1 Samuel 4 19

1 Samuel 4:19 kjv

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 travailed; for her pains came upon her.

1 Samuel 4:19 nkjv

Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her.

1 Samuel 4:19 niv

His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains.

1 Samuel 4:19 esv

Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth, for her pains came upon her.

1 Samuel 4:19 nlt

Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her time of delivery. When she heard that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth.

1 Samuel 4 verses

1 Samuel 4 19 Meaning

1 Samuel 4:19 depicts the profound and immediate impact of devastating news on Eli's daughter-in-law, who was on the verge of giving birth. Upon hearing that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law, Eli, and her husband had died, she experienced such extreme shock and distress that it instantly triggered intense labor, causing her to collapse and give birth prematurely. This event dramatically illustrates the cumulative tragedy of personal loss and national humiliation, particularly the departure of God's presence as symbolized by the Ark.

1 Samuel 4 19 Context

1 Samuel chapter 4 describes a pivotal and tragic turning point in Israel's history during the period of the judges. Following Israel's initial defeat by the Philistines, the elders of Israel retrieved the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh, believing its presence would guarantee victory. However, their reliance was on a magical relic rather than the Living God. In the subsequent battle, the Philistines defeated Israel with a great slaughter, captured the Ark, and killed Eli's two wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who were accompanying it. News of these catastrophic events was delivered to Eli, an aged priest. Upon hearing that the Ark of God was captured, the devastating symbol of God's glory departing, Eli collapsed and died. Immediately following Eli's death, verse 19 shifts to his daughter-in-law, whose sudden, traumatic labor due to this cumulative news underscores the national catastrophe at a deeply personal level. The verse sets the stage for the birth and naming of Ichabod, a stark symbol of Israel's spiritual decline.

1 Samuel 4 19 Word analysis

• Now: (Hebrew: וְ, "v'") Functions as a conjunctive particle, signaling a direct progression from the preceding event (Eli's death) and maintaining the narrative flow. It links personal tragedy with immediate, consequential personal tragedy.
• his daughter-in-law: Refers to the unnamed wife of Phinehas, one of Eli's wicked sons (mentioned in 1 Sam 4:11). Her anonymity makes her an archetypal figure, symbolizing the nation of Israel suffering under divine judgment. Her primary identity here is through her relationships to the fallen house of Eli.
• Eli's wife: This phrase in some translations can be confusing. It clarifies that she is "Eli's son's wife" - not Eli's own spouse. She is bound to Eli's household by marriage, thus affected by its fate. This highlights the close familial connection and shared tragedy.
• was pregnant, about to give birth: (Hebrew: הָרָה לָלֶדֶת, harah laledet) Implies she was at term or very near, emphasizing the immediacy and perhaps pre-term nature of her sudden labor. Her physical state makes her vulnerable to the shock, connecting internal distress with outward bodily reaction.
• And when she heard the news: (Hebrew: וַתִּשְׁמַע אֶת הַשְּׁמוּעָה, vattishma et hash'muah) Signifies not merely casual information but a specific, calamitous report. "The news" is understood as the preceding accounts of military defeat, capture of the Ark, and deaths. The power of devastating truth is central.
• that the ark of God was captured: (Hebrew: כִּי נִלְקַח אֲרוֹן אֱלֹהִים, ki nilkach Aron Elohim) This is the supreme shock. The Ark represented God's tangible presence and covenantal glory among His people (e.g., Exod 25:22). Its capture was viewed not merely as a military defeat, but as God's apparent abandonment of Israel, or at least a withdrawal of His manifest glory (Psa 78:61). It was the gravest sacrilege and national calamity, deeply challenging the Israelite theological understanding of their God.
• and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead: (Hebrew: וּמֵת חָמִיהָ וְאִישָׁהּ, u'met chamiyha v'iyshah) These personal losses layered upon the spiritual catastrophe intensify her agony. Her father-in-law is Eli, her husband is Phinehas. Their deaths fulfill divine judgment on Eli's house (1 Sam 2:34).
• she bowed down and gave birth: (Hebrew: וַתִּכְרַע וַתֵּלֶד, vattikhra vattayled) "Bowed down" often implies collapse or kneeling, indicative of a sudden, uncontrolled onset of labor, likely precipitated by the overwhelming shock. It portrays a dramatic, undignified, and painful delivery in extreme distress, contrasting with joyful anticipation.
• for her labor pains came upon her: (Hebrew: כִּי נֶהֶפְכוּ עָלֶיהָ צִרֶיהָ, ki nehefkhu aleyha tsireyha) Literally, "for her pangs turned themselves upon her." This highlights the sudden, intense, and inescapable nature of the pains. It emphasizes the direct, physical manifestation of psychological and spiritual distress, a theme recurrent in prophetic literature depicting national anguish (e.g., Isa 13:8, Jer 6:24).

