1 Samuel 4:12-18

2. The response of Eli 4:12-18

The deaths of Hophni and Phinehas, who accompanied the soldiers into battle, were the sign God promised Eli that He would remove the priestly privilege from Eli’s descendants eventually (1 Samuel 2:34). The writer carefully recorded that it was the news that the Philistines had captured the ark, not that his two sons had died, that shocked Eli and caused him to die (1 Samuel 4:18). Eli’s primary concern, to his credit, was the welfare of Israel.

There is a word play in the Hebrew text that helps us understand the significance of the departure of God’s glory. The Hebrew word for "heavy" (1 Samuel 4:18) is kabed, and the word for "glory" (1 Samuel 4:21) is kabod. Rather than Israel enjoying glory from God’s presence through Eli’s priesthood, Eli himself had received the glory, as his heavy weight implies. Eli’s apparent self-indulgence was responsible for the departure of God’s glory from Israel and from his line of priests. [Note: See John H. Sailhamer, The Pentateuch as Narrative, p. 400-401.]

The battle of Aphek recorded in this chapter took place in 1104 B.C. Since Eli was 98 years old when he died on hearing the news that the Philistines had taken the ark in this battle, he must have been born in 1202 B.C. [Note: See the "Chronology of 1 and 2 Samuel" earlier in these notes.]