1 Samuel 4 21

1 Samuel 4:21 kjv

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.

1 Samuel 4:21 nkjv

Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!" because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

1 Samuel 4:21 niv

She named the boy Ichabod, saying, "The Glory has departed from Israel"?because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.

1 Samuel 4:21 esv

And she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!" because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

1 Samuel 4:21 nlt

She named the child Ichabod (which means "Where is the glory?"), for she said, "Israel's glory is gone." She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead.

1 Samuel 4 verses

1 Samuel 4 21 Meaning

The verse records the lament of Eli's daughter-in-law, giving birth to a son whom she names Ichabod, meaning "no glory" or "where is the glory?". This name expresses her deep sorrow and spiritual understanding that the capture of the Ark of God by the Philistines signifies the departure of God's manifest presence, blessing, and glory from Israel. The personal tragedies of her husband's and father-in-law's deaths, while devastating, are explicitly secondary to the national spiritual catastrophe represented by the loss of the Ark, symbolizing divine judgment and abandonment.

1 Samuel 4 21 Context

This verse appears at the culmination of a devastating series of events for Israel. In 1 Samuel chapter 4, Israel is defeated by the Philistines. Desperate, the Israelite elders retrieve the Ark of God from Shiloh, believing its presence will guarantee victory, treating it as a superstitious charm rather than the sacred symbol of God's presence demanding holiness. Eli’s corrupt sons, Hophni and Phinehas, accompany the Ark. Instead of triumph, Israel suffers a monumental defeat: 30,000 soldiers die, and the Ark is captured. News reaches aged Eli, who upon hearing the Ark's capture, falls backward, breaks his neck, and dies. Eli's daughter-in-law, pregnant and close to delivery, also receives the calamitous news – her husband (Phinehas), her father-in-law (Eli), and, most tragically, the Ark of God have been taken. In the throes of labor, she gives birth to a son, but succumbs to the shock and sorrow. Her dying words name the child Ichabod, profoundly summing up the national tragedy from her perspective. This event marks the end of a corrupt priestly era and a period of divine judgment, foreshadowing a time without God's overt manifest presence in the Ark, yet setting the stage for the rise of Samuel and new leadership.

Word Analysis

• And she named: This signifies a conscious, intentional act of naming, reflective of the extreme grief and despair experienced by Eli's daughter-in-law in her final moments. It is a prophetic utterance of a mother.
• the child: Refers to her newborn son. This new life begins at a moment of profound spiritual darkness for the nation.
• Ichabod: (Hebrew: אִיכָבוֹד, 'iḵāḇōḏ). The name combines 'iy (אִי), an interrogative particle often meaning "where?" or a negative particle meaning "no" or "alas!", with kāḇōḏ (כָּבוֹד), meaning "glory," "honor," "splendor," or "weight." Therefore, "Ichabod" can be understood as "Where is the glory?" (a cry of lament and questioning) or "No glory" (a declarative statement of absence). The ambiguity highlights the depth of despair and loss. This name acts as a symbolic encapsulation of Israel's spiritual state.
• saying: A declaration that articulates the profound meaning she attaches to the name and the event. It is not a casual naming but a pronouncement born of immense sorrow and spiritual insight.
• The glory: Refers to God's kāḇōḏ, His divine, manifest presence, power, majesty, and blessing that had visibly dwelt among Israel, particularly in connection with the Ark of the Covenant. This was the most important aspect of Israel’s covenant relationship with God.
• is departed: (Hebrew: גָּלָה, gālâ). This verb means "to go into exile," "to depart," "to be carried away." It conveys a sense of forced removal or abandonment, suggesting a permanent, painful severance of God’s manifest presence from His people due to their sin.
• from Israel: The departure of glory affects the entire covenant community, not just individuals. It signifies a collective judgment upon the nation for their unfaithfulness, corrupt worship, and treating sacred objects superstitiously.
• because the ark of God:
  • the ark of God: (Hebrew: אֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים, ʾărōn hāʾělōhîm). This is the Ark of the Covenant, the holiest object in Israelite worship, representing the very throne and presence of God among His people (Exo. 25:22). Its capture was not merely the loss of a relic but the apparent removal of God's tangible presence, a sign of His withdrawal and judgment. The reference to "God" (Elohim) emphasizes its divine ownership and sacredness.
  • was taken: (Hebrew: לָקַח, lāqaḥ). Signifies a forcible seizure or capture, highlighting Israel’s defeat and the enemy’s victory over that which was sacred to God's people.
• and because of her father-in-law and her husband: Eli and Phinehas were critical figures. Their deaths compounded the tragedy, especially since they were killed during Israel’s defeat. Their deaths are noted last because, though personally devastating, they were seen as secondary to the supreme spiritual catastrophe of God's glory departing due to the Ark's capture. This emphasizes her spiritual priorities; the loss of God's presence outweighed even the death of her family.

1 Samuel 4 21 Bonus section

• Prophetic Naming: Ichabod’s name serves as a perpetual, sorrowful reminder and a prophecy of the coming "no glory" era. His very existence was a testimony to the nation's spiritual nadir. This type of significant naming reflects a common biblical practice, where names often encapsulate an event, character, or future destiny.
• Reversal of Blessing: The events surrounding Ichabod’s birth reverse many covenant blessings, turning presence into absence, victory into defeat, and joy into sorrow, signaling the severe nature of divine discipline.
• Foreshadowing Exile: The departure of the Ark and the "glory" prefigures the Babylonian exile, when Ezekiel records the explicit departure of God’s glory from the Temple prior to its destruction (Eze. 10:4, 18-19; 11:22-23), illustrating a consistent divine principle: prolonged disobedience leads to God's withdrawal.
• Spiritual Blindness Contrast: The dying woman’s spiritual clarity stands in stark contrast to the spiritual blindness and presumptuousness of the Israelite elders and Eli's sons, who believed the Ark was a magical charm guaranteeing victory, rather than a sacred symbol of a holy God requiring obedience.
• The Return of Glory: Though seemingly lost, God's glory ultimately returns, albeit in different manifestations. In the Old Testament, David brings the Ark to Jerusalem, signifying a partial return (2 Sam. 6). Ultimately, God’s ultimate glory dwelt among humanity in Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:14), and now dwells in the Church through the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:22), emphasizing that His presence is tied to relationship, not mere objects.

1 Samuel 4 21 Commentary

1 Samuel 4:21 encapsulates one of the darkest moments in Israel's early history under the Judges, serving as a solemn declaration of God's judgment on a faithless nation and corrupt priesthood. Eli's daughter-in-law, in her final agonizing breaths, reveals a spiritual discernment greater than those around her. While others lamented military defeat and personal losses, her focus was acutely on the deeper, spiritual tragedy: the "glory" (God's manifest presence) had "departed." This wasn't merely a physical object (the Ark) being taken, but the tangible symbol of God's active, dwelling presence abandoning His people. This departure was not arbitrary but a direct consequence of Israel's widespread sin, idolatry, and, specifically, the profanity of Eli's sons who despised the Lord's offerings and misused sacred duties. The name Ichabod, a living memorial, signifies the consequences of treating God as less than holy, relying on ritual without righteousness. It reminds us that true blessing and victory stem from obedience and a right relationship with God, not from possessing religious artifacts or observing rituals without genuine devotion. This tragic scene foreshadows future exiles, where God's glory would also depart the Temple, only to return fully embodied in Jesus Christ, the ultimate dwelling of God’s glory among humanity.