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1 SAMUEL 4

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

 NASB  NKJV  NRSV  TEV   NJB
(MT versing)
Philistines Take the Ark in Victory The Ark Is Captured Beginning of the War with the Philistines
(4:1b-7:2)		 The Capture of the Covenant Box Defeat of the Israelites and Capture of the Ark
The Defeat of Israel and Capture of the Ark
4:1-4 4:1-4 4:1b-4 4:1-4 4:1-11
The Loss of the Ark
4:5-9 4:5-9 4:5-9 4:5-9
4:10-11 4:10-11 4:10-11 4:10-11
Death of Eli The Death of Eli The Death of Eli Death of Eli
4:12-18 4:12-18 4:12-18 4:12-16b 4:12-18
4:16c
4:17
4:18
Icabod The Birth of Icabod The Death of the Widow of Phinehas Death of the Wife of Phinehas
4:19-22 4:19-22 4:19-22 4:19-22 4:19-22

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

  1. First paragraph
  2. Second paragraph
  3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:1-4
  1Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer while the Philistines camped in Aphek. 2The Philistines drew up in battle array to meet Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield. 3When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies." 4So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

4:1 "the word of Samuel" This was really the word of YHWH (cf. 1 Sam. 3:19-21).

▣ "came to all Israel" This relates to 1 Sam. 3:20 (i.e., "Dan to Beersheba").

▣ "the Philistines" The Philistines were apparently Greeks from the Aegean Islands. They were the only group of people in this part of the world who were uncircumcised. They were apparently a mercenary force who tried to attack Egypt in the twelfth century b.c. but were defeated. They then settled on the southern coast of Palestine. They had five major cities which are delineated in Josh. 13:3 Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. They were a major military problem throughout the period of the judges and even throughout the reign of Saul and David. The name "Palestine" comes from the word "Philistine."

See NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1048-1052.

▣ "Ebenezer. . .Aphek" See map # 83, p. 68 in The MacMillan Bible Atlas. This location was at the northern limit of the Philistine territory, near an important pathway from the hill country to the sea coast plain.

4:2 "four thousand men" This is obviously a round number. "Thousand" can refer to a military unit but with the addition of "men," it is just a large round number.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (eleph)

4:3 "elders" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ELDERS

▣ "Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines"This event can be viewed in several ways.

  1. The sin of Eli's sons caused the judgment of YHWH to fall on all Israel (i.e., Hebrew corporality, cf. Joshua 7).
  2. All causality was attributed to YHWH (i.e., no secondary causes); this was a way to assert His sovereignty (cf. 2 Chr. 20:6; Eccl. 7:14; Isa. 14:24-27; 43:13; 45:7; 54:16; Jer. 18:11; Lam. 3:33-38; Amos 3:6).
  3. YHWH was revealing His characteristics to both Israel and Philistia.

▣ "the ark of the covenant of the Lord" The ark symbolized YHWH's personal presence. They thought its presence would assure victory (cf. Num. 10:35-36 and possibly Josh. 3:10-11). Also see note on p. 286 of IVP Bible Background Commentary.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ARK OF THE COVENANT

4:4 "the Lord of hosts" See SPECIAL TOPIC: Lord OF HOSTS.

▣ "the cherubim" See SPECIAL TOPIC: CHERUBIM.

▣ "the ark of the covenant of God" Notice how "YHWH" (v. 3) and "Elohim" (v. 4) are parallel.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C. and D.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:5-9
  5As the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded. 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?" Then they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. 7The Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp." And they said, "Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 9Take courage and be men, O Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight."

4:5 "so that the earth resounded" This is an obvious hyperbole. However, it was really loud and it scared the Philistines (vv. 6-8).

4:7-8 "God has come into the camp" This is the term Elohim used in v. 4. It is plural. It can mean "in the mouth of these pagans."

  1. Israel's covenant God ‒ NASB, NKJV, NJB, JPSOA, Peshitta (the verb is singular which usually means Elohim refers to YHWH)
  2. a god ‒ TEV, REB, RSV
  3. gods (v. 8) ‒ NRSV, NET
  4. the gods ‒ LXX

Verse 8 clarifies that it was the Hebrew God who delivered them from Egyptian bondage, who has now entered the camp of the Israelites!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:10-11
  10So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

4:10 "thirty-thousand foot soldiers" The number "thousand" had seven connotations (i.e., Jdgs. 20:2).

SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (eleph)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:12-18
  12Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dust on his head. 13When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road eagerly watching, because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. So the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out. 14When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the noise of this commotion mean?" Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli. 15Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were set so that he could not see. 16The man said to Eli, "I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today." And he said, "How did things go, my son?" 17Then the one who brought the news replied, "Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken." 18When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years.

4:12 "a man of Benjamin ran" The ANE used trained long-distance runners to carry messages (i.e., 2 Sam. 18:19).

▣ "clothes torn and dust on his head" See SPECIAL TOPIC: GRIEVING RITES.

4:13 "Eli was sitting on his seat" Verse 18 implies to me that the seat was on top of a wall overlooking the tabernacle enclosure. But this is just speculation on my part, although Josephus (Antiq. 5.11.3) calls it "a high throne at one of the gates."

4:15 "ninety-eight years old" This is a very specific number. It is obviously an eye-witness or recorded detail.

4:18 "he judged" The term "judge" comes from the Hebrew VERB shophetim (BDB 1047, KB 1622, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE), which meant "to settle a dispute." This Hebrew term is similar to (R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament, p. 680):

  1. the Canaanite term for "leader" or "prince" (cf. Amos 2:3)
  2. the Phoenician term for "regent"
  3. the Akkadian term for "ruler"
  4. the Carthaginean term, "chief magistrate"

▣ "Israel" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ISRAEL (THE NAME).

▣ "forty years" See SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE, #7.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 4:19-22
  19Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was pregnant and about to give birth; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. 20And about the time of her death the women who stood 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. 21And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel," because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22She said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken."

4:21 "Ichabod" The name (BDB 33) is defined as "the glory has departed." It refers to the ark being captured by the Philistines (v. 22).

The Hebrew אי (BDB 33, which are the first two letters of the name "Ichabod") can mean

  1. "where" (Rotherham, או)
  2. "alas" (BDB 33 III)
  3. "no, not" (BDB IV, "no glory")
  4. "disgrace" (Josephus, Antiq. 5.11.4)
▣
NASB, NKJV, NRSV, REB, JPSOA, Peshitta  "departed"
TEV  "left"
NJB  "gone"
LXX  "exiled"

The MT has the VERB "uncover" (BDB 162, KB 191, Qal PERFECT), which is used often of exile (cf. Jdgs. 18:30; 2 Kgs. 17:23; 24:14; 25:21; often in the prophets).

4:22" The ark symbolized YHWH's personal presence.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ARK OF THE COVENANT

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

  1. Why was Israel's defeat seen as YHWH's doing? (v. 3)
  2. Define "the Lord of hosts."
  3. Why were the Philistines fearful of the ark?
  4. Define "Ichabod."
  5. Why do some think the "tent of meeting" and "the ark of the covenant" were separated in 1 Samuel 4-7?

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