1 Samuel 4 Study Notes: The Philistines Capture the Ark
Beaten by the Philistines, Israel brings the ark from Shiloh into battle, hoping it will save them, but they are routed, the ark is taken, and both of Eli’s sons are killed. Hearing of the ark, Eli falls and dies, and his dying daughter-in-law names her newborn son Ichabod.
General
What did the elders decide to do after the first defeat (1 Samuel 4:3)?
Answer: Bring the ark from Shiloh so it would save them
The elders decided to send to Shiloh for the ark, so that it might accompany them and rescue them from their enemies (4:3). The ark, the covenant chest, was the sacred gold-covered box that held the covenant tablets; above it, between two golden cherubim, God had promised to meet with His people (Exodus 25:22). The ark was sent for, and Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s sons, came along with it (4:4). In the wilderness Moses had prayed for the LORD to rise up each time the ark moved out (Numbers 10:35), but here the elders speak as if the box itself would rescue them. They did not ask God what to do. Centuries later God warned Judah against the same false confidence in a holy place (Jeremiah 7:4).
- 1 Samuel 4:3-4 (BSB)“When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.” So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.”The elders send for the ark from Shiloh, and Eli’s sons come with it into the camp.
- Exodus 25:22 (BSB)“And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony; I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.”God had promised to meet with Moses above the mercy seat between the cherubim on the ark.
- Numbers 10:35 (BSB)“Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, “Rise up, O LORD! May Your enemies be scattered; may those who hate You flee before You.””When the ark set out in the wilderness, Moses prayed for the LORD to rise and scatter His enemies.
- Jeremiah 7:4 (BSB)“Do not trust in deceptive words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’”God later warned Judah not to trust in deceptive words about His temple, the same false confidence seen here.
Theological
What plan did the elders adopt in response to the first defeat (1 Samuel 4:3)?
Answer: Bring the ark from Shiloh so it would save them
The elders resolve to have the ark brought from Shiloh to come among them and deliver them from their enemies (4:3), and Hophni and Phinehas accompany it (4:4). The ark was the throne of the LORD enthroned above the cherubim, the place where He had promised to meet His people (Exodus 25:22), and Moses had prayed for the LORD Himself to rise when it set out (Numbers 10:35). Here the elders treat the sacred object as a guarantee of victory without seeking God’s word, the same misplaced confidence Jeremiah later exposed regarding the temple (Jeremiah 7:4).
- 1 Samuel 4:3-4 (BSB)“When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.” So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.”The elders send for the ark from Shiloh, and Eli’s sons come with it into the camp.
- Exodus 25:22 (BSB)“And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony; I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.”God had promised to meet with Moses above the mercy seat between the cherubim on the ark.
- Numbers 10:35 (BSB)“Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, “Rise up, O LORD! May Your enemies be scattered; may those who hate You flee before You.””When the ark set out in the wilderness, Moses prayed for the LORD to rise and scatter His enemies.
- Jeremiah 7:4 (BSB)“Do not trust in deceptive words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’”God later warned Judah not to trust in deceptive words about His temple, the same false confidence seen here.
General
True or False: With the ark in their camp, the Israelites won the second battle against the Philistines.
Answer: False
This is false. The Philistines fought, Israel lost, and every man ran back to his own tent. The number of dead was enormous, the ark fell into enemy hands, and both of Eli’s sons were killed (4:10-11). Having the ark did not force God to fight for a disobedient people. Psalm 78 explains the event from God’s side: He abandoned His dwelling at Shiloh and gave the ark, the sign of His strength and splendor, into enemy hands (Psalm 78:60-61). Centuries later God told Judah to look at what He had done to Shiloh because of His people’s wickedness (Jeremiah 7:12), and not to trust in a holy place as if it guaranteed safety (Jeremiah 7:4). God was not defeated; He handed the ark over in judgment.
- 1 Samuel 4:10-11 (BSB)“So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.”Israel is routed with great slaughter, the ark is captured, and Hophni and Phinehas die.
- Psalm 78:60-61 (BSB)“He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men. He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.”The psalmist says God Himself abandoned Shiloh and gave His ark into captivity.
- Jeremiah 7:12 (BSB)“But go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for My Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.”God later told Judah to remember what He did to Shiloh because of His people’s wickedness.
