Israel is routed and the ark captured by the Philistines; Eli's sons die, and Eli falls back and breaks his neck — 'the glory is departed from Israel.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer; and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.
verse value 5260
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "they·favoured" (חָנ֥וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Samuel" (דְבַר־שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "word·of·Samuel" (דְבַר־שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל), "beside·Eben" (עַל־הָאֶ֣בֶן), "in·Aphek" (בַאֲפֵֽק). The root פלשתי appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "Philistines" (root פלשתי, 124x in I Samuel); "word·of·Samuel" (root דבר, 113x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root פלשתי ("Philistines") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root מלחמה ("to·the·battle") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·all·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 11 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + דְבַר־שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל [word·of·Samuel] (583) + לְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [to·all·Israel] (621) + וַיֵּצֵ֣א [and·he·went·out] (107) + יִשְׂרָאֵל֩ [Israel] (541) + לִקְרַ֨את [to·meet] (731) + פְּלִשְׁתִּ֜ים [Philistines] (860) + לַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה [to·the·battle] (153) + וַֽיַּחֲנוּ֙ [and·they·encamped] (80) + עַל־הָאֶ֣בֶן [beside·Eben] (158) + הָעֵ֔זֶר [Ezer] (282) + וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים [and·Philistines] (866) + חָנ֥וּ [they·favoured] (64) + בַאֲפֵֽק [in·Aphek] (183) = 5260.
Rashi
And the word of Samuel was to all Israel. The word that was said to Samuel became, and it came to all Israel. And how was the calamity? And Israel went out against the Philistines to war.
the Stone of Help. It was not yet so named — for in the days of Samuel it was so named (below, 7:12). And here he called it by its future name.
Radak
"And Israel went out." This means that He commanded them to go out by the word of God, and they went out. And He commanded them to go out to be struck before the Philistines, because they were punished and liable to this judgment. Likewise, in the war of Gibeah, He commanded them to go up, and they were struck.
“Upon the Stone of Help.” Just as it is written, “The Ark of the Covenant,” and the author wrote this because at the time of that battle, it was a stone of stumbling and not a stone of help. It was not yet called the Stone of Help. Rather, it was named the Stone of Help on account of the later battle that Samuel waged against the Philistines between Mizpah and Shen, which Samuel called the Stone of Help, because God, blessed be He, helped them in that battle. But what is written, “Behold, the Stone of Help,” are the words of the scribe. And similarly, “and he pursued them as far as Dan.”
Ralbag
After this, the text relates that the Israelites had already gone out on their own initiative to meet the Philistines in battle, without inquiring of God through the Urim and Thummim or through a prophet as to how they should conduct themselves in this war. In the end of the matter, many of Israel died, and the Ark of God was captured. Thus was fulfilled what the man of God had said to Eli, and what Samuel had said to him:
Metzudat David
"And the word of Samuel came to pass for all Israel." This means that the prophecy of Samuel was fulfilled for all Israel, as it was said to him: "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel," etc. And then it goes on to explain how it was fulfilled, saying: "And Israel went out," etc., and at that time the Philistines no longer ruled over Israel. See the pamphlet on the reckoning of the generations.
Even HaEzer. This is the statement of the author of the book, for the name "Even HaEzer" was not called until after the last battle that Samuel waged, and Israel was victorious then (see below 7:12).
Malbim
The question is: Regarding what is stated, “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel,” it does not explain what he said to them. And if, as some commentators explain, he commanded them to go out to war so that they would be defeated before the Philistines, this would be very astonishing, for if so, they would have regarded him as a false prophet, and this is impossible.
And it came to pass: After he related (in the preceding section) that Samuel let none of his words fall to the ground regarding the prophecies he prophesied to individuals, he relates here that indeed the word of Samuel was fulfilled for all Israel, meaning the prophetic word he uttered concerning the entire assembly of Israel, as it is stated (above 3:11), "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle," and this was now fulfilled, for "Israel went out to meet the Philistines," etc.
And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel; and when the battle was spread, Israel was smitten before the Philistines; and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
verse value 6862
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִֽישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·arrayed" (וַיַּעַרְכ֨וּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 860: Philistines, Philistines. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·left" (וַתִּטֹּשׁ֙), "in·the·row" (בַמַּֽעֲרָכָה֙), "about·four" (כְּאַרְבַּ֥עַת). The root פלשתי appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "Philistines" (root פלשתי, 124x in I Samuel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 102x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root ערך ("and·they·arrayed") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root נטש ("and·left") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Philistines', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
And the battle spread. And the battle spread — like (below, 30:16): 'and they are scattered over the face of the land.' And so (Judges 15:9): 'and they spread themselves out in Lehi.'
Radak
"And the battle spread." In the sense of "and it spread over the camp" — a matter of a thing spreading out. And the Targum renders: and the warriors were dashed in pieces.
Ralbag
"And the battle spread." The meaning is that the battle spread abroad.
Metzudat David
And the battle spread out. The men of war spread out in the manner of those who engage in combat:
Metzudat Zion
And they arranged. A matter of ordering, similarly (Leviticus 6:5): 'and he shall arrange upon it the burnt offering,' and he means, the soldiers arranged themselves to stand against the battle.
And was scattered. A matter of scattering and dispersion, similarly (Numbers 11:31): 'and it was scattered over the camp'.
And he was smitten. A matter of striking, similarly (Psalms 91:12): 'lest you strike your foot against a stone'.
In the battle line. It is the place of battle, where they stand arranged.
Malbim
"And they arrayed themselves for battle" – the place of the battle array is not the place of the camp, but rather a middle ground between the two camps, where the combatants would delimit an area between them to fight there; and there the Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel. And the battle spread out in the field of battle, and Israel was smitten, and four thousand men of Israel fell in the field of battle. And yet, it was not a complete defeat, for they did not flee each to his tent, but rather they returned to the camp. This is what is written:
And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said: ‘Wherefore has Hashem smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of Hashem out of Shiloh to us, that He may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.’
verse value 5596
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 107 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָם֮, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·camp" (אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶה֒, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "struck·us" (נְגָפָ֧נוּ), "let·us·take" (נִקְחָ֧ה), "from·Shiloh" (מִשִּׁלֹ֗ה). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "and·came" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root מחנה ("to·the·camp") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root ברית ("covenant") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Philistines', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 11 words.
Radak
And He will save us. The Targum: And through the preciousness of His Name, we shall be delivered from the hands of our adversaries.
Metzudat David
“to the camp” – to those who did not go out in battle.
"Why have we been struck? Because they thought that they were free from sin."
"The Ark." For they said: When the Lord looks upon the Ark of His Covenant, He also looks upon us.
Malbim
The question: The Abarbanel asked, why did they now take the Ark, whereas they had not done so at any other time? What was the wrath that caused Him to give His strength into captivity, resulting in the capture of the Holy Ark?
And the people came to the camp, with the intention of fighting again. And the elders of Israel said. The Abarbanel gives several reasons for why the Ark of God was taken and given into the hands of the enemy. And in my opinion, all of them are explained in the written text: (Reason 1) At that time, Israel was wicked and sinful, serving idolatry, and the idol of Micah was among them, as it is stated (Judges 18:31), “And it continued all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh.” And later (1 Samuel 7:3), Samuel said to them, “Put away the foreign gods from among you.” Nevertheless, they considered themselves righteous, to the point that they asked, “Why has the Lord struck us?” This aroused the anger of the Lord against them, as it is stated, “I will judge you because you say, ‘I have not sinned’” (Jeremiah 2:35). (Reason 2) This follows from the previous point: Because they were like a mortally sick man who feels no pain at all, and they considered themselves righteous, they did not think to improve their deeds or seek salvation from the Lord. Rather, they said, “Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant to us, that it may come among us and save us from the hand of our enemies.” They reasoned that since He would certainly save His mighty ark and protect it from the hands of the Philistines, they too would be saved and protected thereby. And this is a flawed thought, for the covenant of the ark is not an end in itself, but rather for the sake of observing what is written within it.
So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of Hashem of hosts, who sits upon the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
verse value 6201
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 85 letters. Verse gematria: 6201 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·covenant·of·Hashem" (בְּרִית־יְהֹוָ֛ה, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "the·cherubim" (הַכְּרֻבִ֑ים), "with·chest" (עִם־אֲרוֹן֙). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·people" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel); "God" (root אלהים, 89x in I Samuel); "from·there" (root שם, 71x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שלח ("and·he·sent") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·cherubim', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Radak
“Behold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim.” The meaning of this narrative is to state that He is the Lord of the hosts, to strengthen those who love Him and to weaken His enemies. And “who is enthroned upon the cherubim” was said to inform us that He is close to human beings, to all who call upon Him in truth; were it not for sins, He would have been found [with them] in all this, but the sins caused [His absence]. Because of this, it is stated, “And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God,” to inform us that they caused the stumbling block. And in order that they come to battle, there was a cause from God that the elders of Israel requested the ark, and they caused the stumbling block together with the sins of Israel who were coming to battle, for there were among them worshippers of idolatry. And this ark is the ark in which the broken tablets were placed, and it would go out with them to battle, and it is about it that it is said, “And the ark of the covenant of the Lord was going before them.” And we find a dispute in the words of our Sages of blessed memory regarding this: some said that the tablets and the broken tablets were placed in one ark, and the Torah scroll was with them in the ark, and what is stated, “And you shall place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord,” its interpretation is “And you shall place it in the ark, beside the tablets of the covenant of the Name.” And some say that they made for the ark, on the outside, something like a compartment, and there the Torah scroll was placed, and this is what it said, “beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord.” And some said that in one ark alone the Torah scroll was placed. And some said that for the broken tablets there was an ark by itself, and it was this one that would go out to battle. And the verses prove that the complete tablets were in this ark that they brought into the camp, for it said “who is enthroned upon the cherubim,” indicating that the cherubim were upon it. And furthermore, this ark that went out to battle is the ark that was in Beth-shemesh when it returned from the field of the Philistines, and it is the one that was in Kiriath-jearim, and in the house of Obed-edom, and in the city of David, and from the city of David they carried it up and brought it into the Holy of Holies.
Metzudat David
"Who sits upon the cherubim." That is, He who dwells upon the cherubim that are above the Ark-cover.
And there, etc. Meaning: They carried the ark.
Malbim
c) They sinned in that they brought the Ark out of the Holy of Holies without permission from the Most High, and they did not inquire—neither through Samuel nor through the Urim and Thummim—whether they should do this. And this is what is written: “And the people sent” (1 Samuel 4:3)—meaning that the people sent [their request] on their own initiative, without the knowledge of a prophet. “And they took from there the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Hosts, Who sits upon the Cherubim”—indicating that the place of the Ark is beneath the Cherubim, not on the field of battle. Yet they moved it from its place, and they did not inquire of the word of the Lord. (And we have already explained in our commentary on the Torah, and discussed there, whether the Ark contained the Tablets or the broken Tablets; but this is not the place for that discussion.)
d) The Ark was captured due to the sin of the sons of Eli, as Samuel prophesied regarding this: “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel…” (1 Samuel 3:11). And this is what is written: “And the two sons of Eli were there with the Ark of the Covenant of God…” (1 Samuel 4:4)—for upon them the measure of strict justice was extended, and they were with the Ark, from which the divine utterance came concerning them, that they would both die on the same day. The time had arrived for Samuel’s words to be fulfilled, and with their death, the Ark that they had carried was captured.
And when the ark of the covenant of Hashem came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang.
verse value 3453
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִ֗י, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·covenant·of·Hashem" (בְּרִית־יְהֹוָה֙, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "alarm" (תְּרוּעָ֣ה), "and·it·was·astir" (וַתֵּהֹ֖ם). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "when·coming" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel); "all·Israel" (root כל, 71x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root רוע ("and·they·shouted") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root תרועה ("alarm") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·was] (31) + כְּב֨וֹא [when·coming] (29) + אֲר֤וֹן [chest] (257) + בְּרִית־יְהֹוָה֙ [the·covenant·of·Hashem] (638) + אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה [to·the·camp] (139) + וַיָּרִ֥עוּ [and·they·shouted] (292) + כׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [all·Israel] (591) + תְּרוּעָ֣ה [alarm] (681) + גְדוֹלָ֑ה [great] (48) + וַתֵּהֹ֖ם [and·it·was·astir] (451) + הָאָֽרֶץ [the·land] (296) = 3453.
Metzudat David
And they shouted. In honor of the arrival of the Ark:
"And the deep of the earth." This is from the language of exaggeration and hyperbole, and it means to say: the sound of the shout was heard from afar.
Metzudat Zion
And it resounded. From the word for a roar.
Malbim
"And it came to pass, when the ark came into the camp, they shouted with a shout of victory, for they thought that just as they had conquered the enemies at the time they entered the land and besieged Jericho, so too would they conquer now. And in this they sinned, as the Abarbanel noted: for in the war of Jericho, the Lord commanded that they not shout and not make their voice heard until the time of the falling of the wall, which is the time of victory; but prior to that, they were not to shout, but rather lift their eyes to the Lord to seek His salvation from their distress. And they did not act thus."
And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said: ‘What means the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?’ And they knew that the ark of Hashem was come into the camp.
verse value 5094
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5094 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "what" (מֶ֠ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·camp" (אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 686: alarm, alarm. The root קול appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "that" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root עברי ("the·Hebrews") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Hebrews', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
And they said: These to those:
And they knew. After the investigation, it became known to them that the Ark had come to them:
Metzudat Zion
The Hebrews. The children of Israel are called Hebrews, because their father Abraham was from beyond the river.
Malbim
And they heard. He relates that even though the two camps were far apart, the Philistines heard the sound of the war cry from afar; and when they inquired into the cause of the shouting, it became known to them that the Ark had come into the camp.
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said: ‘God is come into the camp.’ And they said: ‘Woe to us! for there was not such a thing yesterday and the day before.
verse value 4015
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·Philistines" (הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: God, to·us. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "like·this" (כָּזֹ֖את), "yesterday" (אֶתְמ֥וֹל). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root לנו ("to·us") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root שלשום ("day·before") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·camp', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 9 words.
Metzudat David
There was nothing like this. To bring the Ark into battle:
Metzudat Zion
The day before yesterday. The third day before today.
Malbim
“And they were afraid... for they said, ‘God has come into their camp.’” This refers to the Ark, upon which God dwells, entering their camp, and He would fight against them. And they said, “Woe to us!” meaning that they gave two reasons for their fear: 1) Although until now they had always been victorious over Israel, nevertheless, “such a thing has not been yesterday or the day before,” for until now we fought against men, but now against the God who saves them.
Woe to us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues and in the wilderness.
verse value 2238
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "to·us" (לָ֔נוּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "great" (הָאַדִּירִ֖ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·gods, the·gods. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "he·will·deliver·us" (יַצִּילֵ֔נוּ), "great" (הָאַדִּירִ֖ים), "blow" (הַמַּכִּ֧ים). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·hand·of" (root יד, 99x in I Samuel); "the·gods" (root אלהים, 89x in I Samuel); "blow" (root נכה, 52x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root נצל ("he·will·deliver·us") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root מצרי ("the·Egyptians") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
with every plague in the wilderness. At the Sea of Reeds. And Yonatan translated: And for His people He performed wonders in the wilderness. And in the Sifrei we learned: This section is a mixture of words — he who said this did not say that. The worthy among them said: Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? And the wicked ones said: These are the gods who struck Egypt with every plague — all the plagues that He had, He brought upon the Egyptians. He has no more plague from now.
Radak
“From the hand of these mighty gods.” The Targum of Jonathan translates: “From the utterance of the Lord, whose works are great, these are the mighty acts of the Lord, etc.” And my master and father, of blessed and holy memory, explained in Numbers [Rabbah] regarding “Manna” and “From Your word beauty has come forth”: This is the interpretation: “By His command and by His word He struck Egypt.” And now He Himself is coming. Woe to them! And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, it is stated that this passage was spoken in a mixture of words: “Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods?” Thus end the words of the righteous among them. But the wicked were saying: “These are the gods who strike Egypt with every plague.” In the wilderness, they said there were ten plagues, and He brought all of them upon the Egyptians, and the remaining plagues were exhausted upon His people in the wilderness. He has no more plagues to bring. At that moment, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them: “You say that I have no more plagues to bring? I will bring upon you a plague that has never existed before. One of them would go out with a hemorrhoid, and a mouse would emerge from the abyss, remove his intestines, and return to the abyss.” And so it is stated: “And the hand of the Lord was heavy upon Ashdod.” And there are those who interpret: “Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods?” For their custom was to refer to other gods using the plural form. This is what they meant when they said: “Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods?” And similarly, “You are weary and faint, O Israel, and there is no God to fear against Amalek.” A mixture of words is written here. And it is also possible to understand it according to its plain meaning.
Ralbag
"These are the gods who smite Egypt with every plague in the wilderness." The meaning is: "in the wilderness," for the matter of the splitting of the Red Sea occurred in the wilderness, in which Pharaoh and his host perished; and already before this they had smitten them in Egypt with various kinds of the plagues.
Metzudat David
In the wilderness. “By the Sea of Reeds,” which is in the wilderness:
Metzudat Zion
These mighty ones. In all this Scripture it spoke in the plural, because it said Elohim, a word written everywhere in the plural form, therefore it said everything in the plural.
Malbim
b) “Woe to us!” implies that not only is there no hope that we shall prevail, but there is also fear that we shall be destroyed at his hand, for who will deliver us from the hands of these mighty gods? “These” implies that surely His might has been known since ancient times. And it is impossible to say that His power is limited to only one thing (for example, to strike with pestilence or with water, but not to triumph in war), since He struck with all kinds of plagues. Likewise, it is impossible to say that He rules only in a specific land (only in the land of Egypt, not in Philistia), since He struck Egypt and also in the wilderness; thus, He rules over both inhabited areas and the wilderness, which are different places.
Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O you Philistines, that you be not servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you; quit yourselves like men, and fight.’
verse value 4977
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "lest" (פֶּ֚ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·you·will·fight" (וְנִלְחַמְתֶּֽם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 431: to·husbands, to·husbands. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "strengthen·yourselves" (הִֽתְחַזְּק֞וּ), "and·be·you" (וִֽהְי֤וּ), "you·will·work" (תַּעַבְד֣וּ). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "to·husbands" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·be·you" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root חזק ("strengthen·yourselves") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root לכם ("to·you") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: הִֽתְחַזְּק֞וּ [strengthen·yourselves] (526) + וִֽהְי֤וּ [and·be·you] (27) + לַֽאֲנָשִׁים֙ [to·husbands] (431) + פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים [Philistines] (860) + פֶּ֚ן [lest] (130) + תַּעַבְד֣וּ [you·will·work] (482) + לָֽעִבְרִ֔ים [to·the·Hebrews] (352) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + עָבְד֖וּ [they·served] (82) + לָכֶ֑ם [to·you] (90) + וִהְיִיתֶ֥ם [and·you·shall·be] (471) + לַאֲנָשִׁ֖ים [to·husbands] (431) + וְנִלְחַמְתֶּֽם [and·you·will·fight] (574) = 4977.
Ralbag
“Lest ye serve the Hebrews, as they have served you.” This indicates that the Philistines did not rule over Israel, nor did Israel rule over the Philistines. It is possible that the Children of Israel had recently emerged from their servitude, or it is possible that their period of servitude to the Philistines lasted until the death of Eli. If so, the years of Samson’s judgeship would be included within the years of Eli’s judgeship and counted for both, since the majority of Samson’s tenure took place during the period when the Philistines held sway, and whenever Samson was not acting as the ruling judge, Eli judged them.
Metzudat David
"Be strong." They said to one another, "You are Philistines; be strong."
"And they were for men." This means: for mighty men and men of valor.
"And you shall be." This implies: But if you are like men, then you will at least be able to fight against them, so as not to be defeated and forced to serve them; and you will at least be like them in the matter of victory.
Metzudat Zion
To men. He means, to warriors and courageous ones.
Malbim
The Questions: After they had been struck with fear of God, who smote Egypt, how could they say, “Be strong and be men”? And can a man fight against God and succeed? And what is the meaning of the repetition: “be men” and “you shall be men”?
“Be strong.” Behold, from that which is said: “These gods,” “These are the gods,” in the plural language. It is clear that they thought that the God of Jacob is not the First Cause (for it is known that all the ancient nations decided that it is altogether impossible for the First Cause to have any connection with inhabitants of clay houses). Rather, they thought that He is a collection of many exalted powers, more mighty than the power of their gods whom they serve. And they used to think that sometimes the mighty ones of the nations, or giant men, would strengthen themselves to fight against the sons of gods and defeat them, as is known from the songs and myths of the Greeks. Therefore they said, “Be strong,” and “be men,” O Philistines — meaning: Do not be like beasts, which will never overcome the sons of gods. Rather, be men who, by their human strength, will sometimes overcome the gods and the exalted powers (in the manner of “You have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed”). And even if you do not defeat them completely, at least strengthen yourselves, lest you be enslaved to the Hebrews, as they enslaved you. You will gain that they will not defeat you until you become their slaves. And he adds to say that even if you cannot achieve even this, and the sons of gods will defeat you, at least “be men” and “you shall fight.” This means: It is not the same as being defeated in battle, for at least one was a man and fought in the manner of men, unlike one who surrenders to his enemy and does not fight, for such a one has exited the category of men and is like a beast that is led away captive without understanding. And by your fighting, you will show that you are men and not beasts.
And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his tent; and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
verse value 4500
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 74 letters. Verse gematria: 4500 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "man" (אִ֣ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·fought" (וַיִּלָּחֲמ֣וּ, 6 letters). The root ישראל appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "Philistines" (root פלשתי, 124x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root נוס ("and·they·fled") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root מכה ("the·slaughter") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'very', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Metzudat Zion
Foot soldiers. Those who walk on foot, not horsemen.
Malbim
“And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten.” Now, they did not return to the camp in an orderly fashion as they had in the first instance, when they retreated in an organized manner; rather, now they fled and were scattered in disarray. And on account of this, the defeat was exceedingly great.
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
verse value 1883
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "died" (מֵ֔תוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Eli" (בְנֵֽי־עֵלִי֙, 6 letters). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלהים, 89x in I Samuel); "was·taken" (root לקח, 78x in I Samuel); "sons·of·Eli" (root בן, 69x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'was·taken', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַאֲר֥וֹן [and·ark·of] (263) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + נִלְקָ֑ח [was·taken] (188) + וּשְׁנֵ֤י [and·two·of] (366) + בְנֵֽי־עֵלִי֙ [sons·of·Eli] (172) + מֵ֔תוּ [died] (446) + חׇפְנִ֖י [Hophni] (148) + וּפִֽינְחָֽס [and·Phinehas] (214) = 1883.
Malbim
And afterward, the Ark of God was also taken, etc., and Hophni and Phinehas, its bearers, died. Through this, the prophecy of Samuel was fulfilled, as it is stated: “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.”
And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.
verse value 2727
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "Shiloh" (שִׁלֹ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "man·of·Benjamin" (אִישׁ־בִּנְיָמִן֙, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "man·of·Benjamin" (אִישׁ־בִּנְיָמִן֙), "from·the·row" (מֵהַמַּ֣עֲרָכָ֔ה), "torn" (קְרֻעִ֔ים). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man·of·Benjamin" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·came" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel); "in·the·day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root מד ("and·his·garments") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root קרע ("torn") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֤רׇץ [and·ran] (306) + אִישׁ־בִּנְיָמִן֙ [man·of·Benjamin] (463) + מֵהַמַּ֣עֲרָכָ֔ה [from·the·row] (380) + וַיָּבֹ֥א [and·came] (19) + שִׁלֹ֖ה [Shiloh] (335) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + וּמַדָּ֣יו [and·his·garments] (66) + קְרֻעִ֔ים [torn] (420) + וַאֲדָמָ֖ה [and·earth] (56) + עַל־רֹאשֽׁוֹ [on·his·head] (607) = 2727.
Rashi
A man of Benjamin. This was Sha'ul — he snatched the tablets from the hand of Goliath and fled.
Radak
“And a man of Benjamin ran” (1 Samuel 4:12). Our Sages expounded on this verse: It was Saul son of Kish who snatched the Tablets from the hands of Goliath the Philistine and fled. But this is far-fetched, that a person could remove the Tablets from the Ark, for behold, how many afflictions and how many evils came upon the Philistines merely from the sanctity of the Ark while it was in the land of the Philistines; all the more so if they had laid hands upon it. For even the men of Beth-shemesh, who were Israelites, many of them died because they looked into the Ark of the Lord.
