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Nach YomiI Samuel · שמואל א׳Chapter 4

I Samuel 4

שמואל א׳ פרק ד׳

Section: נביאים · נביאים ראשונים | Book: I Samuel | Chapter: 4 of 31 | Day: 49 of 742

Date: April 1, 2026

קלאוד על הנ״ך

I Samuel 4 is among the most catastrophic chapters in the entire Tanakh. In the span of twenty-two verses, Israel suffers a devastating military defeat, the Ark of the Covenant is captured by the Philistines, the corrupt priests Hophni and Phinehas are killed, the aged judge Eli dies, and his daughter-in-law perishes in childbirth after naming her son Ichabod — “the glory has departed from Israel” (אי כבוד, גלה כבוד מישראל). The chapter reads as a rapid, inexorable cascade of fulfillment: every doom pronounced in chapters 2 and 3 now comes to pass in a single terrible day.

The chapter’s theological center lies in the fatal miscalculation of the Israelite elders after the first defeat at Aphek. Having lost four thousand men, they ask the right question — “Why did God put us to rout today before the Philistines?” (למה נגפנו ה’ היום לפני פלשתים) — but arrive at precisely the wrong answer. Rather than examining their own spiritual condition, they decide to fetch the Ark from Shiloh, treating it as a talisman whose physical presence guarantees divine protection. The Radak notes the bitter irony: the very men sent to escort the Ark are Hophni and Phinehas, the corrupt priests whose sins provoked the crisis. The people confuse the symbol of God’s presence with the reality of it, and the narrative makes clear that God will not be conscripted into a battle He has not sanctioned. The Philistines, terrified by the Ark’s arrival, rally themselves with the cry “Be resolute and fight!” (התחזקו והיו לאנשים) — and it is their desperate courage, not Israel’s false confidence, that prevails.

The messenger scene that follows is a masterwork of incremental devastation. A Benjaminite runner arrives in Shiloh with torn clothes and earth on his head, and the city erupts in wailing. Eli, now ninety-eight and blind, sits trembling by the road — and the text specifies that his heart trembles “for the Ark of God” (כי היה לבו חרד על ארון האלהים), not for his sons. The messenger delivers the news in ascending order of horror: Israel has fled, the slaughter was great, both sons are dead, and the Ark is captured. It is only at the mention of the Ark — not his sons’ deaths — that Eli falls backward off his seat and dies. The Metzudat David observes that this sequence reveals where Eli’s deepest loyalty always resided: flawed as a father, he remained to the end a servant of God whose greatest anguish was the desecration of the sacred.

The chapter’s final scene belongs to the unnamed wife of Phinehas, who goes into labor upon hearing the news and dies in childbirth. The attending women try to comfort her — “Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son” — but she does not respond. Her dying act is to name the child Ichabod, and her final words form the chapter’s epitaph: “The glory is gone from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured” (גלה כבוד מישראל כי נלקח ארון האלהים). In this woman whom the text does not even name, the full weight of the catastrophe finds its voice. The Shiloh sanctuary, which had been the center of Israelite worship since the days of Joshua, will never recover. The era of the Judges ends not with a battle cry but with a mother’s dying whisper that the divine presence has departed from among her people.

פרק ד׳ · Chapter 4

פסוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל לְכׇל־יִשְׂר��אֵ֑ל וַיֵּצֵ֣א יִשְׂרָאֵל֩ לִקְרַ֨את פְּלִשְׁתִּ֜ים לַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה וַֽיַּחֲנוּ֙ עַל־הָאֶ֣בֶן הָעֵ֔זֶר וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים חָנ֥וּ בַאֲפֵֽק׃

English:

and Samuel’s word went forth to all Israel.aPreceding this, Septuagint has “In those days, the Philistines gathered for war against Israel.” Israel marched out to engage the Philistines in battle; they encamped near Eben-ezer, while the Philistines encamped at Aphek.