- Jeremiah 7:4 (BSB)“Do not trust in deceptive words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’”God warned against trusting in a holy place as if it guaranteed safety.
Theological
True or False: The presence of the ark in Israel’s camp secured victory in the second battle against the Philistines.
Answer: False
This is false. Israel was routed with very great slaughter, the ark was taken, and both of Eli’s sons fell (4:10-11). The ark could not be wielded to compel God’s help for a disobedient people. Psalm 78:60-61 interprets the loss as the LORD’s own act: He forsook Shiloh and delivered His strength into captivity. Jeremiah later invoked Shiloh’s fate as a warning against presumptuous trust in the sanctuary (Jeremiah 7:4, 12). The capture of the ark was not God’s defeat but His judgment.
- 1 Samuel 4:10-11 (BSB)“So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.”Israel is routed with great slaughter, the ark is captured, and Hophni and Phinehas die.
- Psalm 78:60-61 (BSB)“He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men. He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.”The psalmist says God Himself abandoned Shiloh and gave His ark into captivity.
- Jeremiah 7:12 (BSB)“But go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for My Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.”God later told Judah to remember what He did to Shiloh because of His people’s wickedness.
- Jeremiah 7:4 (BSB)“Do not trust in deceptive words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’”God warned against trusting in a holy place as if it guaranteed safety.
General
After Israel’s first defeat by the Philistines, whom did the elders say had brought it about (1 Samuel 4:3)?
Answer: The LORD
Israel went out to fight the Philistines, a powerful neighboring people who often oppressed Israel, and lost some four thousand soldiers. Back in camp, the elders asked why the LORD had brought this defeat on them (4:2-3). They were right that the defeat came from the LORD. In the covenant, the binding agreement God made with Israel, He had warned that if His people turned from Him He would let them be beaten by their enemies (Deuteronomy 28:25; Leviticus 26:17), and the book of Judges shows Him doing exactly that (Judges 2:14). The elders asked the right question, but the rest of the verse shows they did not wait for God’s answer.
- 1 Samuel 4:2-3 (BSB)“The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield. When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.””After the first defeat by the Philistines, Israel’s elders ask why the LORD has let them be beaten.
- Deuteronomy 28:25 (BSB)“The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.”Among the covenant curses, God warned that He would cause Israel to be defeated before its enemies.
- Leviticus 26:17 (BSB)“And I will set My face against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.”God said that if Israel turned from Him, He would set His face against them so they would be beaten by their foes.
- Judges 2:14 (BSB)“Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.”In the period of the judges, God repeatedly handed unfaithful Israel over to its enemies.
Theological
To whom did Israel’s elders attribute the initial defeat at the hands of the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:3)?
Answer: The LORD
After losing some four thousand soldiers, the elders ask why the LORD has struck them down before the Philistines (4:2-3). They rightly trace the defeat to the LORD, in line with the covenant curses that threatened defeat before enemies for unfaithfulness (Deuteronomy 28:25; Leviticus 26:17) and with God’s dealings in Judges (Judges 2:14). Their question is sound; their answer, in the same verse, is to reach for the ark rather than to seek the LORD’s word.
- 1 Samuel 4:2-3 (BSB)“The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield. When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.””After the first defeat by the Philistines, Israel’s elders ask why the LORD has let them be beaten.
- Deuteronomy 28:25 (BSB)“The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.”Among the covenant curses, God warned that He would cause Israel to be defeated before its enemies.
- Leviticus 26:17 (BSB)“And I will set My face against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.”God said that if Israel turned from Him, He would set His face against them so they would be beaten by their foes.
- Judges 2:14 (BSB)“Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.”In the period of the judges, God repeatedly handed unfaithful Israel over to its enemies.
General
True or False: Eli fell from his chair at the moment the messenger told him his two sons were dead.
Answer: False
This is false. Eli, now 98 and blind, was sitting by the road, anxious and afraid for the ark (4:13, 15). A Benjamite runner arrived with the news: Israel had fled, many had been killed, both his sons had died, and the ark was in Philistine hands. The narrator says that it was when the ark was mentioned that Eli toppled backward off his seat and died of a broken neck; he had led Israel for forty years (4:17-18). Eli’s greatest grief was for the ark. His death, on the very day his sons died, was part of the judgment God had announced against his house (2:31; 3:12).
