Sāmǔĕrjìshàng 4

1 Yǐsèliè rén chū qù yǔ Fēilìshì rén dǎzhàng , ān yíng zaì yǐbiàn Yǐxiè . Fēilìshì rén ān yíng zaì Yàfú .

2 Fēilìshì rén xiàng Yǐsèliè rén bǎi zhèn . liǎng jūn jiāo zhàn de shíhou , Yǐsèliè rén baì zaì Fēilìshì rén miànqián . Fēilìshì rén zaì zhàn cháng shàng shā le tāmende jūn bīng yuē yǒu sì qiā rén .

3 Bǎixìng huí dào yíng lǐ , Yǐsèliè de zhǎnglǎo shuō , Yēhéhuá jīnrì wèihé shǐ wǒmen baì zaì Fēilìshì rén miànqián ne . wǒmen bù rú jiāng Yēhéhuá de yuē guì cóng shì luō tái dào wǒmen zhèlǐ lái , hǎo zaì wǒmen zhōngjiān jiù wǒmen tuōlí dírén de shǒu .

4 Yúshì bǎixìng dǎfa rén dào Shìluó , cóng nàli jiāng1 zuò zaì èr Jīlùbǎi shàng wàn jūn zhī Yēhéhuá de yuē guì tái lái . Yǐlì de liǎng gè érzi hé Fú ní , Fēiníhā yǔ shén de yuē guì tóng lái .

5 Yēhéhuá de yuē guì dào le yíng zhōng , Yǐsèliè zhòngrén jiù dàshēng huānhū , dì biàn zhèndòng .

6 Fēilìshì rén tīngjian huānhū de shēngyīn , jiù shuō , zaì Xībólái rén yíng lǐ dàshēng huānhū , shì shénme yuángù ne . suíhòu jiù zhīdào Yēhéhuá de yuē guì dào le yíng zhōng .

7 Fēilìshì rén jiù jùpà qǐlai , shuō , yǒu shén dào le tāmen yíng zhōng . yòu shuō , wǒmen yǒu huò le . xiàng lái bú céng yǒu zhèyàng de shì .

8 Wǒmen yǒu huò le . shuí néng jiù wǒmen tuōlí zhèxie dà néng zhī shén de shǒu ne . cóng qián zaì kuàngyĕ yòng gèyàng zāiyāng jī dá Āijí rén de , jiù shì zhèxie shén .

9 Fēilìshì rén nǎ , nǐmen yào gāngqiáng , yào zuò dà zhàngfu , miǎndé zuò Xībólái rén de núpú , rútóng tāmen zuò nǐmen de núpú yíyàng . nǐmen yào zuò dà zhàngfu , yǔ tāmen zhēng zhàn .

10 Fēilìshì rén hé Yǐsèliè rén dǎzhàng , Yǐsèliè rén baì le , gè xiàng gè jiā bēn taó , beì shā de rén shén duō , Yǐsèliè de bù bīng pú dǎo le sān wàn .

11 Shén de yuē guì beìlǔ qù , Yǐlì de liǎng gè érzi hé Fú ní , Fēiníhā yĕ dōu beì shā le .

12 Dāng rì , yǒu yī gè Biànyǎmǐn rén cóng zhèn shàng taópǎo , yīfu sī liè , tóu ménghuī chén , lái dào Shìluó .

13 Dào le de shíhou , Yǐlì zhèngzaì dào páng zuò zaì zìjǐ de wèi shàng guān wàng , wèi shén de yuē guì xīnli dān yōu . nà rén jìn chéng bàoxìn , hé chéng de rén jiù dōu hūhǎn qǐlai .

14 Yǐlì tīngjian hūhǎn de shēngyīn jiù wèn shuō , zhè xuān nāng shì shénme yuángù ne . nà rén jímáng lái bàoxìn gĕi Yǐlì .

15 Nàshí Yǐlì jiǔ shí bā suì le , yǎnmù fā zhí , bùnéng kànjian .

16 Nà rén duì Yǐlì shuō , wǒ shì cóng zhèn shàng lái de , jīnrì wǒ cóng zhèn shàng taó huí . Yǐlì shuō , wǒ ér , shìqing zĕnyàng .

17 Bàoxìn de huídá shuō , Yǐsèliè rén zaì Fēilìshì rén miànqián taópǎo , mín zhōng beì shā de shén duō . nǐde liǎng gè érzi hé Fú ní , Fēiníhā yĕ dōu sǐ le , bìngqiĕ shén de yuē guì beìlǔ qù .

