1 Samuel 4:12-18 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:12-18

Tidings are here brought to Shiloh of the fatal issue of their battle with the Philistines. Bad news flies fast. This soon spread through all Israel; every man that fled to his tent brought it, with too plain a proof of it, to his neighbours. But no place was so nearly concerned as Shiloh. Thither therefore an express posted away immediately; it was a man of Benjamin; the Jews fancy it was Saul. He rent his clothes, and put earth upon his head, by these signs to proclaim the sorrowful news to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:12

And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army ,.... Out of the rank in which he was, before the whole army was quite broken up. This was a young man as Josephus F2 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 11. sect. 3. says, which is highly probable; though not at all to be depended on is what the Jews F3 Shalshalet Hakabala. fol. 8. 1. Jarchi in loc. say, that this was Saul, later king of Israel: and came to Shiloh the same day ; which, according to Bunting F4 Travels of the Patriarchs,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:13

And when he came ,.... To Shiloh; he either passed by Eli, who being blind could not see him, 1 Samuel 4:15 or he came in at another gate of the city on the other side of it, as Abarbinel thinks; though the former seems more likely by what follows, he not choosing to deliver the bad news to Eli first, whom he knew it would very much grieve, and therefore slipped by him into the city: lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching : by the "hand" of the way, as the marginal reading,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:14

And when Eli heard the noise of the crying ,.... The shrieks of the men and women, which were very clamorous and terrible. Eli had his hearing, though not his sight; he could not see the distress in their countenances, but he heard the lamentations they made: and said, what meaneth the noise of this tumult ? it seems the people ran about, wringing their hands, and making doleful shrieks; the noise of which Eli heard, and the meaning of which he inquired after, or what should be the cause... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:15

Now Eli was ninety eight years old ,.... Which is very properly observed, he being now come to the end of his days, and which also accounts for his blindness after mentioned: and his eyes were dim, that he could not see ; could not see the messenger, and read in his countenance, and perceive by his clothes rent, and earth on his head, that he was a bringer of bad tidings; or his eyes each of them "stood" F8 קמה "stetit", Montanus; "stabant", Tigurine version. ; were fixed and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:16

And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army ,.... It is very probable that the people Eli inquired of told him there was a messenger come from the army, though they did not choose to relate to him the news he brought: and I fled today out of the army ; so that as he was an eyewitness of what was done in the army, the account he brought was the earliest that could be had, in bringing which he had made great dispatch, having ran perhaps all the way: and he said, what is... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:17

And the messenger answered and said ,.... He delivered his account gradually, beginning with generals, and then proceeding to particulars, and with what he thought Eli could better bear the news of, and so prepared him for the worst; in which he acted a wise part: Israel is fled before the Philistines ; they have given way and retreated, and which might possibly be done without great loss, and which, though it was bad news, might not be so very bad: and there hath also been a great... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:18

And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God ,.... Of the taking of that, it struck him to the heart, and killed him; the rest he bore tolerably well, the flight of Israel before the Philistines, the great slaughter made of them, the death of his two sons; but the taking of the ark was so dreadful to him, that he could not support under it: that he fell from off the seat backward, by the side of the gate ; which confirms the sense of 1 Samuel 4:13 though whether it was... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 4:12

Came to Shiloh the same day - The field of battle could not have been at any great distance, for this young man reached Shiloh the same evening after the defeat. With his clothes rent , and with earth upon his head - These were signs of sorrow and distress among all nations. The clothes rent, signified the rending, dividing, and scattering, of the people; the earth, or ashes on the head, signified their humiliation: "We are brought down to the dust of the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 4:13

His heart trembled for the ark of God - He was a most mild and affectionate father, and yet the safety of the ark lay nearer to his heart than the safety of his two sons. Who can help feeling for this aged, venerable man? read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:12-18

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:12

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:13

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:14

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:15

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:17

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:18

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 4:12

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 4:13

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