Words-group analysis

• "Now his daughter-in-law, Eli's wife, was pregnant, about to give birth": Establishes the setting: a moment of impending natural joy and family continuation for the lineage of Eli. This creates a sharp contrast with the ensuing catastrophe that abruptly shatters any such anticipation.
• "when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead": This clause piles on the cumulative shocks: the gravest national spiritual calamity (Ark captured) followed by devastating personal losses (Eli and Phinehas dead). This sequence suggests that the capture of the Ark was the paramount concern, transcending even the immediate family tragedies in terms of its symbolic weight for her and for Israel.
• "she bowed down and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her": This vivid phrase portrays the overwhelming physical and emotional collapse. Her body reacts involuntarily and intensely to the overwhelming psychological shock. The sudden, agonizing labor and birth encapsulate the national pain and spiritual despair, giving a "birth of sorrow" to the child who would later be named Ichabod.

1 Samuel 4 19 Bonus section

• The significance of the unnamed woman: She represents the collective suffering of Israel. While individual names like Rachel (who named her son Ben-oni, "son of my sorrow," Gen 35:18) carry personal significance, her anonymity here allows her to stand in for all the suffering and despair inflicted upon the faithful remnant in Israel by these events.
• The "chair" of Eli (1 Sam 4:18): The detail of Eli's fall and death from his chair emphasizes the severity of the news of the Ark's capture, being the singular news point that kills him, and further connecting the weight of the Ark's fate to the immediate tragic aftermath in his family.
• Polemics against pagan beliefs: The Philistines believed their gods (Dagon, 1 Sam 5) had defeated the God of Israel by capturing His Ark. However, the subsequent events (Philistines afflicted with tumors, Dagon falling, 1 Sam 5) powerfully demonstrate that the true God could not be confined or defeated by mere idols or human hands. The capture was a permitted judgment, not a defeat.
• Birth and death: This verse presents a unique confluence of birth and death, intertwining them in a tragic narrative. The new life entering the world is immediately overshadowed by the death of leading figures and, more significantly, the spiritual death signified by the Ark's capture. This contrasts with joyful births that signify hope or blessings in the Bible.

1 Samuel 4 19 Commentary

1 Samuel 4:19 is a deeply poignant verse that vividly portrays the crushing weight of tragedy, both national and personal. The unnamed daughter-in-law serves as a powerful figure of Israel's anguish. Her nearing childbirth, a moment typically associated with hope and new beginnings, is abruptly twisted into an experience of profound despair. The news of the Ark's capture, which signified God's apparent withdrawal or judgment, overshadowed even the deaths of her father-in-law (Eli) and her husband (Phinehas). Her immediate physical reaction—bowing down in agony and giving birth—is not merely a biological response but a theological statement: the nation's spiritual crisis physically manifests through her suffering. This "birth" is symbolic of a people descending into deeper darkness, ushering in the period marked by Ichabod (meaning "no glory" or "where is the glory?"), emphasizing that the true tragedy was the departure of God's presence from Israel. The verse sets the stage for a period of national lament and uncertainty regarding God's favor. It stands as a grim reminder that when God's glory departs due to sin and unfaithfulness, the consequences affect every aspect of life, turning joy into sorrow.