Metzudat David
"And his garments were torn." This is the manner of distress and mourning.
Metzudat Zion
And his garments. And his clothing, similarly (below 17:38): 'and he put on... his garments'.
And the ground. Dust.
Malbim
And he ran: although many of the men of Shiloh were there and fled, behold, as they fled they were scattered in every direction, hiding in caves and clefts, and only one man ran and came on that day from the battlefield by a straight path to Shiloh to report the news, for he had seen everything with his own eyes, and his garments were torn over the destruction of his people’s daughter.
And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon his seat by the wayside watching; for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.
verse value 3507
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "hand" ((יך), 2 letters) and the longest is "on·the·seat" (עַֽל־הַכִּסֵּ֜א, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·he·came" (וַיָּב֗וֹא), "hand" ((יך)), "trembling" (חָרֵ֔ד). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·the·man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "for·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "and·he·came" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root הנה ("and·behold") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root חרד ("trembling") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Rashi
by the wayside, watching. Beside the edge of the road he was watching:
Radak
“Yad derekh mitzpeh.” It is written “yakh,” meaning that his heart was beating within him, and he was fearful concerning the Ark of God, which had gone out. And it is written “yakh” for this reason, following the pattern of “wayyakh lev David oto” (and David’s heart struck him). And it is read “yad,” which means “place,” as in “ve-yad tehyeh lecha” (and a place shall be yours). That is to say, he was sitting on the throne in the place from which he could see the path of those coming from the battle, and he was watching and hoping that a person would arrive, for his heart was trembling concerning the Ark of God. And Yonatan added to it the word “sha’ar,” translating it as “al kevesh orchah tara’a maskei,” just as he said in the latter verse, “be’ed yad ha-sha’ar.”
Ralbag
And behold, Eli was sitting on a chair by the way, as one who watches. This means that the chair was in a place from which he would watch and gaze down the road, to see if a messenger would come to tell him what had happened to the Ark of God.
“For his heart was afraid concerning the ark of God.” And for this reason, the chair was placed near the gate, so that he could see those passing by and coming and going. This indicates the greatness of his piety: he was not greatly distressed regarding his sons, despite what the man of God had revealed to him—that both of them would die on the same day. Even when he heard of the death of Hophni and Phinehas, he was not greatly distressed, until he heard that the ark of God had been taken. Only then did he fall backward from his chair, overwhelmed by fear. As a result of the fall, his neck was broken due to his extreme weakness, and he died because of the heaviness of his body and his advanced old age, for that heaviness was the cause of his death when he fell.
Metzudat David
"And he came." This means: At the time of his arrival in Shiloh, Eli sat upon the throne, etc.
"Yad derekh matzpeh." This refers to a location along the path of one journeying to the place of battle, where he would watch and long to hear news from the battle, for his heart was troubled over the departure of the Ark.
"And the man came." He came by another way, to tell the news in the city.
And she cried out. A cry of ruin and wailing.
Metzudat Zion
Hand. A place.
Watching. A matter of hope and expectation, similarly (Micah 7:7): 'and I will hope in the LORD'.
Malbim
The questions: (13–17) What is the meaning of the repetition of the phrase “he came” in “and he came to Shiloh,” “and he came, and behold, Eli,” and “the man came to report”? Why did the text first state that Eli was sitting on a seat by the way, watching, and only afterward state that Eli’s eyes had become so dim that he could not see? Why is he called a “messenger” in verse 12? Why did the man not go immediately to Eli, who was the priest, to whom it was fitting to report first what had happened to his sons and to the Ark? And if he did not wish to deliver the news, why did he not refrain from doing so thereafter, yet suddenly reported it to him, thereby causing his death?
"And he came, and behold, Eli." He prefaces his words, that it should not be a wonder in our eyes: a) Why did the bearer of tidings not come to Eli first, seeing that he was the prince of his people and it was fitting to tell him first? b) How was he not on his guard against telling an old man suddenly of the death of his sons and the taking of the ark, which was the cause of his death — and "he that uttereth a slander is a fool," as our Sages of blessed memory said (Pesachim, chapter 1, 3). Concerning this he relates that Eli was then sitting upon the seat beside the way, watching — that is to say, that he was not in the city but at the gate of the city on the further side, near the road, and there he sat watching for a bearer of tidings to come from the battle to tell him what had been done with the ark, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. "And the man came to tell it in the city": the bearer of tidings, after he had fled from the battle, went round about by his way and came from the other side, and through this the beginning of his telling was in the city, for they saw him first, and through this "all the city cried out."
And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said: ‘What means the noise of this tumult?’ And the man made haste, and came and told Eli.
verse value 2653
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "what" (מֶ֛ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·heard" (וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "cry" (הַצְּעָקָ֔ה), "to·Eli" (לְעֵלִֽי). The root עלי appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "and·the·man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·came" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root המון ("the·multitude") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root מהר ("hastened") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע [and·he·heard] (426) + עֵלִי֙ [Eli] (110) + אֶת־ק֣וֹל [the·voice] (537) + הַצְּעָקָ֔ה [cry] (270) + וַיֹּ֕אמֶר [and·said] (257) + מֶ֛ה [what] (45) + ק֥וֹל [voice] (136) + הֶהָמ֖וֹן [the·multitude] (106) + הַזֶּ֑ה [this] (17) + וְהָאִ֣ישׁ [and·the·man] (322) + מִהַ֔ר [hastened] (245) + וַיָּבֹ֖א [and·came] (19) + וַיַּגֵּ֥ד [and·told] (23) + לְעֵלִֽי [to·Eli] (140) = 2653.
Metzudat Zion
The multitude. The great people.
Malbim
And he heard: As soon as Eli heard the voice of the outcry and inquired into its cause, he summoned the man to come and report to him, for no man was willing to deliver such bad tidings to the old man. And since the man was summoned hastily to Eli, after the outcry had already spread through the streets, he assumed that Eli already knew the general outline of the events and was only seeking from him the specific details. Moreover, due to the haste, he did not report with composure, but told him everything suddenly. This is what is written: "And the man hastened and came," and thereby "he reported to Eli all at once."
Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were set, that he could not see.
verse value 2781
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·ninety" (בֶּן־תִּשְׁעִ֥ים, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "son·of·ninety" (בֶּן־תִּשְׁעִ֥ים), "eight" (וּשְׁמֹנֶ֖ה), "and·his·eyes" (וְעֵינָ֣יו). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel); "to·see" (root ראה, 82x in I Samuel); "son·of·ninety" (root בין, 67x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שמנה ("eight") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעֵלִ֕י [and·Eli] (116) + בֶּן־תִּשְׁעִ֥ים [son·of·ninety] (872) + וּשְׁמֹנֶ֖ה [eight] (401) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וְעֵינָ֣יו [and·his·eyes] (152) + קָ֔מָה [stood·up] (145) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + יָכ֖וֹל [was·able] (66) + לִרְאֽוֹת [to·see] (637) = 2781.
Radak
“And his eyes were dim.” Each of his eyes was dim, meaning they became clouded. He used the language of “dimness” regarding the eyes, just as it says, “When his eyes were dim, he restored them.” For in old age, the moisture dries up, the excess tissue of the eye swells, and the eye becomes sunken. There are those who interpret this as referring to the wasting away of the eyes. And so did Jonathan translate: “Their eyes were wasted, his eyes were dim.” And so does Targum Jonathan render: “And his eyes were dim.”
Metzudat Zion
Arose. He means, each one arose, for at the time of seeing, the eye is accustomed to shake, but Eli's arose and stood firm, for he saw no more.
Malbim
“And Eli, etc., ‘and his eyes were fixed’—if he had been able to see, and had seen the man with earth upon his head and all the city with their garments torn, he would not have been so affected by the sudden sound of the report, for it would have become known to him gradually. (And ‘his eyes were fixed’ is singular referring to a plural; and one should explain it as ‘and the sight of his eyes was set’):”
And the man said to Eli: ‘I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army.’ And he said: ‘How went the matter, my son?’
verse value 2906
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "that·goes·in" (הַבָּ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·row" (מִן־הַמַּעֲרָכָ֔ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 430: from·the·row, from·the·row. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "I·fled" (נַ֣סְתִּי), "what·happened" (מֶה־הָיָ֥ה). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·Eli" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'day', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + הָאִ֜ישׁ [man] (316) + אֶל־עֵלִ֗י [to·Eli] (141) + אָֽנֹכִי֙ [I] (81) + הַבָּ֣א [that·goes·in] (8) + מִן־הַמַּעֲרָכָ֔ה [from·the·row] (430) + וַאֲנִ֕י [and·I] (67) + מִן־הַמַּעֲרָכָ֖ה [from·the·row] (430) + נַ֣סְתִּי [I·fled] (520) + הַיּ֑וֹם [day] (61) + וַיֹּ֛אמֶר [and·said] (257) + מֶה־הָיָ֥ה [what·happened] (65) + הַדָּבָ֖ר [the·matter] (211) + בְּנִֽי [my·son] (62) = 2906.
Metzudat David
What was the matter? What was done in the war?
Metzudat Zion
I fled. I escaped.
Malbim
"I am the one who has come" informs him: a) that he came from the battlefield and saw everything with his own eyes; b) that he should not be counted among those for whom some days have passed since this event, such that he might have forgotten something, for today he fled from the battlefield. (And our Sages of blessed memory, in order to resolve the repetition here, expounded that it was Saul who came from the battlefield at Shiloh, and regarding this he said, "I am the one who has come from the battlefield." And there he heard that the Ark had been captured, and he returned on that very day to the battlefield, seized the tablets, and fled with them on that same day once again to Shiloh, and regarding this he said, "From the battlefield I fled today.")
And he that brought the tidings answered and said: ‘Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.’
verse value 5224
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 89 letters. The shortest word is "he·fled" (נָ֤ס, 2 letters) and the longest is "Philistines" (פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "the·bringer-of-tidings" (הַֽמְבַשֵּׂ֜ר), "plague" (מַגֵּפָ֥ה), "and·also·two" (וְגַם־שְׁנֵ֨י). 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "among·the·people" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'among·the·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 8 words.
Radak
"And the messenger answered." One who relates news, whether good or bad, is called a "messenger" (mevaser).
“Was taken.” The Ark is mentioned in masculine language and in feminine language: in masculine language in most places, and likewise in this passage, “And the ark of God was taken”; and in this verse it is in feminine language, and likewise, “Which came to them, the ark of the Lord.”
Metzudat David
And also a pestilence. For the Philistines pursued them and struck them down.
Metzudat Zion
The bringer of tidings. Everyone who brings news, whether good or bad, is called a bringer of tidings.
Malbim
And the messenger answered and said: There is a difference between a "magid" (one who reports) and a "mabsher" (one who brings tidings). For a "mabsher" is always for good, as he reports a matter in which his friend rejoices and desires to hear it. But here, since he came with bad news, it is a matter that must be reported, and he is one who is qualified to report it, because he knows the matter clearly or has seen it with his own eyes. His intention was that, since he thought the matter had already been reported to Eli, they did not call him except on the grounds that he was a "mabsher" (bringer of tidings). And he knew everything clearly, and therefore he did not restrain his spirit, but reported everything that had happened in order: first, the defeat of Israel; then, a great plague was among the people; then, Hophni and Phinehas died; and then, the Ark of God was taken. And indeed, for Eli, everything was a sudden rumor, and therefore:
And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck broke, and he died; for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
verse value 7486
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 100 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֛וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "hand" (יַ֣ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "when·he·mentioned" (כְּהַזְכִּיר֣וֹ, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "when·he·mentioned" (כְּהַזְכִּיר֣וֹ), "from·off·the·seat" (מֵֽעַל־הַ֠כִּסֵּ֠א), "backwards" (אֲחֹ֨רַנִּ֜ית). 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "hand" (root יד, 99x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שער ("gate") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·grievous', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 5 words.
Rashi
his neck. Aphrukeya — the bone of the neck.
Radak
When he mentioned it. When the messenger mentioned the Ark of God.
And he fell. Eli, from the great pain of heart that seized him, fell backward.
"Beside the gate." As its Targum renders: upon the ramp of the way of the gate.
"His neck." The bone of the neck is called mafreket because it is made of joints, joint upon joint.
