1 Samuel 4:9

1 Samuel 4:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
• New International Version (NIV)Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!”

Context of 1 Samuel 4:9

7The Philistines were scared because they thought that gods had come to the camp. They said, “Too bad for us! We’ve never seen anything like this! 8Too bad for us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all sorts of plagues in the desert! Be strong and act like men, you Philistines, or else you will wind up serving the Hebrews the way they have served you! Act like men and fight!” 10So the Philistines fought. Israel was defeated; they all ran home. The slaughter was very great; thirty thousand foot soldiers fell in battle. 11The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were killed.

1 Samuel 4:9 word by word

הִֽתְחַזְּק֞וּ וִֽהְי֤וּ לַֽאֲנָשִׁים֙ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים פֶּ֚ן תַּעַבְד֣וּ לָעִבְרִ֔ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָבְד֖וּ לָכֶ֑ם וִהְיִיתֶ֥ם לַאֲנָשִׁ֖ים וְנִלְחַמְתֶּֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Be strongחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: strengthenH2388
• and quitהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
• yourselves like menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• O ye Philistinesפְּלִשְׁתִּיpelishtîy · PhilistineH6430
• that ye be not servantsעָבַד‛âbad · to serveH5647
• unto the Hebrewsעִבְרִי‛ibrîy · HebrewH5680
• and fightלָחַםlâcham · to fightH3898

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 4:9

• 2 Samuel 10:12Be strong! Let’s fight bravely for the sake of our people and the cities of our God! The Lord will do what he decides is best!”
• 1 Corinthians 16:13Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong.
• Ephesians 6:10Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.
• Deuteronomy 28:47“Because you have not served the Lord your God joyfully and wholeheartedly with the abundance of everything you have,
• Judges 10:7The Lord was furious with Israel and turned them over to the Philistines and Ammonites.
• Judges 13:1The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for forty years.
• Isaiah 14:2Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family of Jacob will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the Lord’s land. They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them.
• Isaiah 33:1The destroyer is as good as dead, you who have not been destroyed! The deceitful one is as good as dead, the one whom others have not deceived! When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed; when you finish deceiving, others will deceive you!

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 4:9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Be strong, etc. - This was the address to the whole army, and very forcible it was. "If ye do not fight, and acquit yourselves like men, ye will be servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you; and you may expect that they will avenge themselves of you for all the cruelty you have exercised towards them."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. 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 4:9

• Aphek
• Ark
• Armies
• Hebrew

In the dictionaries

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

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