1 Samuel 4:16

1 Samuel 4:16 in other versions

• King James Version (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?
• New International Version (NIV)He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.” Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the man said to Eli, "I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today." And he said, "How did it go, my son?"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.” And he said, “What happened, my son?”

Context of 1 Samuel 4:16

14Hearing the cry, Eli asked, “What is this commotion?” So the man went quickly to tell Eli the news. 15(Eli was 98 years old, and his eyesight had failed so that he couldn’t see.) The man told Eli, “I’m the one who came from the battle. I fled from the front line today.” “What happened, son?” Eli asked. 17“Israel fled from the Philistines,” the messenger answered. “Our troops suffered heavy casualties. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, also are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18When the messenger mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell from his chair backwards toward the gate. He broke his neck, and he died. (The man was old and heavy.) He had judged Israel for 40 years.

1 Samuel 4:16 word by word

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הָאִ֜ישׁ אֶל־עֵלִ֗י אָֽנֹכִי֙ הַבָּ֣א מִן־הַמַּעֲרָכָ֔ה וַאֲנִ֕י מִן־הַמַּעֲרָכָ֖ה נַ֣סְתִּי הַיּ֑וֹם וַיֹּ֛אמֶר מֶֽה־הָיָ֥ה הַדָּבָ֖ר בְּנִֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto Eliעֵלִי‛êlîy · EliH5941
• he that cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• out of the armyמַעֲרָכָהma‛ărâkâh · rankH4634
• and I fledנוּסnûs · to fleeH5127
• to dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• What is there doneדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
• my sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 4:16

• 2 Samuel 1:4“What happened?” David asked him. “Please tell me.” The man answered, “The army fled from the battle, and many of the soldiers died. Saul and his son Jonathan are dead too.”
• 1 Samuel 3:6The Lord called Samuel again. Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am. You called me.” “I didn’t call ⌞you⌟, son,” he responded. “Go back to bed.”
• Joshua 7:19Joshua said to Achan, “Son, give honor and praise to the Lord God of Israel! Tell me what you have done. Don’t hide anything from me.”

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 4:16

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-18Verses 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…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-22The crisis with the ark of the covenant showed Israel needed Samuel's leadership. It also fulfilled prophecies about Eli and his sons (1 Samuel 3:11–14).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1813-18. Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside--The aged priest, as a public magistrate, used, in dispensing justice, to seat himself daily in a spacious recess at the entrance gate of the city. In his intense anxiety to learn the issue of the battle, he took up his usual place as the most convenient for meeting with passers-by. His seat was an official chair, similar to those of the ancient Egyptian judges, richly carved, superbly ornamented, high, and…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 4:16

• Ark
• Eli
• Judgments
• Parents

In the dictionaries

• Eli
• Glory
• Mean
• Pain
• Philistines
• Tabernacle
• Tumult
• Ark of the Covenant
• Exodus, the Book of
• God

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