"And he was heavy." "Heavy" refers to his gait being heavy due to his old age; or it means that he was corpulent, i.e., a man of much flesh; therefore, when he fell, he died because of his heaviness.
Metzudat David
"By the side of the gate." Opposite the place of the gate.
“For the man was old and advanced in years.” This implies: Since he was old, his strength had waned, and he was corpulent, he was therefore unable to exert himself at the time of his fall to incline himself to his side.
Metzudat Zion
Behind. To his back.
For. Opposite.
The back of his neck. It is the bone of the neck, named because it is made of joints.
Malbim
And it came to pass, when he mentioned the Ark of God, which was the most precious in his eyes, and he fell, etc. He gives three reasons for his neck being broken in this fall: a) that he fell from the seat, which was a high place; b) that his fall was backward; c) that he fell beside the side of the gate, which was at the height of the city. Therefore, his neck was broken, and he died immediately. Now he gives three reasons for his dying immediately: a) because the man was old in years; b) and heavy in body; c) his strength had failed due to the great labor of judging Israel for forty years.
And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’wife, was with child, near to be delivered; and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and brought forth; for her pains came suddenly upon her.
verse value 6784
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "pregnant" (הָרָ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "wife·of·Phinehas" (אֵשֶׁת־פִּֽינְחָס֮, 8 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·his·daughter-in-law" (וְכַלָּת֣וֹ), "wife·of·Phinehas" (אֵשֶׁת־פִּֽינְחָס֮), "pregnant" (הָרָ֣ה). The root ילד appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·was·taken" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "or·her·husband" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "on" (root על, 112x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root חם ("her·father-in-law") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root הפך ("for·were·turned") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'or·her·husband', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Rashi
for giving birth. Forcedly, 'to give birth' is its meaning. And it has no comparison. And Menachem grouped it in the section 'yilah' — because the pangs of her birth came to her with wailing. And the root of 'yilah' has no letter in its root except the lamed alone.
They were turned. They changed from their manner — therefore she died.
her birth pangs. The hinges of the doors of the womb — kordoni'l in the foreign tongue.
Radak
"Harah lalat." She was pregnant, and her days drew near to give birth; and the dalet is missing. Such is the view of most of the commentators, and so the Targum renders: she was near to give birth. But my brother Rabbi Moses explained it from yelalah (wailing) — that is to say, her days drew near to travail and to cry out in her pangs. And the grammatical form of the word lalat is on the pattern of laredet, lashevet, with the omission of the yod of yalal, as with the yod of yarad and yashav; and of the doubled lameds they dropped the last, which is the third radical, so that there remained in the word, of the root, only the second radical — like latet, except that this one has a tsere and that one a patach.
"For her pains were turned upon her." This means that her pains were reversed and rolled upon her—the pains of childbirth together with the distress of the bad news—and due to the intensity of her pains, she fell and gave birth, and died. And the Targum says: "At the time of her distress, her pains seized her." And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, it is taught: Rabbi Elazar says: Just as there are hinges for the door of a house, so too there are hinges for a woman's womb, as it is said: "And she fell and gave birth, for her pains were turned upon her."
Ralbag
"Harah lalat." I think its root is nlh, and it is an infinitive, and its sense is completion — as though it said that the days of her pregnancy were fulfilled for bearing, as it says, "and her days to be delivered were fulfilled." And they have already explained it in the sense of yelalah (wailing), and it lacks another lamed, for its proper form would be l-lalet.
And she was bowed down and gave birth, for her pains had turned upon her. And she was unable to exert herself properly for the birth, and she called the name of the child I-kavod, saying: “The glory is departed from Israel.”
Metzudat David
“Hareh l’ledet.” This means: Her days of pregnancy have been completed for giving birth.
For they were transformed: from the terror of the report, they were transformed, and suddenly the pangs of childbirth rolled upon her.
Metzudat Zion
To give birth. He means, to give birth, and it came lacking the dalet, because she gave birth amid weeping.
And she knelt. She fell upon her knees.
Turned. A matter of turning and rolling, for at the time of rolling the thing is turned from side to side, similarly (Judges 7:13): 'tumbling into the camp of Midian'.
Her pangs. They are the birth pangs, coming from the loosening of the knots of the womb which are fastened one to another, and it is borrowed from the pins of doors, similarly (Isaiah 13:8): 'pangs and anguish will seize them'.
Malbim
The questions (19–22): Why is the order “concerning the taking of the ark of God and concerning the death of her father-in-law and her husband” [1 Sam 4:19], and likewise in verse 21, whereas in verse 17 the order is first the death of Hophni and Phinehas, and then the taking of the ark, which occurred afterward as stated above? What is the meaning of “and she called for the young man… concerning the taking of the ark,” and “and she said, ‘The glory has departed…’”? This is an evident repetition which makes no sense at all. And initially she mentioned that the ark was taken, and her father-in-law and her husband died, and she concluded only with the taking of the ark of God alone, which requires a reason and understanding.
"And his daughter-in-law." He relates how all the house of Eli was utterly consumed on that day. His daughter-in-law was near to giving birth, "and she heard," etc., "of the taking of the ark" — for the people put first what was weightiest in their eyes, namely the ark, and after it the death of Eli, and after it the death of her husband. "For her pains came upon her": the Abarbanel explains that after the child came forth they were turned backward, and the pangs and the pains ceased, and the bloody superfluities did not flow from her — for through the failing of strength and the ceasing of the pains they came forth no more, and this was the cause of her death. And the word "lalat" is explained as lacking a dalet, that is, "laledet." And the Radak explains it from the sense of wailing; and the Ralbag explains it from the root nalah, as in "when thou hast made an end of dealing treacherously" (Isaiah 33:1), which is from the sense of ending and completion — that the days of her pregnancy were completed.
