to the heart, and died immedia...
Read full commentary →And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Eli hears the city's outcry and asks its meaning, showing his dependence on others due to blindness. The 'noise of the crying' indicates communal lamentation has begun before formal announcement. The messenger 'came in hastily' to bring news directly to the high priest. Eli, whose failure to act hastily against his sons brought this judgment, now must receive hasty news of that judgment's completi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **What meaneth the noise?**—The blind old man, we must suppose, was seated on his chair of state, surrounded by priests and Levites, who were in attendance on him as high priest and judge. As the runner drew near, and the torn dress and the dust sprinkled on his head—the symbols of disaster—became visible, the wail of woe would soon run through the place. The cry of sorrow was the first intim...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14-17. the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah--**Allowing their valor to be ever so great, nothing but blind passion and unbending obstinacy could have impelled them to take the field against their brethren with such a disparity of numbers.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The defeat of the army was very grievous to Eli as a judge; the tidings of the death of his two sons, to whom he had been so indulgent, and who, as he had reason to fear, died impenitent, touched him as a father; yet there was a greater concern on his spirit. And when the messenger concluded his story with, "The ark of God is taken," he is struck to the heart, and died immedia...
Read full commentary →Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. were dim: Heb. stood
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Eli's age (ninety-eight) and blindness are restated, emphasizing his frailty. He cannot see the messenger or read faces; he must wait for words. The physical description - aged, blind, unable to see - comprehensively describes Eli's condition. He has served as judge for forty years (verse 18), almost the entire period of Philistine oppression. His life ends as it was lived: in blindness to spiritu...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Ninety and eight years old.**—The LXX. here reads “ninety” years, the Syriac Version “seventy eight.” In the sacred text, where numbers are concerned we usually find these varieties of translation and interpretation. The present system of numerals was invented by the Arabs. The Hebrews use the letters of the alphabet to express numbers. Such a system was naturally fruitful in errors of tran...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand.
**18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--**This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The defeat of the army was very grievous to Eli as a judge; the tidings of the death of his two sons, to whom he had been so indulgent, and who, as he had reason to fear, died impenitent, touched him as a father; yet there was a greater concern on his spirit. And when the messenger concluded his story with, "The ark of God is taken," he is struck to the heart, and died immedia...
Read full commentary →And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? is: Heb. is the thing
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The messenger identifies himself as an eyewitness: 'I am he that came out of the army.' His statement 'I fled to day' indicates same-day arrival, emphasizing urgency and recent experience of the disaster. Eli's question 'What is there done?' invites the terrible report. The Hebrew mah hayah hadavar ('what was the thing/word') requests the substantive news beneath the crying. Eli must hear the spec...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **I fled to day out of the army.**—The fatal battle had taken place very early that same morning. The utter rout, the awful slaughter, the death of Hophni and Phinehas, and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant, all this the messenger knew, and with this terrible news had hasted to the seat of the government—the now empty sanctuary.
The very words of the runner were remembered. The whole vivid ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand.
**18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--**This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The defeat of the army was very grievous to Eli as a judge; the tidings of the death of his two sons, to whom he had been so indulgent, and who, as he had reason to fear, died impenitent, touched him as a father; yet there was a greater concern on his spirit. And when the messenger concluded his story with, "The ark of God is taken," he is struck to the heart, and died immedia...
Read full commentary →And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The report comes in ascending severity: Israel fled before the Philistines (bad), great slaughter occurred (worse), both sons are dead (devastating), and the Ark is captured (unthinkable). Each element builds on the previous, climaxing with the Ark. The messenger knows what matters most to Eli and saves it for last. The structure forces Eli - and the reader - to absorb each level of disaster befor...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand.
**18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--**This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The defeat of the army was very grievous to Eli as a judge; the tidings of the death of his two sons, to whom he had been so indulgent, and who, as he had reason to fear, died impenitent, touched him as a father; yet there was a greater concern on his spirit. And when the messenger concluded his story with, "The ark of God is taken," he is struck to the heart, and died immedia...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Eli's death comes specifically at 'mention of the ark of God' - not at news of his sons' deaths but at the Ark's capture. This reaction reveals what mattered most to him. He falls backward, breaks his neck, and dies. The descriptors - old, heavy, forty-year judge - seem almost obituary-like. The phrase 'he had judged Israel forty years' provides formal closure to his ministry. Whatever his failure...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **He fell from off the seat backward.**—The compiler of these books was actuated by no feeling of friendship to the high priest Eli. In composing this history of the events which led to the elevation of Samuel to the judgeship, he simply puts together the materials he possessed of the records of these days, and gives us a vivid picture of the calamities of the rule of Eli. As he never spares ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand.
