1 Samuel 4:17

BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

“The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.””

What this verse means

A short, plain-language explanation of 1 Samuel 4:17 goes here — the kind of answer a reader (or an AI assistant) can quote in one breath. Original meaning coming soon.

Compare translations
BSBPD

“The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.””

Berean Standard Bible · Public Domain (CC0)
KJVPD

“And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.”

King James Version · Public Domain
ASVPD

“And he that brought the tidings answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.”

American Standard Version · Public Domain
YLTPD

“And he who is bearing tidings answereth and saith, `Israel hath fled before the Philistines, and also a great slaughter hath been among the people, and also thy two sons have died--Hophni and Phinehas--and the ark of God hath been captured.'”

Young's Literal Translation · Public Domain
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Cross references

Other passages that echo 1 Samuel 4:17 — 5 related verses from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  1. 1 Samuel 2:34And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.
  2. 1 Samuel 3:11Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel at which the ears of all who hear it will tingle.
  3. 1 Samuel 3:12On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his family, from beginning to end.
  4. 1 Samuel 4:10So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
  5. Psalms 78:64His priests fell by the sword, but their widows could not lament.

Cross-reference data: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain) via OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

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