1 Samuel 4:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, “What is this uproar?” Then the man hurried and came and told Eli.

NIV: Eli heard the outcry and asked, 'What is the meaning of this uproar?' The man hurried over to Eli,

NASB: When 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.

CSB: Eli heard the outcry and asked, "Why this commotion? " The man quickly came and reported to Eli.

NLT: What is all the noise about?' Eli asked. The messenger rushed over to Eli,

KJV: 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.

NKJV: When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the sound of this tumult mean?” And the man came quickly and told Eli.

Sitting by the roadside, waiting for news of the battle with the Philistines, Eli is deeply fearful about what might happen to the ark of the covenant (1 Samuel 4:1–4). He is afraid something will happen to it and God will be displeased with him and the people (1 Samuel 4:13).

The old priest hears the people crying out in mourning over the report from the runner who has brought news from the battlefield. As the citizens of Shiloh learn that tens of thousands are dead and the army is disbanded and the ark of God is captured, they get loud. As the next verse notes, Eli is very old and completely blind (1 Samuel 4:15). Eli demands to know what the noise is about, and the runner comes to tell him. The news will fulfill an earlier prophecy (1 Samuel 2:34) and prove too much for the elderly man to hear (1 Samuel 4:18).

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.

Accessed 5/6/2024 8:45:43 PM