Israel marches out to battle the Philistines near Eben-ezer while the Philistines camp at Aphek. The Septuagint prefaces this with the Philistines initiating war, but the Hebrew text moves directly from Samuel's prophetic rise to military catastrophe -- connecting the spiritual crisis to its national consequences.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וַיְהִי דְבַר שְׁמוּאֵל לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל. נִהְיָה הַדָּבָר שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לִשְׁמוּאֵל, וּבָא לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְהָאֵיךְ הָיָה הַפּוּרְעָנוּת, וַיֵּצֵא יִשְׂרָאֵל לִקְרַאת פְּלִשְׁתִּים לַמִּלְחָמָה: הָאֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר. עֲדַיִן לֹא הָיָה כֵּן שְׁמָהּ, כִּי בִּימֵי שְׁמוּאֵל נִקְרֵאת כֵּן (שמואל א ז:יב), וְכָאן קָרָא עַל שֵׁם סוֹפָהּ:
The word of Shmuel went out to all of Yisroel. The word which was said to Shmuel, was fulfilled, and came to all Yisroel. How did this misfortune befall them? "Yisroel went out to war against the Philistines."1When Bnei Yisroel deserved punishment, ‘ה sometimes commanded them to go out and battle the Philistines even though it would end in their defeat.—Radak Even Haezer [Lit. the rock of help]. This was not yet its name,2 Obviously, because they were soundly defeated now. for it was first called this name [later] in Shmuel's time, but here Scripture calls it by its future name.

פסוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

וַיַּעַרְכ֨וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֜ים לִקְרַ֣את יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וַתִּטֹּשׁ֙ הַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה וַיִּנָּ֥גֶף יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לִפְנֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֑ים וַיַּכּ֤וּ בַמַּֽעֲרָכָה֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה כְּאַרְבַּ֥עַת אֲלָפִ֖ים אִֽישׁ׃

English:

The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel; and when the battle was fought,bfought Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Israel was routed by the Philistines, who slew about four thousand men on the field of battle.

The first battle ends in devastating defeat: four thousand Israelites are slain on the field. This initial loss sets up the critical theological question of the chapter -- will Israel respond with repentance or with a magical misuse of sacred objects?
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
וַתִּטֹּשׁ הַמִּלְחָמָה. וַתִּתְפַּשֵּׁט הַמִּלְחָמָה, כְּמוֹ ״וְהִנָּם נְטוּשִׁים עַל פְּנֵי הָאָרֶץ״ (שמואל א ל:טז), וְכֵן ״וַיִּנָּטְשׁוּ בַּלֶּחִי״ (שופטים טו:ט):
And the war spread. And the war spread. Similar to, "and behold they were spread out [נְטוּשִׁים] across the face of the entire land"3 Below 30:16. and to "and they were spread out [וַיִנָּטְשׁוּ] at Lehi."4Shoftim 15:9.

פסוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

וַיָּבֹ֣א הָעָם֮ אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶה֒ וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לָ֣מָּה נְגָפָ֧נוּ יְהֹוָ֛ה הַיּ֖וֹם לִפְנֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֑ים נִקְחָ֧ה אֵלֵ֣ינוּ מִשִּׁלֹ֗ה אֶת־אֲרוֹן֙ בְּרִ֣ית יְהֹוָ֔ה וְיָבֹ֣א בְקִרְבֵּ֔נוּ וְיֹשִׁעֵ֖נוּ מִכַּ֥ף אֹיְבֵֽינוּ׃

English:

When the [Israelite] troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did GOD put us to rout today before the Philistines? Let us fetch the Ark of the Covenant of GOD from Shiloh; thus [God] will be present among us and will deliver us from the hands of our enemies.”

The elders of Israel ask the right question -- 'Why did God put us to rout?' -- but arrive at the wrong answer. Instead of examining their spiritual condition, they decide to fetch the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh, treating it as a talisman whose physical presence will guarantee victory.

פסוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח הָעָם֙ שִׁלֹ֔ה וַיִּשְׂא֣וּ מִשָּׁ֗ם אֵ֣ת אֲר֧וֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָ֛ה צְבָא֖וֹת יֹשֵׁ֣ב הַכְּרֻבִ֑ים וְשָׁ֞ם שְׁנֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־ע��לִ֗י עִם־אֲרוֹן֙ בְּרִ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים חׇפְנִ֖י וּפִֽינְחָֽס׃

English:

So the troops sent a message to Shiloh; there Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were in charge of the Ark of the Covenant of God, and they brought down from there the Ark of the Covenant of GOD of Hosts Enthroned on the Cherubim.

