1 Samuel 4:12-18

1 Samuel 4:12-18

[12] And there ran  a man  of Benjamin  out of the army,  and came  to Shiloh  the same day  with his clothes  rent,  and with earth  upon his head.  [13] And when he came,  lo, Eli  sat  upon a seat  by the wayside  watching:  for his heart  trembled  for the ark  of God.  And when the man  came  into the city,  and told  it, all the city  cried out.  [14] And when Eli  heard  the noise  of the crying,  he said,  What meaneth the noise  of this tumult?  And the man  came  in hastily,  and told  Eli.  [15] Now Eli  was ninety  and eight  years  old;  and his eyes  were dim,  that he could  not see.  [16] And the man  said  unto Eli,  I am he that came  out of the army,  and I fled  to day  out of the army.  And he said,  What is there done,  my son?  [17] And the messenger  answered  and said,  Israel  is fled  before  the Philistines,  and there hath been also a great  slaughter  among the people,  and thy two  sons  also, Hophni  and Phinehas,  are dead,  and the ark  of God  is taken.  [18] And it came to pass, when he made mention  of the ark  of God,  that he fell  from off the seat  backward  by  the side  of the gate,  and his neck  brake,  and he died:  for he was an old  man,  And he had judged  Israel  forty  years. 

What does 1 Samuel 4:12-18 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

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. [1]
The battle of Aphek recorded in this chapter took place in1104 B.C. Since Eli was98 years old when he died on hearing the news that the Philistines had taken the ark in this battle, he must have been born in1202 B.C. [2]