1 Samuel 4:7

1 Samuel 4:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.
• New International Version (NIV)the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before.
• English Standard Version (ESV)the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "A god has come into the camp." And they said, "Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before.

Context of 1 Samuel 4:7

5The men brought the Lord's Covenant Box into the place where the soldiers' tents were. When the Israelites saw it, they shouted so loudly that the ground shook. 6The Philistines heard the loud noise. They asked each other, ‘What is happening there among the Hebrew people's army?’ Then they realized that the Lord's Covenant Box had arrived there. They were afraid and they said, ‘Their gods have come to help them fight! We are in bad trouble. Nothing like this has happened to us before. 8This is terrible! Nobody can save us from those powerful gods. Those gods punished the Egyptians with many bad diseases in the desert. 9Philistine soldiers, you must be brave! You must fight as strong men! If not, we will become slaves of these Hebrew people, as they were once our slaves. So be ready to fight bravely!’

1 Samuel 4:7 word by word

וַיִּֽרְאוּ֙ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים כִּ֣י אָמְר֔וּ בָּ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה וַיֹּאמְרוּ֙ א֣וֹי לָ֔נוּ כִּ֣י לֹ֥א הָיְתָ֛ה כָּזֹ֖את אֶתְמ֥וֹל שִׁלְשֹֽׁם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the Philistinesפְּלִשְׁתִּיpelishtîy · PhilistineH6430
• were afraidיָרֵאyârê' · to fearH3372
• for they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• is comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• into the campמַחֲנֶהmachăneh · campH4264
• Woeאוֹי'ôy · woe!H188
• unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretoforeשִׁלְשֹׁםshilshôm shilshôm · three days agoH8032
• unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretoforeאֶתְמוֹל'ethmôl 'ithmôl 'ethmûl · previouslyH865

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 4:7

• Exodus 14:25He stopped the wheels of their chariots, so that the Egyptians could not drive them properly. So the Egyptians said, ‘Let us run away from the Israelite army! It is the Lord who fights for them against Egypt.’
• Exodus 15:14The people of other nations will hear what you have done. They will be very afraid. The people who live in Philistia will shake with fear.
• Deuteronomy 32:30One man can chase away 1,000 of my people! Two men can chase away 10,000 of them! How can that happen? God, their strong Rock, has left them. The Lord has given their enemies power over them.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 4:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7God is come into the camp - They took for granted, as did the Israelites, that his presence was inseparable from his ark or shrine.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-7Like the Israelites, the Philistines saw the ark as a powerful charm (see 1 Samuel 4:2–3). They believed it would lead to their defeat in battle.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-93-9. Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us--Strange that they were so blind to the real cause of the disaster and that they did not discern, in the great and general corruption of religion and morals (1Sa 2:22-25; 7:3; Psa 78:58), the reason why the presence and aid of God were not extended to them. Their first measure for restoring the national spirit and energy ought to have been a complete reformation--a universal…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 4:7

• Aphek
• Ark
• Armies

In the dictionaries

• God
• Philistines
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Ark
• Glory
• Mean
• Pain
• Tabernacle
• Tumult
• Ark of the Covenant

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings