1 Samuel 4:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”

NIV: The man who brought the news replied, 'Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.'

NASB: Then the one who brought the news replied, 'Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great defeat among the people, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas are also dead; and the ark of God has been taken.'

CSB: The messenger answered, "Israel has fled from the Philistines, and also there was a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured."

NLT: Israel has been defeated by the Philistines,' the messenger replied. 'The people have been slaughtered, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were also killed. And the Ark of God has been captured.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.”

The runner unloads all the terrible news at once. This is message was brought nearly the length of a modern athletic marathon from the battlefield near Ebenezer (1 Samuel 4:1). It is delivered to Eli, the priest and judge of Israel, and it is grim news indeed. The Israelites have been thoroughly defeated and the survivors have fled (1 Samuel 4:10). In essence, the army of Israel is no more, and the Philistines will be able to march farther into Israel unopposed.

Adding to the sting of defeat is personal news: Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead. They had been sent as priests to shepherd the ark of God to the battlefield (1 Samuel 4:4). This fulfills a prophecy given to Eli many years before (1 Samuel 2:34) and reiterated by the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 3:18). As promised, Eli has lived to see the death of his sons (1 Samuel 2:33).

Not only has his nation been defeated, and his sons killed, but also the enemy has captured the ark of the covenant. It's hard to imagine worse news for Eli than this. It will be the death of him, as explained in the following verse (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.