18 Tā yī tí shén de yuē guì , Yǐlì jiù cóng tāde wèi shàng wǎng hòu diēdǎo , zaì mén páng zhé duàn jǐngxiàng ér sǐ . yīnwei tā niánjì lǎomaì , shēntǐ chén zhòng . Yǐlì zuò Yǐsèliè de shì shī sì shí nián .

19 Yǐlì de ér fù , Fēiníhā de qī huáiyùn jiāng dào chǎnqī , tā tīngjian shén de yuē guì beìlǔ qù , gōng gōng hé zhàngfu dōu sǐ le , jiù mĕng rán téngtòng , qǔ shēn shēngchǎn .

20 Jiāngyào sǐ de shíhou , pángbiān zhàn zhe de fùrén men duì tā shuō , búyào pà . nǐ shēng le nánhái zǐ le . tā què bù huídá , yĕ bù fàng zaì xīn shàng .

21 Tā gĕi háizi qǐmíng jiào yǐ jiā bó , shuō , róngyào líkāi Yǐsèliè le . zhè shì yīn shén de yuē guì beìlǔ qù , yòu yīn tā gōng gōng hé zhàngfu dōu sǐ le .

22 tā yòu shuō , róngyào líkāi Yǐsèliè , yīnwei shén de yuē guì beìlǔ qù le .

Sāmǔĕrjìshàng 4 Commentary

Chapter 4

The Israelites overcome by the Philistines. (1-9) The ark taken. (10,11) The death of Eli. (12-18) The birth of Ichabod. (19-22)

Verses 1-9 Israel is smitten before the Philistines. Sin, the accursed thing, was in the camp, and gave their enemies all the advantage they could wish for. They own the hand of God in their trouble; but, instead of submitting, they speak angrily, as not aware of any just provocation they had given him. The foolishness of man perverts his way, and then his heart frets against the Lord, Pr. 19:3 , and finds fault with him. They supposed that they could oblige God to appear for them, by bringing the ark into their camp. Those who have gone back in the life of religion, sometimes discover great fondness for the outward observances of it, as if those would save them; and as if the ark, God's throne, in the camp, would bring them to heaven, though the world and the flesh are on the throne in the heart.

Verses 10-11 The taking of the ark was a great judgment upon Israel, and a certain token of God's displeasure. Let none think to shelter themselves from the wrath of God, under the cloak of outward profession.

Verses 12-18 The defeat of the army was very grievous to Eli as a judge; the tidings of the death of his two sons, to whom he had been so indulgent, and who, as he had reason to fear, died impenitent, touched him as a father; yet there was a greater concern on his spirit. And when the messenger concluded his story with, "The ark of God is taken," he is struck to the heart, and died immediately. A man may die miserably, yet not die eternally; may come to an untimely end, yet the end be peace.

Verses 19-22 The wife of Phinehas seems to have been a person of piety. Her dying regret was for the loss of the ark, and the departure of the glory from Israel. What is any earthly joy to her that feels herself dying? No joy but that which is spiritual and divine, will stand in any stead then; death is too serious a thing to admit the relish of any earthly joy. What is it to one that is lamenting the loss of the ark? What pleasure can we take in our creature comforts and enjoyments, if we want God's word and ordinances; especially if we want the comfort of his gracious presence, and the light of his countenance? If God go, the glory goes, and all good goes. Woe unto us if he depart! But though the glory is withdrawn from one sinful nation, city, or village after another, yet it shall never depart altogether, but shines forth in one place when eclipsed in another.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 4

This chapter is a narrative of a war between Israel and the Philistines, in the time of Samuel, and of the consequences of it. In the first battle, the Philistines had the better of the Israelites, which caused the latter to inquire into the reason of it, and who proposed to fetch the ark of the Lord, and did, to repair their loss, and prepare for a second battle, in which they hoped to succeed, and which struck a panic into their enemies, 1Sa 4:1-7, who yet encouraged and stirred up one another to behave in a courageous manner, and victory a second time was on their side, a great number of the Israelites were slain, among whom were Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, and the ark of God was taken, 1Sa 4:8-11, the news of which being brought to Eli, he fell back and died, 1Sa 4:12-18 and to his daughter-in-law, who upon it fell into labour, and died also, 1Sa 4:19-22.