**18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--**This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-18**
The defeat of the army was very grievous to Eli as a judge; the tidings of the death of his two sons, to whom he had been so indulgent, and who, as he had reason to fear, died impenitent, touched him as a father; yet there was a greater concern on his spirit. And when the messenger concluded his story with, "The ark of God is taken," he is struck to the heart, and died immedia...
Read full commentary →And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. be delivered: or, cry out came: Heb. were turned
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KJV Study Commentary
Phinehas's wife, pregnant and near delivery, receives the triple news: Ark captured, father-in-law dead, husband dead. The shock induces labor; her 'pains came upon her.' The phrase 'she bowed herself' suggests collapse, indicating the birth occurs amid crisis rather than normal conditions. This unnamed woman becomes a prophetic voice, naming her son in a way that interprets the disaster theologic...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand.
**18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--**This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-22**
The wife of Phinehas seems to have been a person of piety. Her dying regret was for the loss of the ark, and the departure of the glory from Israel. What is any earthly joy to her that feels herself dying? No joy but that which is spiritual and divine, will stand in any stead then; death is too serious a thing to admit the relish of any earthly joy. What is it to one that is l...
Read full commentary →And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. neither: Heb. set not her heart
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KJV Study Commentary
As she dies, attendants try to comfort her: 'Fear not; for thou hast born a son.' In normal circumstances, bearing a son would bring joy and security. But she does not respond - 'she answered not, neither did she regard it.' A son cannot compensate for what has been lost. The attendants' comfort reflects normal values; her non-response reflects accurate theological assessment. Personal blessing me...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand.
**18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--**This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-22**
The wife of Phinehas seems to have been a person of piety. Her dying regret was for the loss of the ark, and the departure of the glory from Israel. What is any earthly joy to her that feels herself dying? No joy but that which is spiritual and divine, will stand in any stead then; death is too serious a thing to admit the relish of any earthly joy. What is it to one that is l...
Read full commentary →And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. Ichabod: that is, Where is the glory? or, There is no glory
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KJV Study Commentary
The dying woman names her son Ichabod (I-kabod), meaning 'no glory' or 'where is the glory?' Her interpretive statement explains: 'The glory is departed from Israel.' The Hebrew kabod (glory) refers to God's weighty, manifest presence. Her declaration - naming that redefines the disaster - shows remarkable theological insight. She understands that the Ark's capture means more than military defeat ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21-22) **The glory is departed from Israel.**—This singular and circumstantial account of the death of the widow of Phinehas, the evil warrior-priest, the son of Eli, which follows directly after the story of the great national disaster, is introduced from the records of that sad time, not from any special interest in the hapless woman and her sad fate, but solely for the purpose of showing how d...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand.
**18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--**This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-22**
The wife of Phinehas seems to have been a person of piety. Her dying regret was for the loss of the ark, and the departure of the glory from Israel. What is any earthly joy to her that feels herself dying? No joy but that which is spiritual and divine, will stand in any stead then; death is too serious a thing to admit the relish of any earthly joy. What is it to one that is l...
Read full commentary →And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.
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KJV Study Commentary
The woman's final words repeat and expand her theological interpretation: 'The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.' Her equation of the Ark's loss with glory's departure shows sophisticated understanding. She says nothing of her dead husband or father-in-law in her dying breath - only of God's glory. This nameless woman provides the theological summary of the entire disaste...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 20:18-28. The Israelites Lose Forty Thousand.
**18-28. the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God--**This consultation at Shiloh was right. But they ought to have done it at the commencement of their proceedings. Instead of this, all their plans were formed, and never doubting, it would seem, that the war was just and inevitable, the only subject of their inquiry related to...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-22**
The wife of Phinehas seems to have been a person of piety. Her dying regret was for the loss of the ark, and the departure of the glory from Israel. What is any earthly joy to her that feels herself dying? No joy but that which is spiritual and divine, will stand in any stead then; death is too serious a thing to admit the relish of any earthly joy. What is it to one that is l...
Read full commentary →