- 1 Samuel 4:13 (BSB)“When he arrived, there was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out.”Eli sits by the road watching, his heart trembling for the ark.
- 1 Samuel 4:17-18 (BSB)“The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” As soon as the ark of God was mentioned, Eli fell backward from his chair by the city gate, and being old and heavy, he broke his neck and died. And Eli had judged Israel forty years.”The messenger reports the defeat, the sons’ deaths and the ark’s capture; at the mention of the ark Eli falls and dies.
- 1 Samuel 2:31 (BSB)“Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in it will reach old age.”The man of God had warned that strength would be cut off from Eli’s house.
- 1 Samuel 3:12 (BSB)“On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his house, from beginning to end.”The LORD had said He would carry out against Eli all He had spoken about his house.
Theological
True or False: The report of his sons’ deaths was what caused Eli to fall from his seat.
Answer: False
This is false. Eli, aged and blind, had been keeping watch with his heart trembling for the ark (4:13, 15). The messenger reports the rout, the deaths of Hophni and Phinehas, and the capture of the ark, and the narrator specifies that it was at the mention of the ark that Eli toppled backward and died of a broken neck, after judging Israel forty years (4:17-18). His death on the very day his sons fell belongs to the announced judgment on his house (2:31; 3:12).
- 1 Samuel 4:13 (BSB)“When he arrived, there was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out.”Eli sits by the road watching, his heart trembling for the ark.
- 1 Samuel 4:17-18 (BSB)“The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” As soon as the ark of God was mentioned, Eli fell backward from his chair by the city gate, and being old and heavy, he broke his neck and died. And Eli had judged Israel forty years.”The messenger reports the defeat, the sons’ deaths and the ark’s capture; at the mention of the ark Eli falls and dies.
- 1 Samuel 2:31 (BSB)“Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in it will reach old age.”The man of God had warned that strength would be cut off from Eli’s house.
- 1 Samuel 3:12 (BSB)“On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his house, from beginning to end.”The LORD had said He would carry out against Eli all He had spoken about his house.
General
What reason does the text give for the name Phinehas’s wife gave her son, Ichabod (1 Samuel 4:21-22)?
Answer: Israel’s glory had gone, with the ark taken and her family dead
She called the boy Ichabod and, in naming him, said that the glory had left Israel. The narrator explains her words: the ark was in enemy hands, and Eli and her husband were dead (4:21). She then repeated the saying, this time giving only one reason, the capture of the ark (4:22). The ark was where God had promised to meet His people (Exodus 25:22), and Psalm 78 calls it His strength and His splendor that He gave into enemy hands (Psalm 78:61). For this dying mother, losing the ark meant losing what mattered most to Israel.
- 1 Samuel 4:21-22 (BSB)“And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed. “The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “for the ark of God has been captured.””Phinehas’s wife names her son Ichabod and twice explains it by Israel’s loss, the second time naming only the ark.
- Exodus 25:22 (BSB)“And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony; I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.”The ark was the place where God had promised to meet with His people, between the cherubim.
- Psalm 78:61 (BSB)“He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.”The psalmist calls the captured ark God’s strength and splendor, given into the adversary’s hand.
Theological
How does the text explain the naming of the child Ichabod (1 Samuel 4:21-22)?
Answer: Israel’s glory had gone, with the ark taken and her family dead
In naming the child Ichabod, his mother declares that Israel’s glory is gone; the narrator grounds this in the ark’s capture and in Eli’s and her husband’s deaths (4:21), and her repeated statement names the ark’s capture alone (4:22). The ark was the place of God’s meeting with His people above the cherubim (Exodus 25:22), and Psalm 78:61 calls it His strength and splendor delivered to the adversary. Her final words center on the loss of the symbol of God’s presence among His people.
- 1 Samuel 4:21-22 (BSB)“And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed. “The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “for the ark of God has been captured.””Phinehas’s wife names her son Ichabod and twice explains it by Israel’s loss, the second time naming only the ark.
- Exodus 25:22 (BSB)“And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony; I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.”The ark was the place where God had promised to meet with His people, between the cherubim.
- Psalm 78:61 (BSB)“He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.”The psalmist calls the captured ark God’s strength and splendor, given into the adversary’s hand.
General
True or False: When the women told Phinehas’s wife that her baby was a boy, she took comfort in the news.
Answer: False
This is false. Phinehas’s wife was pregnant and near her time. When she heard that the ark was captured and that Eli and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth. While she lay dying, the women with her urged her not to fear, since the baby was a boy, but she gave no answer and paid no heed (4:19-20). The scene recalls Rachel, whose midwife gave her the same kind of comfort as she died in childbirth (Genesis 35:17-18). Ordinarily the birth of a child brings a mother joy that outweighs her pain (John 16:21), but this mother’s grief over the ark and her family left no room for it.
- 1 Samuel 4:19-20 (BSB)“Now Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news of the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth, for her labor pains overtook her. As she was dying, the women attending to her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son!” But she did not respond or pay any heed.”Phinehas’s wife goes into labor at the news; as she dies, the women tell her she has a son, but she pays no attention.
- Genesis 35:17-18 (BSB)“During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.” And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.”Rachel’s midwife spoke similar words of comfort to her as she died giving birth.
- John 16:21 (BSB)“A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.”Jesus describes the usual joy of a mother when her child is born, the joy that is missing here.
Theological
True or False: Phinehas’s wife was consoled by the news that she had borne a son.
Answer: False
This is false. Thrown into labor by word of the ark’s capture and of Eli’s and Phinehas’s deaths, she gives birth and, as she dies, ignores the attendants’ assurance that she has a son (4:19-20). The words echo the midwife’s comfort to the dying Rachel (Genesis 35:17-18). The joy that normally attends a birth (John 16:21) is swallowed by grief over the disaster that has befallen Israel.
- 1 Samuel 4:19-20 (BSB)“Now Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news of the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth, for her labor pains overtook her. As she was dying, the women attending to her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son!” But she did not respond or pay any heed.”Phinehas’s wife goes into labor at the news; as she dies, the women tell her she has a son, but she pays no attention.
- Genesis 35:17-18 (BSB)“During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.” And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.”Rachel’s midwife spoke similar words of comfort to her as she died giving birth.
- John 16:21 (BSB)“A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.”Jesus describes the usual joy of a mother when her child is born, the joy that is missing here.
General
When the Philistines learned the ark had entered Israel’s camp, what earlier events did they remember (1 Samuel 4:7-8)?
Answer: How Israel’s God had afflicted Egypt with plagues
When the ark arrived, Israel raised a shout so great that the earth trembled. The Philistines heard it, learned that the ark had come, and were terrified, saying that gods had come into the camp. They remembered that these were the gods who had afflicted Egypt with every kind of plague (4:5-8). The Philistines spoke as people who believed in many gods, but the story of the exodus had reached them, as Moses’ song had foretold (Exodus 15:14) and as Rahab had said of the Canaanites (Joshua 2:10-11). The Philistine priests would point to Egypt again in chapter 6 (6:6).
- 1 Samuel 4:6-8 (BSB)“On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp, the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.”Hearing the shout and learning the ark has come, the Philistines are terrified and recall the plagues on Egypt.
- Exodus 15:14 (BSB)“The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.”Moses’ song foretold that the nations, including Philistia, would tremble at what God did at the Red Sea.
- Joshua 2:10-11 (BSB)“For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction. When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.”Rahab told the spies that the peoples of Canaan had heard of God’s acts against Egypt and lost heart.
- 1 Samuel 6:6 (BSB)“Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When He afflicted them, did they not send the people out so they could go on their way?”Later the Philistine priests again point to Egypt’s hardened hearts as a warning.
Theological
Which earlier divine acts did the Philistines recall when they heard the ark had come into the Hebrew camp (1 Samuel 4:7-8)?
Answer: How Israel’s God had afflicted Egypt with plagues
The great shout at the ark’s arrival terrifies the Philistines, who conclude that gods have entered the camp and recall the deities who afflicted Egypt with every sort of plague (4:5-8). Their polytheistic framing notwithstanding, the report of the exodus had spread just as the Song of the Sea anticipated (Exodus 15:14) and as Rahab testified (Joshua 2:10-11); the Philistine priests invoke the same memory in 6:6.
- 1 Samuel 4:6-8 (BSB)“On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp, the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.”Hearing the shout and learning the ark has come, the Philistines are terrified and recall the plagues on Egypt.
- Exodus 15:14 (BSB)“The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.”Moses’ song foretold that the nations, including Philistia, would tremble at what God did at the Red Sea.
- Joshua 2:10-11 (BSB)“For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction. When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.”Rahab told the spies that the peoples of Canaan had heard of God’s acts against Egypt and lost heart.
- 1 Samuel 6:6 (BSB)“Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When He afflicted them, did they not send the people out so they could go on their way?”Later the Philistine priests again point to Egypt’s hardened hearts as a warning.
General
Why did the Philistines urge one another to be courageous and fight (1 Samuel 4:9)?
Answer: So they would not end up serving the Hebrews
Though afraid, the Philistines stirred each other up to be brave and fight, warning that otherwise they would end up as servants of the Hebrews, as the Hebrews had been servants to them (4:9). This shows the situation at the time: the Philistines had been the stronger power. In the days of the judges God had handed Israel over to the Philistines for a long period (Judges 13:1), and the men of Judah told Samson that the Philistines ruled over them (Judges 15:11). Fear of losing that position drove the Philistines into the next battle.
- 1 Samuel 4:9 (BSB)“Take courage and be men, O Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight!””The Philistines rally one another to fight hard so that they will not become servants of the Hebrews.
- Judges 13:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.”In the time of the judges God had handed Israel over to the Philistines for forty years.
- Judges 15:11 (BSB)“In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied.”The men of Judah told Samson that the Philistines ruled over them.
Theological
What motive did the Philistines give for steeling themselves to fight (1 Samuel 4:9)?
Answer: So they would not end up serving the Hebrews
The Philistines exhort one another to courage lest they become slaves to the Hebrews as the Hebrews had been to them (4:9). The remark reflects the prevailing Philistine dominance, which God had imposed on unfaithful Israel in the period of the judges (Judges 13:1) and which Judah openly acknowledged in Samson’s day (Judges 15:11).
- 1 Samuel 4:9 (BSB)“Take courage and be men, O Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight!””The Philistines rally one another to fight hard so that they will not become servants of the Hebrews.
- Judges 13:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.”In the time of the judges God had handed Israel over to the Philistines for forty years.
- Judges 15:11 (BSB)“In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied.”The men of Judah told Samson that the Philistines ruled over them.
General
Which earlier word of God came true when Eli’s two sons were killed in the battle (1 Samuel 4:11)?
Answer: The sign that both sons would die on a single day
Hophni and Phinehas both died in the battle in which the ark was captured (4:11). This fulfilled exactly the sign the man of God had given Eli: his two sons would both perish on one day (2:34). It was also the beginning of what the LORD told Samuel He would carry out in full against Eli’s family (3:12). God’s word of judgment came true, just as His promises do, because He does not lie and always does what He says (Numbers 23:19).
- 1 Samuel 4:11 (BSB)“The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.”In the battle the ark is taken and both of Eli’s sons die.
- 1 Samuel 2:34 (BSB)“And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.”The man of God had given Eli the sign that both his sons would die on one day.
- 1 Samuel 3:12 (BSB)“On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his house, from beginning to end.”The LORD had told Samuel He would carry out everything He had spoken against Eli’s house.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not lie; what He says, He does, and what He promises, He fulfills.
Theological
Which prophetic sign was fulfilled in the deaths of Hophni and Phinehas (1 Samuel 4:11)?
Answer: The sign that both sons would die on a single day
The simultaneous deaths of Hophni and Phinehas (4:11) fulfill to the letter the sign given through the man of God (2:34) and begin the execution of all that the LORD had spoken against Eli’s house (3:12). The episode displays the reliability of God’s word in judgment as in promise (Numbers 23:19).
- 1 Samuel 4:11 (BSB)“The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.”In the battle the ark is taken and both of Eli’s sons die.
- 1 Samuel 2:34 (BSB)“And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.”The man of God had given Eli the sign that both his sons would die on one day.
- 1 Samuel 3:12 (BSB)“On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his house, from beginning to end.”The LORD had told Samuel He would carry out everything He had spoken against Eli’s house.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not lie; what He says, He does, and what He promises, He fulfills.