1 Kings 4
4
1And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight: and Israel went out to war against the Philistines, and camped by the Stone of help. And the Philistines came to Aphec,
2And put their army in array against Israel. And when they had joined battle, Israel turned their backs to the Philistines. And there was slain in that fight here and there in the fields about four thousand men.
3And the people returned to the camp: and the ancients of Israel said: Why hath the Lord defeated us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch unto us the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Silo: and let it come in the midst of us, that it may save us from the hand of our enemies.
4So the people sent to Silo; and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts sitting upon the cherubims. And the two sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were with the ark of the covenant of God.
5And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord was come into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, and the earth rang again.
6And the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, and they said: What is this noise of a great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.
7And the Philistines were afraid, saying: God is come into the camp. And sighing, they said:
8Woe to us: for there was no such great joy yesterday and the day before. Woe to us. Who shall deliver us from the hand of these high gods? These are the gods that struck Egypt with all the plagues in the desert.
9Take courage and behave like men, ye Philistines: lest you come to be servants to the Hebrews, as they have served you. Take courage and fight.
10So the Philistines fought; and Israel was overthrown; and every man fled to his own dwelling. And there was an exceeding great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
11And the ark of God was taken: and the two sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were slain.
12And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Silo the same day, with his clothes rent, and his head strewed with dust.
13And when he was come, Heli sat upon a stool over against the way watching. For his heart was fearful for the ark of God. And when the man was come into the city, he told it: and all the city cried out.
14And Heli heard the noise of the cry, and he said: What meaneth the noise of this uproar? But he made haste, and came, and told Heli.
15Now Heli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, and he could not see.
16And he said to Heli: I am he that came from the battle, and have fled out of the field this day. And he said to him: What is there done, my son?
17And he that brought the news answered, and said: Israel has fled before the Philistines; and there has been a great slaughter of the people. Moreover thy two sons, Ophni and Phinees, are dead. And the ark of God is taken.
18And when he had named the ark of God, he fell from his stool backwards by the door, and broke his neck, and died. For he was an old man, and far advanced in years. And he judged Israel forty years.
19And his daughter-in-law the wife of Phinees, was big with child, and near her time. And hearing the news that the ark of God was taken, and her father-in-law, and her husband, were dead, she bowed herself and fell in labour: for her pains came upon her on a sudden.
20And when she was upon the point of death, they that stood about her said to her: Fear not, for thou hast borne a son. She answered them not, nor gave heed to them.
21And she called the child Ichabod, saying: The glory is gone from Israel, because the ark of God was taken, and for her father-in-law, and her husband.
22And she said: The glory is departed from Israel, because the ark of God was taken.
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1 Kings 4: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1 Samuel 4
4
Defeat of the Israelites.#4:1–7:1] The Ark Narrative: A striking indication that this is an independent narrative is the absence of any mention of Samuel. The Philistines: one of the Sea Peoples, of Aegean origin, who occupied the coastal plain of Palestine and threatened the Israelites who settled the inland hills. 1At that time, the Philistines gathered for an attack on Israel. Israel went out to engage them in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek. 2The Philistines then drew up in battle formation against Israel. After a fierce struggle Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield. 3When the troops retired to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord permitted us to be defeated today by the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the Lord from Shiloh that it may go into battle among us and save us from the grasp of our enemies.”#Nm 10:35; 14:42–44.
Loss of the Ark. 4So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim.#Enthroned upon the cherubim: this divine title first occurs in the Old Testament at the sanctuary at Shiloh (cf. 2 Sm 6:2); God is represented seated upon a throne borne through the heavens by cherubim, creatures partly human being, partly beast (cf. Ez 1 and 10). The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, accompanied the ark of God.#Ex 25:21–22. 5When the ark of the Lord arrived in the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. 6The Philistines, hearing the uproar, asked, “What does this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” On learning that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, 7the Philistines were frightened, crying out, “Gods have come to their camp. Woe to us! This has never happened before. 8Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods?#These mighty gods: the Philistines, who were polytheists, presume that the Israelites also honored several gods. These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with various plagues in the desert. 9Take courage and act like soldiers, Philistines; otherwise you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they were your slaves. Fight like soldiers!” 10The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated; everyone fled to their own tents.#To their own tents: the defeat is so catastrophic that the soldiers abandon the army for home; cf. 2 Sm 18:17. It was a disastrous defeat; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were dead.#1 Sm 2:34.
Death of Eli. 12A Benjaminite fled from the battlefield and reached Shiloh that same day, with his clothes torn and his head covered with dirt.#Jos 7:6; 2 Sm 1:2; Jer 7:12. 13When he arrived, Eli was sitting in his chair beside the gate, watching the road, for he was troubled at heart about the ark of God. The man, however, went into the city to announce his news; then the whole city cried out. 14When Eli heard the uproar, he wondered why there was such commotion. Just then the man rushed up to inform him. 15Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes would not focus. So he could not see. 16The man said to Eli: “I have come from the battlefield; today I fled from there.” He asked, “What happened, my son?” 17And the messenger answered: “Israel fled from the Philistines; in fact, the troops suffered heavy losses. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18At this mention of the ark of God, Eli fell backward from his chair into the gateway; he died of a broken neck since he was an old man and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years.
19His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news about the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she crouched down in labor, and gave birth. 20She was about to die when the women standing around her said to her, “Do not be afraid, you have given birth to a son.” Yet she neither answered nor paid any attention.#1 Sm 14:3; Gn 35:16–20. 21She named the child Ichabod, saying, “Gone is the glory from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and to her father-in-law and her husband. 22She said, “Gone is the glory from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured.#Ps 78:61.
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