1 Samuel 4 10

1 Samuel 4:10 kjv

And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

1 Samuel 4:10 nkjv

So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.

1 Samuel 4:10 niv

So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.

1 Samuel 4:10 esv

So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.

1 Samuel 4:10 nlt

So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents.

1 Samuel 4 verses

1 Samuel 4 10 Meaning

1 Samuel 4:10 describes the catastrophic second phase of the battle between Israel and the Philistines. Following an initial defeat and Israel's misguided attempt to leverage the Ark of the Covenant as a magical charm, the Philistines launched a decisive assault. The verse details Israel's utter rout, their hasty retreat, and a staggering number of casualties, marking a pivotal moment of divine judgment and national humiliation due to their spiritual unfaithfulness.

1 Samuel 4 10 Context

1 Samuel chapter 4 details a pivotal conflict between Israel and the Philistines. The preceding verses (1 Sam 4:1-2) describe Israel's initial defeat, suffering 4,000 casualties. In a desperate and misguided attempt to turn the tide, Israel's elders commanded the Ark of the Covenant, God's dwelling place in the Tabernacle, to be brought from Shiloh to the battlefield (1 Sam 4:3-4). This decision was based on a superstitious belief that the Ark itself, apart from true obedience to God, would guarantee victory, much like pagan nations carried their idols. Hophni and Phinehas, the wicked sons of Eli, accompany the Ark, despite God's judgment pronounced against their house (1 Sam 2:31-34, 3:11-14). Their arrival sparked a burst of confident shouting from the Israelites, causing fear among the Philistines who, knowing of God's past powerful acts (1 Sam 4:6-9), resolved to fight fiercely to avoid enslavement. Verse 10 immediately follows this Philistine resolve, showing the grim reality of their determined resistance meeting Israel's presumption. This devastating defeat paves the way for the capture of the Ark (1 Sam 4:11) and the subsequent deaths of Eli and his sons, fulfilling divine prophecy.

1 Samuel 4 10 Word analysis

• So (וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ - wayyil·lā·ḥamū): This conjunction and verb begins the action, connecting the Philistines' decision to fight bravely (from the previous verse) with the resulting battle. It signals the immediate commencement of hostilities.
• the Philistines (פְלִשְׁתִּים - pəlištim): The name of Israel's long-standing adversaries, symbolizing the external threat and often a tool of God's judgment against Israel's apostasy.
• fought (וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ - wayyil·lā·ḥamū): From the root לחם (lacham), meaning "to fight" or "wage war." It denotes their active engagement and aggressive combat.
• and Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל - yiśrāʾēl): Refers to the collective nation, despite their disunity and spiritual corruption, they are still identified as God's chosen, albeit disobedient, people.
• was defeated (וַיִּנָּגֶף - wayyinnāḡep̄): From the Hebrew root נגף (nagaf), meaning "to strike, smite, plague, defeat." This term is highly significant as it frequently carries a nuance of divine agency in the defeat or affliction, implying that God himself allowed or brought about Israel's being struck down. It's more than just a military loss; it's a divine blow.
• and every man (אִישׁ - ʾîš): Emphasizes the widespread nature of the rout, affecting individuals across the Israelite army.
• fled (וַיָּנֻסוּ - wayyānusū): From נוס (nus), "to flee, escape, take flight." It vividly describes the immediate, widespread, and chaotic dispersion of the Israelite army, indicating a complete loss of morale and military cohesion.
• to his tent (לְאֹהָלָיו - ləʾōhālâw): Literally "to his tents." This idiom signifies a full and disordered retreat to their homes or temporary camps, signifying a definitive end to the battle and a scattering of the troops, abandoning the field entirely.
• And there was (וַתְּהִי - wattəhî): A simple descriptive verb, introducing the consequence of the fighting and flight.
• a very great (גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד - gəḏôlâ məʾōd): A double intensifier ("great" and "very"), emphasizing the immense scale and severity of the slaughter, painting a picture of unimaginable devastation.
• slaughter (מַכָּה - makkâ): From the same root as nagaf, meaning "blow, wound, defeat, slaughter." Here, it specifically refers to the devastating casualties inflicted in the battle.
• and thirty thousand (שְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף - šəlōšîm ʾelep̄): A specific and horrific numerical count, making the defeat concrete and emphasizing its catastrophic nature. This number represents a massive loss for a pre-modern army.
• foot soldiers (רַגְלִי - raḡlî): Refers to the infantry, the primary ground troops. It highlights that the majority, if not all, of the casualties were among the common soldiers, representing the core fighting force.
• of Israel fell (מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּפֹּל - miyyiśrāʾēl wayyipōl): The verb נפל (nāphal) means "to fall," used here euphemistically for "to die" in battle. It underlines the extent of the loss of life among the Israelites.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated": This immediate contrast highlights the Philistines' aggression leading directly to Israel's rout. The passive "was defeated" underscores that Israel was not just outfought, but divinely allowed to be overcome.
• "every man fled to his tent": This phrase encapsulates the total disintegration of Israel's military order. It implies a chaotic, individualized retreat where soldiers prioritized personal survival over maintaining formation or continuing the fight.
• "And there was a very great slaughter": This emphasizes the result of the Philistine victory, highlighting not just a retreat but a massacre, compounding the initial defeat with extreme bloodshed.
• "thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell": This specific, chilling statistic punctuates the depth of the disaster. It's not a minor setback but a generational loss for the Israelite fighting force, making the gravity of the judgment undeniable.

1 Samuel 4 10 Bonus section

The number 30,000 fallen soldiers in this battle is highly significant. Compared to the 4,000 killed in the first encounter (1 Sam 4:2), it represents an eight-fold increase in casualties, signifying the severity of God's judgment and the depth of Israel's spiritual transgression. This scale of loss was crippling for an ancient army, not merely in terms of manpower, but in national morale and long-term defensive capability. It profoundly impacted the balance of power, solidifying Philistine dominance over Israel for a significant period until the rise of Samuel and later, Saul and David. This catastrophe initiated a new dark age for Israel, marked by the Ark's absence, a decline in prophetic authority, and widespread Philistine oppression, ultimately serving as a powerful catalyst for the later demand for a king.

1 Samuel 4 10 Commentary

1 Samuel 4:10 marks the devastating climax of a battle driven by Israel's misplaced faith and spiritual decay. Having suffered an initial defeat, the Israelites, influenced by pagan thinking and without genuine repentance, presumed that the physical presence of the Ark of the Covenant would magically guarantee victory. However, God, being sovereign and holy, cannot be manipulated. He used the Philistines to execute judgment upon a disobedient and corrupt Israel, particularly the wicked house of Eli. The immense loss of 30,000 foot soldiers and the total rout signify a profound national catastrophe, not merely a military defeat, but a divine repudiation of superficial ritualism and unrighteous living. This defeat foreshadows the subsequent capture of the Ark and the downfall of Eli's priesthood, emphasizing that God's power and favor are contingent on obedience and true devotion, not on the mere possession of sacred objects. This served as a harsh lesson that rituals divorced from a righteous heart are worthless, even abhorrent, to God.