And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said to her: ‘Fear not; for you have brought forth a son.’ But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
verse value 4801
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַתְּדַבֵּ֙רְנָה֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: and·not, her·heart. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·like·time·of" (וּכְעֵ֣ת), "her·dying" (מוּתָ֗הּ), "and·said" (וַתְּדַבֵּ֙רְנָה֙). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "do·not·fear" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "and·said" (root דבר, 113x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root עת ("and·like·time·of") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·bore', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּכְעֵ֣ת [and·like·time·of] (496) + מוּתָ֗הּ [her·dying] (451) + וַתְּדַבֵּ֙רְנָה֙ [and·said] (667) + הַנִּצָּב֣וֹת [stood] (553) + עָלֶ֔יהָ [on] (115) + אַל־תִּֽירְאִ֖י [do·not·fear] (652) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + בֵ֣ן [son] (52) + יָלָ֑דְתְּ [you·bore] (444) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + עָנְתָ֖ה [answered] (525) + וְלֹא־שָׁ֥תָה [and·not·she·set] (742) + לִבָּֽהּ [her·heart] (37) = 4801.
Radak
And now. With a kaf:
Her death. With a shuruk:
Metzudat David
“And now her death.” And when the time of her death came through the sudden birth:
"Do not be afraid." This is because they thought that she was afraid lest she too die due to bad luck, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Shabbat 105b): "When one member of a family dies, the others should be concerned..." And for this reason they said to her: "Know that you have given birth to a son, and henceforth you have no reason to fear, for if a male child is born, the entire family is healed," as our Sages of blessed memory said (Jerusalem Talmud, Moed Katan 3:7).
And she did not set her heart to their words:
Metzudat Zion
She answered. She replied.
She set. She placed, similarly (Exodus 10:1): 'in order to place'.
And she named the child Ichabod, saying: ‘The glory is departed from Israel’; because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
verse value 2966
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "is·gone" (גָּלָ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·because·her·father-in-law" (וְאֶל־חָמִ֖יהָ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·because·her·father-in-law" (וְאֶל־חָמִ֖יהָ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "because·was·taken" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "or·her·husband" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַתִּקְרָ֣א [and·called] (707) + לַנַּ֗עַר [to·the·child] (350) + אִֽיכָבוֹד֙ [Ichabod] (43) + לֵאמֹ֔ר [saying] (271) + גָּלָ֥ה [is·gone] (38) + כָב֖וֹד [glory] (32) + מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [from·Israel] (581) + אֶל־הִלָּקַח֙ [because·was·taken] (174) + אֲר֣וֹן [chest] (257) + הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (91) + וְאֶל־חָמִ֖יהָ [and·because·her·father-in-law] (100) + וְאִישָֽׁהּ [or·her·husband] (322) = 2966.
Rashi
Ichabod. There is no glory — and so (Job 22:30): 'Yimlat ei nakki' — there is no innocent.
To the taking. Like 'upon the taking.' And there is no need to change it from the language of 'al' — for the one who knows to understand its meaning.
To the taking. Itiyur'sh la'ishtreyfu'sh in the foreign tongue.
And because of her father-in-law. And because of this evil — that her father-in-law and her husband died.
Radak
"אי כבוד" – like "אין כבוד" with a missing nun and a chirik, such as "ואין יש פה תחת ידך," or like "אי כבוד" with a tsere, meaning "Where is the honor that is not among Israel today?"
Ralbag
"And because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband." For her father-in-law was a prophet and High Priest, and her husband was fit to serve in the high priesthood after him — for it seems he was more fit for the priesthood than Hophni, since he was not so wicked as Hophni; and therefore the high priesthood was established from the seed of Phinehas until the reign of Solomon, as will be explained in what follows. And for this reason, in [recounting] the calamity, he mentioned Hophni before Phinehas at the end of the passage. For the strongest cause of her saying "the glory is departed from Israel" was the taking of the ark of God — since a prophet still remained to Israel, and there was also among the priests one who would be appointed High Priest in Eli's stead.
Metzudat David
"To say." This means: The Name indicates that at the time of his birth, the Glory departed from Israel, etc.
Metzudat Zion
Where is the glory. Like 'there is no glory,' and it lacked the nun, similarly (Job 22:30): 'shall the one who is not innocent escape.' And it is with a chirik, and its parallel (below 21:9) 'and there is not here,' which is with a chirik.
Malbim
"And she named the child Ichabod" — that is to say, "where is the glory?" The glory of Israel is no more. And she explained her words: "for the glory is departed from Israel, concerning the taking of the ark," etc. Her meaning is that there are two Torahs — the Written Torah, whose dwelling is in the ark, and the Oral Torah, whose dwelling is in the hearts of the sages of Israel, who received it from Moses the faithful shepherd — and if one of them be lacking, the other completes it. That is to say: had the ark alone been taken, and Eli and his sons been alive, it would have been possible to restore the Torah through them, as R. Meir said, "Had the Torah been forgotten from Israel, I would have restored it by my dialectics." But now the glory is departed utterly, inasmuch as the ark was taken and her father-in-law and her husband died also.
And she said: ‘The glory is departed from Israel; for the ark of God is taken.’
verse value 1864
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·Israel" (מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 6 letters). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "from·Israel" (root ישראל, 102x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֕אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + גָּלָ֥ה [is·gone] (38) + כָב֖וֹד [glory] (32) + מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [from·Israel] (581) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + נִלְקַ֖ח [was·taken] (188) + אֲר֥וֹן [chest] (257) + הָאֱלֹהִֽים [God] (91) = 1864.
Radak
"And she said." She said this on another occasion, for initially she said that the Glory departed because of the Ark being captured and because her father-in-law and husband died; now she returned and said that the Glory departed solely because of the Ark, for it is the primary source of the Glory.
Metzudat David
"And she said." She returned and said: The primary cause of the exile of the Divine Presence was because the Ark was taken.
Malbim
And it is stated afterwards that they added to say that one should not distinguish this matter into two names, for just as the Ark is the Ark of God, guarding the divine utterances that were inscribed on the stone tablets, so too are Eli and his sons, who receive the Oral Torah, holy arks that preserve the tablets of the covenant inscribed on the tablet of the heart, which are the laws of the Oral Torah written on the hearts of the sages, as it is stated, “And I will write it upon their hearts,” and “Your Torah is within my heart.” Until such time as both are lost, it is fitting to say that the Ark of God was taken, and “Ark” would be the generic term, meaning the divine arks in their entirety: the Ark for the Written Torah and the arks for the Oral Torah. And with this, she aroused great mourning over her father-in-law and her husband, equating them with the Ark of the Covenant, and as our Sages of blessed memory said, “How foolish are the Babylonians, who stand before the Torah but do not stand before a great man,” etc.
Rashi
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim