1 Samuel 4:3

When the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has Yahweh defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us get the ark of Yahweh’s covenant out of Shiloh and bring it to us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.”

World English Bible
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Other translations

WEBBE

When the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let’s get the ark of the LORD’s covenant out of Shiloh and bring it to us, that it may come amongst us and save us out of the hand of our enemies.”

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.”

KJV

And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

ASV

And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath Jehovah smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.

BBE

And when the people came back to their tents, the responsible men of Israel said, Why has the Lord let the Philistines overcome us today? Let us get the ark of the Lord's agreement here from Shiloh, so that it may be with us and give us salvation from the hands of those who are against us.

Original Hebrew

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וַיָּבֹא vai·ya·vo' and it came H935 הָעָם ha·'am the people H5971 אֶל־ 'el- into H413 הַמַּחֲנֶה ha·ma·cha·neh the camp H4264 וַיֹּאמְרוּ vai·yo·me·ru and they said H559 זִקְנֵי zik·nei [the] elders of H2205 יִשְׂרָאֵל yis·ra·'el Israel H3478 לָמָּה la·mah (to) why H4100 נְגָפָנוּ ne·ga·fa·nu has he defeated us H5062 יְהוָה yah·weh Yahweh H3068 הַיּוֹם hai·yom this day H3117 לִפְנֵי lif·nei (to) before H6440 פְלִשְׁתִּים fe·lish·tim [the] Philistines H6430 נִקְחָה nik·chah let us bring H3947 אֵלֵינוּ 'e·lei·nu to ourselves H413 מִשִּׁלֹה mi·shi·loh from Shiloh H7887 אֶת־ 'et- (marks the object) H853 אֲרוֹן 'a·ron [the] ark of H727 בְּרִית be·rit [the] covenant of H1285 יְהוָה yah·weh Yahweh H3068 וְיָבֹא ve·ya·vo' so it may come H935 בְקִרְבֵּנוּ ve·kir·be·nu in midst our H7130 וְיֹשִׁעֵנוּ ve·yo·shi·'e·nu so it may deliver us H3467 מִכַּף mi·kaf from [the] hand of H3709 אֹיְבֵינוּ 'o·ye·vei·nu enemies our H341

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

30

People & places

Shiloh

Topics

PriestTabernacleArkSuperstition

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