1 Samuel 4:17

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

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Other translations

WEBBE

He who brought the news answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter amongst the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and God’s ark has been captured.”

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.”

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.

ASV

And he that brought the tidings 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.

BBE

And the man said, Israel went in flight from the Philistines, and there has been great destruction among the people, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken.

Original Hebrew

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וַיַּעַן vai·ya·'an and he answered H6030 הַמְבַשֵּׂר ham·va·ser the bearer of news H1319 וַיֹּאמֶר vai·yo·mer and he said H559 נָס nas it has fled H5127 יִשְׂרָאֵל yis·ra·'el Israel H3478 לִפְנֵי lif·nei (to) before H6440 פְלִשְׁתִּים fe·lish·tim [the] Philistines H6430 וְגַם ve·gam and also H1571 מַגֵּפָה ma·ge·fah a slaughter H4046 גְדוֹלָה ge·do·lah great H1419 הָיְתָה ha·ye·tah it has been H1961 בָעָם va·'am among the people H5971 וְגַם־ ve·gam- and also H1571 שְׁנֵי she·nei [the] two H8147 בָנֶיךָ va·nei·kha sons your H1121 מֵתוּ me·tu they have died H4191 חָפְנִי cha·fe·ni Hophni H2652 וּפִינְחָס u·fin·chas and Phinehas H6372 וַאֲרוֹן va·'a·ron and [the] ark of H727 הָאֱלֹהִים ha·'e·lo·him (the) God H430 נִלְקָחָה פ nil·ka·chah it has been taken H3947

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 12–18

The defeat of the army was very grievous to Eli as a judge; the tidings of the death of his two sons, to whom he had been so indulgent, and who, as he had reason to fear, died impenitent, touched him as a father; yet there was a greater concern on his spirit. And when the messenger concluded his story with, "The ark of God is taken," he is struck to the heart, and died immediately. A man may die miserably, yet not die eternally; may come to an untimely end, yet the end be peace.

Read Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 4 →

Cross-references

5

People & places

PhinehasHophni

Topics

ArkPatriotismHophni

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.