The Ark is brought from Shiloh, escorted by none other than Hophni and Phinehas -- the very priests whose corruption provoked God's judgment. The bitter irony is unmistakable: the men carrying the symbol of divine presence are the ones who desecrated it. Their presence with the Ark seals its fate.

פסוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

וַיְהִ֗י כְּב֨וֹא אֲר֤וֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וַיָּרִ֥עוּ כׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל תְּרוּעָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֑ה וַתֵּהֹ֖ם הָאָֽרֶץ׃

English:

When the Ark of the Covenant of GOD entered the camp, all Israel burst into a great shout, so that the earth resounded.

When the Ark enters the Israelite camp, the people erupt in a shout so great the earth trembles. Their confidence is entirely misplaced -- they celebrate the arrival of an object rather than the presence of God, confusing the symbol with the reality it represents.

פסוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׁמְע֤וּ פְלִשְׁתִּים֙ אֶת־ק֣וֹל הַתְּרוּעָ֔ה וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מֶ֠ה ק֣וֹל הַתְּרוּעָ֧ה הַגְּדוֹלָ֛ה הַזֹּ֖את בְּמַחֲנֵ֣ה הָעִבְרִ֑ים וַיֵּ֣דְע֔וּ כִּ֚י אֲר֣וֹן יְהֹוָ֔ה בָּ֖א אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃

English:

The Philistines heard the noise of the shouting and they wondered, “Why is there such a loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they learned that the Ark of GOD had come to the camp,

The Philistines hear the thunderous shout and learn the Ark has entered the Israelite camp. Their alarm contrasts with Israel's false confidence -- ironically, the Philistines take God's power more seriously than the Israelites who have reduced the Ark to a lucky charm.
▶Commentaries (1)
מצודת דודMetzudat David
ויאמרו. אלו לאלו: וידעו. אחר החקירה, נודע להם שבא הארון אליהם:
after investigating, they knew the aron of hashem had come

פסוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

וַיִּֽרְאוּ֙ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים כִּ֣י אָֽמְר֔וּ בָּ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ א֣וֹי לָ֔נוּ כִּ֣י לֹ֥א הָיְתָ֛ה כָּזֹ֖את אֶתְמ֥וֹל שִׁלְשֹֽׁם׃

English:

the Philistines were frightened; for they said, “God has come to the camp.” And they cried, “Woe to us! Nothing like this has ever happened before.

The Philistines cry out in genuine fear: 'God has come to the camp!' Their pagan understanding actually grasps something Israel has missed -- the Ark represents a real and terrifying divine power. They recognize the gravity of what Israel is treating casually.

פסוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

א֣וֹי לָ֔נוּ מִ֣י יַצִּילֵ֔נוּ מִיַּ֛ד הָאֱלֹהִ֥ים הָאַדִּירִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה אֵ֧לֶּה הֵ֣ם הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים הַמַּכִּ֧ים אֶת־מִצְרַ֛יִם בְּכׇל־מַכָּ֖ה בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃

English:

Woe to us! Who will save us from the power of this mighty God—the same God who struck the Egyptians with every kind of plague in the wilderness?

The Philistines recall the plagues God inflicted on Egypt 'in the wilderness' -- a geographical confusion that reveals pagan hearsay rather than accurate knowledge. Yet their fear of Israel's God, however imprecise, is more genuine than Israel's complacent presumption upon His favor.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
בְּכָל מַכָּה בַמִּדְבָּר. עַל יַם סוּף וְיוֹנָתָן תִּרְגֵּם: ״וּלְעַמֵּיהּ עֲבַד פְּרִישָׁן בְּמַדְבְּרָא״. וּבְסִפְרֵי שָׁנִינוּ: שֶׁהַפָּרָשָׁה הַזּוֹ עֵרוּב דְּבָרִים, מִי שֶׁאָמַר זֶה לֹא אָמַר זֶה, כְּשֵׁרִין שֶׁבָּהֶם אָמְרוּ: מִי יַצִּילֵנוּ מִיַּד הָאֱלֹהִים הָאַדִּירִים הָאֵלֶּה, וְהָרְשָׁעִים אָמְרוּ: אֵלֶּה הֵם הָאֱלֹהִים הַמַּכִּים אֶת מִצְרַיִם בְּכָל מַכָּה, כָּל מַכּוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ לוֹ, עַל הַמִּצְרִים הֱבִיאָם, אֵין לוֹ עוֹד מַכָּה מֵעַתָּה:
With every sort of plague in the wilderness. By the Sea of Reeds. Targum Yonoson however, renders, 'and for His people He performed wonders in the wilderness.' In Sifrei we learn that this passage is a combination of statements, whoever made one statement did not make the other. The worthy among them said, "Who will save us from the hand of this mighty God?" while the wicked retorted, "This is the God Who smote the Egyptians with every plague. All the plagues which He had, He brought upon the Egyptians. He has no more plagues [to inflict]."

פסוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

הִֽתְחַזּ��ק֞וּ וִֽהְי֤וּ לַֽאֲנָשִׁים֙ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים פֶּ֚ן תַּעַבְד֣וּ לָֽעִבְרִ֔ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָבְד֖וּ לָכֶ֑ם וִהְיִיתֶ֥ם לַאֲנָשִׁ֖ים וְנִלְחַמְתֶּֽם׃

English:

Brace yourselves and be resolute,cbe resolute Or “be men.” O Philistines! Or you will become slaves to the Hebrews as they were slaves to you. Be resolutedBe resolute See previous note. and fight!”

The Philistine commanders rally their troops with a stirring call: 'Be resolute and fight, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews!' Their desperate courage in the face of what they believe is divine power will prove more effective than Israel's false religious confidence.
▶Commentaries (1)
מצודת דודMetzudat David
התחזקו. אמרו אלו לאלו אתם פלשתים התחזקו: והיו לאנשים. רצה לומר לגבורים ואמיצי הלב: והייתם. רצה לומר: אבל אם תהיו לאנשים, אז תוכלו על כל פנים להלחם בהם, לבלי היות מנוצחים לעבוד אותם, ותהיו על כל פנים דומה להם בדבר הנצחון:
they said to each other "man up your a plishti meant to say, be strong hearted men if you are strong, you will be able to fight them and win

פסוק י״ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

וַיִּלָּחֲמ֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים וַיִּנָּ֤גֶף יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וַיָּנֻ֙סוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ לְאֹהָלָ֔יו וַתְּהִ֥י הַמַּכָּ֖ה גְּדוֹלָ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד וַיִּפֹּל֙ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף רַגְלִֽי׃

English:

The Philistines fought; Israel was routed, and they all fled to their homes. The defeat was very great, thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell there.

The second battle is a catastrophe far worse than the first: Israel is routed, every man fleeing to his tent, with thirty thousand foot soldiers killed. The Ark's presence not only fails to save Israel but the defeat is seven times greater than the first battle -- a devastating repudiation of the talisman approach.

פסוק י״א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וַאֲר֥וֹן אֱלֹהִ֖ים נִלְקָ֑ח וּשְׁנֵ֤י בְנֵֽי־עֵלִי֙ מֵ֔תוּ חׇפְנִ֖י וּפִֽינְחָֽס׃

English:

The Ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

The oracle from chapters 2 and 3 is fulfilled: the Ark of God is captured and both of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, die on the same day -- exactly as the 'man of God' had prophesied. The sign confirming the end of Eli's dynasty comes to pass in a single devastating moment.

פסוק י״ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

וַיָּ֤רׇץ אִישׁ־בִּנְיָמִן֙ מֵהַמַּ֣עֲרָכָ֔ה וַיָּבֹ֥א שִׁלֹ֖ה בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וּמַדָּ֣יו קְרֻעִ֔ים וַאֲדָמָ֖ה עַל־רֹאשֽׁוֹ׃

English:

A certain Benjaminite ran from the battlefield and reached Shiloh the same day; his clothes were rent and there was earth on his head.eearth on his head Another sign of mourning.

A Benjaminite runner arrives in Shiloh the same day with the classic signs of mourning -- torn clothes and earth on his head. The detail that he is from Benjamin may connect to Saul's tribe, foreshadowing the future king who will also face the Philistine threat.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
אִישׁ בִּנְיָמִן. זֶה הָיָה שָׁאוּל, שֶׁחָטַף אֶת הַלּוּחוֹת מִיַּד גָּלְיָת וּבָרַח לוֹ:
A Binyaminite man. This was Shaul,5Perhaps the reason for Scripture not revealing that it was Shaul, was to protect the honor of his kingship being that he was responsible in part for Eili’s death.—Da’as Sofrim who grabbed the Tablets from the hands of Golyas and fled.

פסוק י״ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

וַיָּב֗וֹא וְהִנֵּ֣ה עֵ֠לִ֠י יֹשֵׁ֨ב עַֽל־הַכִּסֵּ֜א (יך) [יַ֥ד] דֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ מְצַפֶּ֔ה כִּֽי־הָיָ֤ה לִבּוֹ֙ חָרֵ֔ד עַ֖ל אֲר֣וֹן הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וְהָאִ֗ישׁ בָּ֚א לְהַגִּ֣יד בָּעִ֔יר וַתִּזְעַ֖ק כׇּל־הָעִֽיר׃

English:

When he arrived, he found Eli sitting on a seat, waiting beside the road—his heart trembling for the Ark of God. The man entered the city to spread the news, and the whole city broke out in a cry.

The scene of Eli waiting by the road, his heart trembling specifically for the Ark of God, is deeply revealing. Despite his failures as a father, Eli's deepest concern is for the sacred -- the text specifies it is the Ark, not his sons, that weighs most heavily on his heart.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
יַד דֶּרֶךְ מְצַפֶּה. אֵצֶל יַד הַדֶּרֶךְ הָיָה מְצַפֶּה:
By the road looking out. By the side of the road, he was anxiously waiting.6He wanted to be situated in a place where a messenger would have to pass him first, and thus give him the news.

פסוק י״ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע עֵלִי֙ אֶת־ק֣וֹל הַצְּעָקָ֔ה וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מֶ֛ה ק֥וֹל הֶהָמ֖וֹן הַזֶּ֑ה וְהָאִ֣ישׁ מִהַ֔ר וַיָּבֹ֖א וַיַּגֵּ֥ד לְעֵלִֽי׃

English:

And when Eli heard the sound of the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?” the man rushed over to tell Eli.

Eli, now ninety-eight and blind, hears the city's wailing and asks what the commotion means. His physical blindness mirrors the spiritual blindness of his household, yet his anxious concern for the Ark shows a piety that his sons never possessed.

פסוק ט״ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וְעֵלִ֕י בֶּן־תִּשְׁעִ֥ים וּשְׁמֹנֶ֖ה שָׁנָ֑ה וְעֵינָ֣יו קָ֔מָה וְלֹ֥א יָכ֖וֹל לִרְאֽוֹת׃

English:

Now Eli was ninety-eight years old; his eyes were fixed in a blind stare.

The text notes Eli's extreme age (ninety-eight) and his fixed, blind stare, emphasizing his physical frailty at this moment of supreme crisis. He is ancient, sightless, and about to receive the worst news imaginable.

פסוק ט״ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הָאִ֜ישׁ אֶל־עֵלִ֗י אָֽנֹכִי֙ הַבָּ֣א מִן־הַמַּעֲרָכָ֔ה וַאֲנִ֕י מִן־הַמַּעֲרָכָ֖ה נַ֣סְתִּי הַיּ֑וֹם וַיֹּ֛אמֶר מֶה־הָיָ֥ה הַדָּבָ֖ר בְּנִֽי׃

English:

The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battlefield; I have just fled from the battlefield.” [Eli] asked, “What happened, my son?”

The messenger identifies himself as having just fled from the battlefield and Eli asks, 'What happened, my son?' The tender address 'my son' to a stranger, while his actual sons lie dead, carries an unconscious poignancy that the narrative does not need to underscore.

פסוק י״ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

וַיַּ֨עַן הַֽמְבַשֵּׂ֜ר וַיֹּ֗אמֶר נָ֤ס יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לִפְנֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וְגַ֛ם מַגֵּפָ֥ה גְדוֹלָ֖ה הָיְתָ֣ה בָעָ֑ם וְגַם־שְׁנֵ֨י בָנֶ֜יךָ מֵ֗תוּ חׇפְנִי֙ וּפִ֣ינְחָ֔ס וַאֲר֥וֹן הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים נִלְקָֽחָה׃ {פ}

English:

The bearer of the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the troops also suffered a great slaughter. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the Ark of God has been captured.”

The messenger delivers the news in ascending order of devastation: Israel has fled, there was a great slaughter, both sons are dead, and the Ark is captured. This fourfold structure builds to the climax -- the capture of the Ark -- which the narrative treats as the supreme catastrophe, worse even than the death of the priests.

פסוק י״ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וַיְהִ֞י כְּהַזְכִּיר֣וֹ ׀ אֶ��־אֲר֣וֹן הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים וַיִּפֹּ֣ל מֵֽעַל־הַ֠כִּסֵּ֠א אֲחֹ֨רַנִּ֜ית בְּעַ֣ד ׀ יַ֣ד הַשַּׁ֗עַר וַתִּשָּׁבֵ֤ר מַפְרַקְתּוֹ֙ וַיָּמֹ֔ת כִּֽי־זָקֵ֥ן הָאִ֖ישׁ וְכָבֵ֑ד וְה֛וּא שָׁפַ֥ט אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אַרְבָּעִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה׃

English:

When he mentioned the Ark of God, [Eli] fell backward off the seat besidefbeside Meaning of Heb. uncertain. the gate, broke his neck and died; for the man was old and heavy. He had been a chieftain of Israel for forty years.

At the mention of the Ark -- not his sons' deaths -- Eli falls backward off his seat, breaks his neck, and dies. The Metzudat David observes that this sequence reveals Eli's deepest loyalty: flawed as a father, he remained a servant of God whose greatest anguish was the desecration of the sacred. He had judged Israel for forty years.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
מַפְרַקְתּוֹ. אַפַּרְקוּתֵיהּ, עֶצֶם הַצַּוָּאר:
His neck. [Targum renders] אַפַּרְקוּתֵיה, the bone of the neck.7מַפְרֶקֶת is derived from פֶּרֶק [=link], meaning vertebra of which the bones of the neck and spine are made.

פסוק י״ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

וְכַלָּת֣וֹ אֵשֶׁת־פִּֽינְחָס֮ הָרָ֣ה לָלַת֒ וַתִּשְׁמַ֣ע אֶת־הַשְּׁמוּעָ֗ה אֶל־הִלָּקַח֙ אֲר֣וֹן הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וּמֵ֥ת חָמִ֖יהָ וְאִישָׁ֑הּ וַתִּכְרַ֣ע וַתֵּ֔לֶד כִּֽי־נֶהֶפְכ֥וּ עָלֶ֖יהָ צִרֶֽיהָ׃

English:

His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. When she heard the report that the Ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she was seized with labor pains, and she crouched down and gave birth.

Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, is pregnant and near her due date when the news arrives. Her premature labor, triggered by the shock of the triple catastrophe -- the Ark's capture, her father-in-law's death, and her husband's death -- brings the chapter's devastation into the most intimate human sphere.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
לָלַת. עַל כָּרְחוֹ ׳לָלֶדֶת׳ פֵּרוּשׁוֹ, וְאֵין לוֹ דִּמְיוֹן וּמְנַחֵם חִבְּרוֹ בְּחֵלֶק ׳יְלָלָה׳, לְפִי שֶׁחֶבְלֵי לֵידָתָהּ בִּילָלָה בָּאוּ לָהּ, וִיסוֹד יְלָלָה, אֵין אוֹת בִּיסוֹדָהּ אֶלָּא לָמֶ״ד לְבַדָּהּ: נֶהֶפְכוּ. נִשְׁתַּנּוּ מִכְּדַרְכָּן, לְכָךְ מֵתָה: צִרֶיהָ. צִירֵי דַּלְתֵי בִּטְנָהּ, קרדוני״ל בלע״ז:
To give birth. Obviously [this word] means 'to give birth.' There is no similar form [in Scriptures]. However, Menachem8Menachem was an authority on grammar and is often quoted by Rashi. placed this verb in the section dealing with the word יְלָלָה 'wailing,' because her birth pangs came upon her with wailing. The root of 'יְלָלָה' is the 'ל' alone. Came suddenly. Differed from what normally occurs, therefore she died. Her labor pains. [צִרֶיהָ=hinges], i.e., 'the hinges of the doors of her womb';9 See Bechoros 45a.chardonel in O. F.

פסוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

וּכְעֵ֣ת מוּתָ֗הּ וַתְּדַבֵּ֙רְנָה֙ הַנִּצָּב֣וֹת עָלֶ֔יהָ אַל־תִּֽירְאִ֖י כִּ֣י בֵ֣ן יָלָ֑דְתְּ וְלֹ֥א עָנְתָ֖ה וְלֹא־שָׁ֥תָה לִבָּֽהּ׃

English:

As she lay dying, the women attending her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not respond or pay heed.

As she lies dying, the attending women try to comfort her: 'You have borne a son.' But she does not respond or take notice. The failure of this conventional comfort -- a son to carry on the family -- reveals that something far greater than personal loss has shattered her. No new life can compensate for the departure of divine glory.

פסוק כ״א · Verse 21

Hebrew:

וַתִּקְרָ֣א לַנַּ֗עַר אִֽיכָבוֹד֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר גָּלָ֥ה כָב֖וֹד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֶל־הִלָּקַח֙ אֲר֣וֹן הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וְאֶל־חָמִ֖יהָ וְאִישָֽׁהּ׃

English:

She named the boy Ichabod, meaning, “The glory has departed from Israel”—referring to the capture of the Ark of God and to [the death of] her father-in-law and her husband.

Her dying act is to name the child Ichabod (Ee-Khavod), meaning 'Where is the glory?' or 'The glory has departed from Israel.' The name refers primarily to the capture of the Ark, and secondarily to her father-in-law and husband -- the sacred loss outweighs even the personal ones.
▶Commentaries (1)
רש״יRashi
אִי כָבוֹד. אֵין כָּבוֹד, וְכֵן ״יְמַלֵּט אִי נָקִי״ (איוב כב:ל), אֵין נָקִי: אֶל הִלָּקַח. כְּמוֹ עַל הִלָּקַח, וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לְזוּזוֹ מִלְּשׁוֹן אֶל, לְמִי שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ לְהָבִין דְּבָרוֹ: אֶל הִלָּקַח. איטיויר״ש לאישטריפו״ש בלע״ז: וְאֶל חָמִיהָ. וְאֶל הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת, שֶׁמֵּת חָמִיהָ וְאִישָׁהּ:
I chavod. There is no glory; similar to, "He will save "10 Iyov 22:30.אִי נָקִי one who is not innocent, [meaning the same as] אֵין נָקִי. Because of the capture of. Meaning the same as 'to the capture of', but it is unnecessary to remove the expression of 'to' for one who understands its meaning. Because of the capture of. Envers etweirs l'estre pris in O. F. And because of her father-in-law. I.e., because of this misfortune that her father-in-law and husband had perished.

פסוק כ״ב · Verse 22

Hebrew:

וַתֹּ֕אמֶר גָּלָ֥ה כָב֖וֹד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּ֥י נִלְקַ֖ח אֲר֥וֹן הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃ {פ}

English:

“The glory is gone from Israel,” she said, “for the Ark of God has been captured.”

The chapter closes with the dying woman's epitaph for an entire era: 'The glory is gone from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured.' These are among the most haunting final words in Scripture -- spoken by an unnamed woman, they mark the end of the Shiloh sanctuary and the period of the Judges.

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