1 Samuel 4:14 kjv
And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
1 Samuel 4:14 nkjv
When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the sound of this tumult mean?" And the man came quickly and told Eli.
1 Samuel 4:14 niv
Eli heard the outcry and asked, "What is the meaning of this uproar?" The man hurried over to Eli,
1 Samuel 4:14 esv
When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, "What is this uproar?" Then the man hurried and came and told Eli.
1 Samuel 4:14 nlt
"What is all the noise about?" Eli asked. The messenger rushed over to Eli,
1 Samuel 4 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 2:31-34 | "Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm... and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age..." | Prophecy against Eli's house fulfilled. |
| 1 Sam 3:11-14 | "...I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house, when I begin, I will also make an end." | God's word of judgment about to be executed. |
| 1 Sam 4:11 | "And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain." | The immediate disaster confirmed. |
| Ps 78:61 | "And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand." | Echoes the Ark's capture as Israel's glory. |
| Prov 29:2 | "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." | The lament due to wicked leadership. |
| Job 1:14-19 | "...there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing... fire of God is fallen... and smote the sheep..." | Messengers bringing news of great calamity. |
| 2 Sam 1:1-16 | David's reaction to news of Saul's death via a messenger. | The messenger's role in delivering grave news. |
| 2 Kgs 7:1-20 | News of famine's end bringing joy/despair depending on belief. | The impact of a message. |
| Jer 4:19 | "My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart... for thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war." | Sound of distress indicating calamity. |
| Ezek 24:26-27 | "That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?" | Prophecy of a messenger bringing news of doom. |
| Isa 6:10 | "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes..." | Spiritual blindness/deafness applied to Eli. |
| Jer 5:21 | "Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not." | Spiritual dullness evident in Eli's situation. |
| Matt 13:13-15 | Jesus quotes Isa 6:10 regarding those who hear but do not understand. | The spiritual inability to perceive truth. |
| Rom 11:8 | "God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear..." | Divine judgment causing spiritual blindness. |
| Gen 48:10 | "Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see..." | Eli's physical frailty as a parallel to Jacob. |
| Amos 8:11-12 | "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread... but of hearing the words of the LORD:" | Absence of clear prophetic word/spiritual clarity. |
| Judg 2:14-15 | "And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel... for he sold them into the hands of their enemies..." | God's judgment on Israel's sin cycles. |
| Lev 26:14-17 | Consequences for disobedience, including defeat by enemies. | The fulfillment of covenant curses for unfaithfulness. |
| Deut 28:25 | "The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies..." | Forewarning of military defeat due to sin. |
| Neh 1:3 | "...The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire." | News of national calamity evoking mourning. |
1 Samuel 4 verses
1 Samuel 4 14 Meaning
1 Samuel 4:14 portrays the pivotal moment just before devastating news reaches the high priest Eli. As the shouts of despair and turmoil from the city begin to permeate the air, Eli, elderly and blind, queries the nature of the overwhelming commotion. A swift messenger arrives, bearing the tragic tidings of Israel's defeat, the capture of the Ark of God, and the deaths of Eli's sons, leading to a profound turning point in Israel's history and for Eli's household.
1 Samuel 4 14 Context
This verse is positioned at a crucial juncture in Israel's history, marking the end of the priestly house of Eli and the judges' era, and paving the way for the prophet Samuel's full ministry and eventually the monarchy. The Philistines have decisively defeated Israel in battle, a consequence of Israel's widespread sin and particularly the corrupt priesthood of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas (1 Sam 2:12-17). Despite previous prophetic warnings (1 Sam 2:27-36; 3:11-14), Eli had failed to effectively restrain his sons. Desperate, Israel had brought the Ark of the Covenant onto the battlefield, wrongly believing it would guarantee victory, viewing it superstitiously as a good luck charm rather than a symbol of God's holy presence (1 Sam 4:3-5). Eli, being very old, heavy, and physically frail with severely dimmed eyesight, represents the spiritual decline of the priesthood. The clamor reaching the city is the direct outcome of the devastating news being absorbed by the populace, causing widespread lament and terror.
