1 Samuel 4:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

NIV: When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led Israel forty years.

NASB: When 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. And so he judged Israel for forty years.

CSB: When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off the chair by the city gate, and since he was old and heavy, his neck broke and he died. Eli had judged Israel forty years.

NLT: When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark of God, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and overweight. He had been Israel’s judge for forty years.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: 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.

Eli received the terrible news about Israel's defeat like a literal punch in the stomach. A man who fled from the battle arrived in a state of grieving with clothes torn and dirt on his head (1 Samuel 4:12). The city had already begun to mourn the dead and the loss of Israel's army (1 Samuel 4:13). Now the man has given the old priest a litany of terrible facts: the army slaughtered and scattered, Eli's own sons were killed, and the ark was captured by Israel's enemies (1 Samuel 4:17).

It seems to be the news of the ark that hits Eli the hardest. Perhaps he expected to hear of the death of his sons. The Lord had revealed to him that both would die on the same day as a sign that all of Eli's descendants would die young (1 Samuel 2:33–34). The capture of the ark, though, must have felt like the loss of God Himself or certainly of the Lord's favor.

Truly, Eli and many in Israel may have seen the loss of the ark as a major blow to their faith. If the Lord who brought them out of Egypt would allow His ark to be captured, what kind of a God did they serve? Of course, such conclusions would reveal a completely wrong understanding of who God is and what He desired for His people. The Lord was not contained or channeled in the ark, as the Philistines imagined (1 Samuel 4:7). He was the one who demonstrated His power using a visual aid of the ark, not the other way around, as the Philistines would soon learn (1 Samuel 5:1–5).

So shocked is Eli by the news that he falls over backwards out of his chair. He had been sitting by the gate of the city by the side of the road into town (1 Samuel 4:13). The old, overweight priest lands badly on his neck when he falls, breaking it and dying instantly.

The text adds that Eli had been a "judge" over Israel for forty years. The judges (Judges 2:16–19) served as Israel's leaders and guides in the time between Joshua and the kings. Eli's time as judge followed that of Samson (Judges 13–16). Eli was the final judge before Samuel (1 Samuel 7:15; 8:1–5), who helped to anoint the first two kings of Israel, Saul (1 Samuel 10:1) and David (1 Samuel 16:13).

First Samuel 4:12–22 describes the reaction of the people of Shiloh, to news from the battle with the Philistines. A runner arrives and finds Eli, now ninety-eight and blind, sitting by the road at the gate. When Eli hears the news that the battle is lost, his sons are dead, and the ark is captured, he falls over backwards and dies. His daughter-in-law also reacts badly, going into premature labor and then dying herself after giving birth. She names the baby Ichabod, indicating the glory has departed from Israel because the ark has been captured.

Israel amasses an to fight against the Philistines. After losing badly in the first battle, the elders send for the ark of God to be brought from Shiloh. They seem to assume the mere presence of the ark will act like a lucky charm or talisman. The Philistines are terrified at the idea of fighting Israel's deity, but they still defeat the Israelites, slaughtering many soldiers and capturing the ark. A runner delivers the news to Eli that his sons are dead and the ark is captured. He dies, and his daughter-in-law goes into premature labor. Before she dies, she names the baby Ichabod, saying that the glory has departed from Israel.

First Samuel 4 begins a new section of 1 Samuel. The young prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1—3) disappears from the story for several chapters. Israel brings the ark of the covenant to a battle with the Philistines, but they are wiped out anyway. The Philistines rout the army and capture the ark. A runner delivers the news to Eli that his sons are dead and the ark is taken. Eli dies, as does his daughter-in-law after giving birth to a son she names Ichabod. She declares that the glory has departed from Israel because the ark has been captured. Despite this, the Philistines will soon learn the ark is not a mere trophy (1 Samuel 5).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.