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?
• 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?”
• New Living Translation (NLT)He said to Eli, “I have just come from the battlefield—I was there this very day.” “What happened, my son?” Eli demanded.

Context of 1 Samuel 4:16

14Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?” The man hurried over to Eli, 15who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes had failed so that he could not see. He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.” Eli asked, “What happened, my son?” 17The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led Israel forty 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. “Tell me.” “The men fled from the battle,” he replied. “Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”
• 1 Samuel 3:6Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
• Joshua 7:19Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it 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