1 Samuel 4:1-2

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:1-22

The Philistines capture the ark (4:1-22)For many years the Philistines had oppressed Israel (Judges 13:1). Samson had begun to save Israel from them (Judges 13:5), but the Philistines now fought back and decided to extend their rule further into Israel’s territory. The Israelites should have realized that their defeats were God’s punishments upon them because of their sin, and turned to him in repentance. Instead they thought that they would guarantee his help by carrying the symbol of his... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Samuel 4:1

Came . Compare Acts 3:24 .Hebrews 11:32 . Eben-ezer = Stone of help. So called in anticipation of Samuel's victory twenty years later (1 Samuel 7:12 ). Aphek = Fortress. Joshua 15:53 . read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Samuel 4:2

men . Hebrew. 'ish. App-14 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Samuel 4:1

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT WAS CAPTURED BY THE PHILISTINES"And the word of Samuel came to all Israel" (1 Samuel 4:1a). This statement actually belongs to the preceding chapter where it appears in a number of ancient versions.[1] We believe that C. F. Keil was mistaken in his interpretation that these words were a summons by Samuel for all Israel to go to war against the Philistines. God's true prophet would not have led Israel into such a disastrous defeat.THE PRELIMINARY BATTLE AT APHEK AND... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Samuel 4:1

1 Samuel 4:1. Now Israel went out, &c.— Probably the Israelites were encouraged to this undertaking, by the confusion into which the Philistines must have been thrown by the slaughter of their great men which Samson made at his death. The name Ebenezer was not given to this place till some time after; ch. 1Sa 7:12 but it was so called at the time that the historian wrote this book. read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 4:1

1. the word of Samuel came to all Israel—The character of Samuel as a prophet was now fully established. The want of an "open vision" was supplied by him, for "none of his words were let fall to the ground" (1 Samuel 3:19); and to his residence in Shiloh all the people of Israel repaired to consult him as an oracle, who, as the medium of receiving the divine command, or by his gift of a prophet, could inform them what was the mind of God. It is not improbable that the rising influence of the... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Samuel 4:1

II. THE HISTORY OF THE ARK OF THE COVENANT 4:1-7:1Many serious students of 1 Samuel have noted the writer’s emphasis on the ark of the covenant that begins here in the text. Critical scholars have long argued that 1 Samuel 4:1 b to 1 Samuel 7:1 and 2 Samuel 6 are the only remaining fragments of an older and longer ark narrative, which was a source document for the writer here. Of the 61 references to the ark in 1 and 2 Samuel, 36 appear in 1 Samuel 4:1 b to 1 Samuel 7:2. More recently some... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Samuel 4:1-11

1. The battle of Aphek 4:1-11The Philistines, as we have already seen in Judges, were Israel’s primary enemy to the west at this time. Samson, too, fought the Philistines (Judges 13-16). [Note: For a good, brief history of the Philistines, see Edward Hindson, The Philistines and the Old Testament.] There are about 150 references to the Philistines in 1 and 2 Samuel. They originally migrated from Greece primarily by way of Crete (Caphtor, cf. Genesis 10:14; Jeremiah 47:4; Amos 9:7). Their major... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Samuel 4:1-22

A. The Capture of the Ark 4:1-22A new subject comes to the forefront in this section and continues to be a significant motif throughout the rest of Samuel. It is the ark of the covenant. The writer drew attention to the ark in this chapter by mentioning it seven times, including a notation at the end of each text section (1 Samuel 4:4; 1 Samuel 4:11; 1 Samuel 4:17-19; 1 Samuel 4:21-22). Following the reference to Samuel the prophet in 1 Samuel 4:1, the writer did not mention him again until 1... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 4:1-22

Capture of the Ark by the Philistines. Death of EliThe reason which led to 1 Samuel 4:1; being detached from its proper context is that without it this chapter seems to begin with inexplicable abruptness. The explanation of this lack of connexion is that the editor is now using a different document. This section is in no sense a continuation of the preceding. It does not proceed with the history of Samuel, whose name does not even occur in it, but relates the journeyings of the ark. Alike in... read more

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