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 prop... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 fo... [ Continue Reading ]
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 M... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 t... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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,... [ Continue Reading ]
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 Josephus b says, which is highly probable; though not at all to be depended on is what the Jews c say, that this was Saul, later king of Israel: A... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 c... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 PHILISTIN... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
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 finish k; denoting that her time to bring forth was completed and filled up; though Josephus l s... [ Continue Reading ]
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 he... [ Continue Reading ]
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 I... [ Continue Reading ]
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 wo... [ Continue Reading ]