1 And the word of Samuel was to all Israel. And Israel went out to meet Philistines for the battle and encamped by the Help Stone, i and Philistines encamped in Aphek. 2 And Philistines set in order to meet Israel. And the battle spread, and Israel was smitten before Philistines. And they struck in the battle line in the field about four thousand men.
3 And the people came in to the camp, and the elders of Israel said, “Why has Yehvah struck us today before Philistines? Let us take to us from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of Yehvah, and let him come in our midst and save us from palm of our enemies.” 4 And the people sent to Shiloh and carried from there the ark of the covenant of Yehvah of hosts inhabiting the cherubs. ii And there were two sons of Eli with the ark of the covenant of the Gods, Hophni and Phinehas.
5 And it was, as the ark of the covenant of Yehvah came into the camp that all Israel shouted a great shout, and the earth echoed. iii 6 And Philistines heard the sound of the shout, and said, “What sound is this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” And they knew that the ark of Yehvah had come into the camp. 7 And the Philistines feared, for they said, “Gods, he came into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us, for it has never been like this before. iv 8 Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these majestic Gods. These are the Gods who struck Egyptians with every plague in the wilderness.” 9 “Strengthen yourselves and be men, Philistines, lest you be servants to the Hebrews, just as they have served you. Be men and fight!”
10 And Philistines fought and Israel was struck, and they fled each to his tent. And the slaughter was very great, and thirty thousand on foot fell from Israel. 11 And the ark of Gods was taken, and two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. 12 And a man from Benjamin ran from the battle line and came into Shiloh that day, and his clothes were torn and dirt was on his head. 13 And he came, and Eli was sitting on the seat, struck, v watching a road, for his heart was trembling over the ark of the Gods. And the man came to declare in the city, and all the city cried out.
14 And Eli heard the sound of the outcry, and he said, “What is the sound of this multitude?” And the man hurried and came in and declared to Eli. 15 And Eli was a son of ninety eight years, and his eyes stood still; vi and he was not able to see. 16 And the man said to Eli, “I am he who has come in from the battle line, and today I fled from the battle line.” And he said, “What was the matter, my son.” 17 And the bearer of news answered and said, “Israel fled before Philistines, and also there was a great slaughter among the people. And also your two sons died, Hophni and Phinehas. And the ark of the Gods was taken.” 18 And it was, at his mentioning the ark of the Gods that he fell from upon the seat backwards by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken. And he died as the old man and heavy. And he judged Israel forty years.
19 And his daughter-in-law, woman of Phinehas, was pregnant giving birth. And she heard the report of the taking of the ark of the Gods, and her father-in-law died, and her man. And she bowed down and gave birth, for her pain turned upon her. 20 And at time of her death, those standing by her said, “Do not fear, for you have born a son.” And she did not answer, and her heart gave no regard. 21 And she called the boy Ichabod, vii saying, “Glory is removed from Israel,” to the taking of the ark of the Gods and to her father-in-law and her man. 22 And she said, “Glory is removed from Israel, for the ark of the Gods was taken.”
Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdf.
- ר זר עז הע ן בר אר הע) hâ'even hâ`êzer) “the Help Stone”; NKJV, etc. “Ebenezer”; YLT “Eben-Ezer” - found also in 1 Samuel 5:1; 7:12 both without the article before “Stone” (“Eben”), thus there translated “the Stone of Help.” ר זר עז) êzer) “help” e.g. same word as “helper” in Genesis 2:18, 20; and “help” Exodus 18:4. ^
- ם בי רב כר הכ ב יששז) yoshêv hakerubiym) “inhabiting the cherubs” YLT; “ who dwells between the cherubim” NKJV, Green; “who sits above the cherubim” NAS; “who is enthroned on the cherubim” ESV. This same exact phrase is also found in 2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; Isaiah 37:16. See also Exodus 25:19-22; Numbers 7:89. ^
- תזהשם) têhom) “echoed”; BDB “re-echoing”; KJV “rang again”; NAS “resounded”; NKJV, Green “shook” - same exact word as in Ruth 1:19 where the city was “stirred up” (TT), “excited” (NKJV). ^
- ששם לר שי מול תר אר') etmol shilshom) “before” - see footnote for Genesis 31:2. ^
- written יכך) yakh) “struck”; read יכד) yad) lit. “hand,” NKJV, KJV “side” in “wayside” combined with “way” )ררך( דר (derekh); YLT “side” (of the way); NAS “by” (the road). 1 Samuel 4:18 יכד) yad) is used for “side” of the gate. ^
- ה מע קע) qâmâh) “stood still”; OJB “kamah (set, stiff, fixed motionless)”; YLT “stood”; NAS “set”; NKJV, KJV “dim” ^
- איי־כעבוד') iy-khâvod) “Ichabod” = either “No Glory” (e.g. Job 22:30 י י־נעקי אי'] iy-nâqiy] “not innocent”) or “Woe Glory!” (e.g. ץ רר אר ך י־לע אי'] iy-lâkh 'erets] “Woe to you, land”) ^
[...] Why do you kick at my sacrifice and at my offering that I have commanded for the dwelling, and you honor your sons more than me, to make yourselves fat from the first part of every offering of my people Israel?'” -- Eli was “was old and heavy” (1 Samuel 4:18). [...]
[...] And this man went up from his city from days to days to worship and to sacrifice to Yehvah of hosts in Shiloh. And there were two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Yehvah. -- ניי רֹפ ם ח) châphniy) “Chophni”; NKJV, etc. “Hophni” - found also in 1 Samuel 2:34; 4:4, 11, 17. -- יִע`) êliy) “Eli” - found also in 1 Samuel 1:9, 12-14, 17, 25; 2:11-12, 20, 22, 27; 3:1-2, 5-6, 8-9, 12, 14-16; 4:4, 11, 13-16, 18; 14:3; 1 Kings 2:27. This is not the same “Eli” as in Matthew 27:46 “Eli,” Greek Ἠλί (êli), Hebrew ללייִא') êliy) = “my God” (Psalm 22:1). [...]
And Samuel took one stone and set it between the Lookout and the Tooth and called her name "The Stone of Help." And he said, "Until here Yehvah has helped us." -- This is where the name came from for this location. See 1 Samuel 4:1 and footnote.
So he cast out the man and caused cherubs, and the flaming turning sword, to dwell east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life. -- µybiruK] (keruviym) - “cherubs,” KJV, NKJV, NAS, NIV, “cherubim” - “cherubim” is a transliteration of the plural form of the word for “cherub.” Cherubs are heavenly creatures that are closely associated with the Lord. Psalm 80:1; 99:1 and Isaiah 37:16 say the Lord dwells between the Cherubs. They are described in detail in Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10. The Lord flew upon a cherub (2 Samuel 22:11; Psalm 18:10). There is a fallen Cherub in Ezekiel 28:14, 16. Also, there was a man by the name of Cherub in Ezra 2:59 and Nehemiah 7:61. For every other verse which uses this term, see Exodus 25:18-20, 22; 26:1, 31; 36:8, 35; 37:7-9; Numbers 7:89; 99:1; 1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; 1 Kings 6:23-29, 32, 35; 7:29, 36; 8:6-7; 2 Kings 19:15; 1 Chronicles 13:6; 28:18; 2 Chronicles 3:7, 10-14; 5:7-8; Ezekiel 7:2; 9:3; 10:1-4, 5-9, 14-16, 18-20; 11:22; 28:14, 16; 41:18, 20, 25, and Hebrews 9:5.