The Meaning of 1 Samuel 4:16 Explained

1 Samuel 4:16

KJV: 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?

YLT: And the man saith unto Eli, 'I am he who hath come out of the ranks, and I out of the ranks have fled to-day;' and he saith, 'What hath been the matter, my son?'

Darby: And the man said to Eli, I am he that came out of the battle, and I have fled to-day out of the battle. And he said, What has taken place, my son?

ASV: 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, How went the matter, my son?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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? 

What does 1 Samuel 4:16 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 4:12-22 - The Glory Departed From Israel
Notwithstanding their high hopes, disaster again overtook the hosts of Israel. No symbols of God will help us, until we have put away our idols and laid our hearts bare before Him.
The bad news traveled quickly over the land and everywhere brought dismay. The death of Eli and that of his daughter-in-law were tragedies, but in each ease there was a beautiful touch of true devotion to God's holy cause. The old man succumbed only when the messenger told of the capture of the Ark; while the mother could not be rallied from her death-swoon, even by the cry of her child, because, with the Ark, the glory of her people had passed away. May we not all pray to be equally devoted to the cause of Jesus Christ, so that its victories or its delays may touch us to the quick? The glory of our lives, as of the Church, should ever consist in the possession, not of the symbol, but of the real presence of our Lord, recognized, revered, loved and enshrined in our tenderest emotions. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 4

1  The Israelites are overcome by the Philistines at Ebenezer
3  They fetch the ark unto the terror of the Philistines
10  They are smitten again, the ark taken, and Hophni and Phinehas are slain
12  Eli at the news, falling backward, breaks his neck
19  Phinehas's wife, discouraged in her travail with Ichabod, dies

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 4:16 mean?

And said the man to Eli I [am] he who came from the battle and I the battle line Fled today and he said what happened there done my son
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הָאִ֜ישׁ אֶל־ עֵלִ֗י אָֽנֹכִי֙ הַבָּ֣א מִן־ הַמַּעֲרָכָ֔ה וַאֲנִ֕י הַמַּעֲרָכָ֖ה נַ֣סְתִּי הַיּ֑וֹם וַיֹּ֛אמֶר מֶֽה־ הָיָ֥ה הַדָּבָ֖ר ؟ בְּנִֽי

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הָאִ֜ישׁ  the  man 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
עֵלִ֗י  Eli 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֵלִי  
Sense: descendant of Aaron through Ithamar and high priest and judge of Israel when Samuel entered service as a child.
אָֽנֹכִי֙  I  [am] 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אָנׄכִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
הַבָּ֣א  he  who  came 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַמַּעֲרָכָ֔ה  the  battle 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מַעֲרָכָה  
Sense: row, rank, battle-line.
וַאֲנִ֕י  and  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
הַמַּעֲרָכָ֖ה  the  battle  line 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מַעֲרָכָה  
Sense: row, rank, battle-line.
נַ֣סְתִּי  Fled 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: נוּס  
Sense: to flee, escape.
הַיּ֑וֹם  today 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
וַיֹּ֛אמֶר  and  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הָיָ֥ה  happened 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
הַדָּבָ֖ר  there  done 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
؟ בְּנִֽי  my  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.

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