1 Samuel 4:2

The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel. When they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field.

World English Bible

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WEBBE

The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel. When they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field.

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.

KJV

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

ASV

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines; and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

BBE

And the Philistines put their forces in order against Israel, and the fighting was hard, and Israel was overcome by the Philistines, who put to the sword about four thousand of their army in the field.

Original Hebrew

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וַיַּעַרְכוּ vai·ya·'ar·khu and they deployed H6186 פְלִשְׁתִּים fe·lish·tim [the] Philistines H6430 לִקְרַאת lik·rat to meet H7122 יִשְׂרָאֵל yis·ra·'el Israel H3478 וַתִּטֹּשׁ va·ti·tosh and it spread out H5203 הַמִּלְחָמָה ha·mil·cha·mah the battle H4421 וַיִּנָּגֶף vai·yi·na·gef and it was defeated H5062 יִשְׂרָאֵל yis·ra·'el Israel H3478 לִפְנֵי lif·nei (to) before H6440 פְלִשְׁתִּים fe·lish·tim [the] Philistines H6430 וַיַּכּוּ vai·ya·ku and they struck down H5221 בַמַּעֲרָכָה va·ma·'a·ra·khah in the battle line H4634 בַּשָּׂדֶה ba·sa·deh in the field H7704 כְּאַרְבַּעַת ke·'ar·ba·'at about four H702 אֲלָפִים 'a·la·fim thousand(s) H505 אִישׁ 'ish man H376

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 1–9

Israel is smitten before the Philistines. Sin, the accursed thing, was in the camp, and gave their enemies all the advantage they could wish for. They own the hand of God in their trouble; but, instead of submitting, they speak angrily, as not aware of any just provocation they had given him. The foolishness of man perverts his way, and then his heart frets against the Lord, Pr 19:3, and finds fault with him. They supposed that they could oblige God to appear for them, by bringing the ark into their camp. Those who have gone back in the life of religion, sometimes discover great fondness for the outward observances of it, as if those would save them; and as if the ark, God's throne, in the camp, would bring them to heaven, though the world and the flesh are on the throne in the heart.

Read Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 4 →

Cross-references

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Israel

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