1 Samuel 4 14 Word analysis
- And: A simple conjunction connecting to the previous context, where the Ark has just been taken and Eli’s sons slain (1 Sam 4:11).
- when Eli: Eli (אֵלִי, Eli), the high priest and judge of Israel. At this point, he is physically vulnerable ("his eyes were dim, that he could not see," 1 Sam 4:15) and morally weak, having failed to correct his sons.
- heard: Though physically blind, Eli could still hear. His reliance on hearing for information underscores his physical limitations, contrasting sharply with his prior spiritual inability to "hear" God's warnings about his sons.
- the noise: The Hebrew word qol (קול) literally means "voice," "sound," or "noise." Here, it indicates a distinct, unusual sound, specifically of great disturbance or distress.
- of the crying: The Hebrew tse`aqah (צעקה) denotes a "shout," "cry," or "outcry," often associated with distress, lamentation, alarm, or desperate appeal (e.g., Ex 12:30 for a loud wail, Judg 4:3 for a cry for help). Its presence here indicates widespread public anguish and panic.
- he said: Eli's verbal reaction. Despite his limitations, he retained enough cognitive function to perceive an unusual situation and seek clarification.
- What meaneth: An inquiry signifying Eli's immediate desire to understand the source and nature of the sudden disturbance. He recognizes the sound as anomalous and deeply troubling.
- the noise of this tumult?: The phrase highlights Eli's query. "Tumult" here is from the Hebrew hašmūʿāh (הַשְּׁמוּעָה), which primarily means "a report," "rumor," or "tidings." So, Eli isn't just asking about the noise itself, but what report or news has caused this loud, collective outcry. It reveals his understanding that the "noise of crying" is a response to some significant, shocking revelation that has spread quickly.
- And the man came in hastily: The "man" is explicitly identified in verse 12 as a Benjaminite who had fled the battle. His hurried entry underscores the urgency and dire nature of the message he carries, reflecting the immediate crisis and fear.
- and told Eli: This signifies the moment the prophecy against Eli's house begins to unravel overtly. The messenger is the conduit for God's impending judgment, bringing the horrific details directly to the high priest.
1 Samuel 4 14 Bonus section
- Eli's Sensory Decline: Eli's deteriorating eyesight and implied slowness due to weight not only symbolize his spiritual blindness and heavy spiritual responsibility but also amplify the significance of "hearing" the terrible "noise." His sense of hearing is his only immediate gateway to perceiving the calamity outside his immediate proximity.
- Divine Justice in Manifestation: The noise of public wailing acts as an audible sign of God's active judgment at work. Eli, who earlier "heard" the prophet's warnings (1 Sam 2:27-36) and God's words through Samuel (1 Sam 3:11-14) but did not respond adequately, is now confronted with the tangible and unavoidable sound of their fulfillment.
- The Irony of "Tumult": The word translated "tumult" (hašmūʿāh) directly connects the noise to a "report" or "news." This implies that the chaos is not merely random shouting, but a public reaction to information—the dreadful news of the battle's outcome. Eli's question, "What meaneth the noise of this tumult?" is therefore profoundly specific, asking not just about the sounds, but about the report that is causing them.
1 Samuel 4 14 Commentary
1 Samuel 4:14 is a threshold moment, a suspenseful pause before revelation. Eli, sensing a profound disturbance, is about to receive the ultimate confirmation of divine judgment that he had previously heard in prophecy but seemingly failed to internalize or adequately respond to. The escalating "noise of crying" (a widespread public outcry in the city) escalating to a "tumult" or "report" signifies that the dire news of Israel's defeat has reached the populace. Eli’s physical infirmity—his blindness and heavy frame—is symbolic of his spiritual decline and the dullness of the priesthood under his leadership. He is isolated, depending on sound to discern calamity. The urgency of the messenger rushing to him foreshadows the catastrophic details. This verse marks the very brink of the fulfillment of God’s word against Eli’s house and sets the stage for a period of national upheaval, ending the era of the judges and moving towards the establishment of the monarchy, reflecting the severe consequences of priestly and national sin.