I Samuel 4 · The Lantern

The Philistines Capture the Ark

And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. And Israel went out to meet the Philistines for battle; and they camped by Ebenezer, and the Philistines camped at Aphek.

And the Philistines drew up to meet Israel; and the battle spread, and Israel was beaten before the Philistines, who struck down in the battle line, in the field, about four thousand men.

And the people came into the camp, and the elders of Israel said: “Why has the LORD beaten us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and let it come into our midst and save us from the palm of our enemies.”

And the people sent to Shiloh, and they carried from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who sits enthroned on the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

And it was, when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, that all Israel shouted a great shout, and the earth resounded.

And the Philistines heard the sound of the shout and said, “What is the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” And they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said: “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck Egypt with every kind of blow in the wilderness.

Strengthen yourselves and be men, Philistines — lest you serve the Hebrews as they have served you. Be men, and fight!”

And the Philistines fought, and Israel was beaten, and they fled each to his tents; and the blow was very great, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.

And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli died, Hophni and Phinehas.

Or indeed how will it be true that it is said of this tabernacle that none dwells in it except the "innocent in hands and clean in heart, who hath not taken his soul in vain", when the history of the Kingdoms discloses that most wicked priests, "sons of pestilence", dwelt in the tabernacle of God, and that the very ark of the testament, captured by the Allophyli (Philistines),…

Now this is the first lust which conquered the world, and because of it the first transgression of the law took place. It demanded tribute from the priests, who, without right, were taking it away from those who made offerings; it dismissed the sons of Eli from their priesthood.

And the ark of God was captured, etc. And with the proclamation of the apostles and the faith of the repenting people spreading far and wide, the grace of God was taken away from the Jews, and that priesthood of legal judgments, once glorious on the throne, fell backward, that is, it turned back on itself and did not fear to take up the sins it once abandoned; it perished with…

The Death of Eli

And a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh that day, with his clothes torn and earth on his head.

And he came — and look, Eli was sitting on the seat by the road, watching, for his heart was trembling for the ark of God. And the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out.

Eli was pious in himself; for he was not anxious primarily about the salvation of his children, but about the ark, lest it should come to be under the foreigners — which indeed also happened.

15. But when the humility of the ecclesiastical preacher is commended, the pride of the Jewish teacher is likewise expressed, because Eli is said to sit upon a seat. In this passage, Eli represents not the priests but the lawyers of the Synagogue. And what does it mean that he sits upon a seat, except that he is proudly exalted because of his learning?

But when that man had entered, he announced to the city, etc. The teacher evangelized, and the listener repented. For upon hearing the crime they had committed in the slaughter of the Savior, the Jews were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles: "What shall we do, brothers?" (Acts 2).

And Eli heard the sound of the outcry and said, “What is the sound of this uproar?” And the man hurried and came and told Eli.

Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were fixed, and he could not see.

And the man said to Eli, “I am the one who has come from the battle line; I fled from the battle line today.” And he said, “What happened, my son?”

And the bearer of news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the people; and your two sons also are dead, Hophni and Phinehas — and the ark of God has been taken.”

And it was, when he mentioned the ark of God, that Eli fell from the seat backward, beside the gate; and his neck was broken, and he died — for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

See what chastity is required in a bishop! If his child is unchaste, he himself cannot be a bishop, and he offends God in the same way as did Eli the priest, who had indeed rebuked his sons, but because he had not put away the offenders, fell backwards and died before the lamp of God went out.

22. What is it that Eli, upon hearing of Israel's flight, when the ruin of the people was reported to him, when the death of his sons was announced, does not at all fall from his seat: but upon learning of the capture of the ark, both falls from his seat and loses his life?

The man was an old man, and advanced in years, etc. That priesthood had become aged at that time, once glorious with rich virtue, and it showed, at the appropriate time, judgments of the divine law, which is encompassed in the Decalogue, to the people of Israel through chief priests, elders of the people, scribes, and Pharisees who are also called doctors of the law.

And his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth; and she heard the report about the taking of the ark of God, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead. And she bowed down and gave birth, for her pains turned upon her.

Let us read the Scriptures, and we will never find that holy women, except Rachel, gave birth with pain: because she was on the way and in the hippodrome, that is, in the race of horses, which are sold in Egypt, she gave birth to a son of pain, whom later the father called the son of his right hand.

26. But who was the daughter-in-law of Eli, if not the people of the Jews, subject to reprobate priests? Because she had received the seeds of unbelief in her mind through their preaching, she was pregnant. And because she was also thinking of pouring forth the malice she had conceived, she is said to have been not only pregnant but also near to giving birth.

Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, etc. The Synagogue, entrusted with the children of the legal priesthood to govern, indeed received the seed of the word from the teachers and was near to producing the fruit of faith, which it had long sought, at the Lord's preaching.

And about the time of her death, the women standing by her said, “Do not fear, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer, and did not set her heart to it.

And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, “Glory has gone into exile from Israel” — because of the taking of the ark of God, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

And she said, “Glory has gone into exile from Israel, for the ark of God has been taken.”

I Samuel4

The Philistines Capture the Ark

The Death of Eli