Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 4:21
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.
21. I-chabod ] The name means No-glory, or Where is glory? Cp. Rachel’s significant name for Benjamin, Ben-oni = “Son of my sorrow” (Gen 35:18).
The glory is departed from Israel ] In Exo 16:10; Exo 40:34-35, and many other passages, “the glory of the Lord” denotes the visible manifestation of the Presence and Majesty of Jehovah, known in later times as the Shechinah. The promise in Lev 16:2, “I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat,” (cp. Exo 25:22; Num 7:89), connects this manifestation specially with the Ark, and though it does not appear that the Cloud rested continually between the Cherubim, yet along with the Ark the Glory which was the pledge of Jehovah’s Presence ‘had departed from Israel.’ In Rom 9:4 St Paul mentions the glory as one of the special privileges of his nation.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
21, 22. The connexion will be made clearer by a literal translation as follows. And she called the child I-chabod, (saying, [The] Glory is departed from Israel), with reference to the ark being taken, and with reference to her father in law and her husband. And she said, [The] Glory is departed from Israel, because the ark of God was taken. Thus 1Sa 4:22 is not mere tautology. In 1Sa 4:21 the narrator connects the name I-chabod with the triple loss, and inserts her words “Glory is departed from Israel” parenthetically. In 1Sa 4:22 he repeats them with an explanation. The E. V. appears to be wrong (though the Hebrew is not decisive) in regarding “for the ark of God is taken” as the words of Phinehas’ wife.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Is departed – Properly, Is gone into captivity.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 21. She named the child I-chabod] The versions are various on the original words I-chabod; the Septuagint, ouaibrachaboth; the Syriac, [Syriac] yochobor; the Arabic, [Arabic] yochabad. But none of these give us much light on the subject. It is pretty evident they did not know well what signification to give the name; and we are left to collect its meaning from what she says afterwards, The glory is departed from Israel; the words literally mean, Where is the glory? And indeed where was it, when the armies of Israel were defeated by the Philistines, the priests slain, the supreme magistrate dead, and the ark of the Lord taken?
THIS is a very eventful, interesting, and affecting chapter, and prepares the reader for those signal manifestations of God’s power and providence by which the ark was restored, the priesthood re-established, an immaculate judge given to Israel, the Philistine yoke broken, and the people of the Most High caused once more to triumph. God humbled them that he might exalt them; he suffered his glory for a time to become eclipsed, that he might afterwards cause it to break out with the greater effulgence.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The glory, i.e. the glorious type and assurance of Gods presence, the ark, which is oft called Gods glory, as Psa 26:8; 78:61; Isa 64:11, and which was the great safeguard and ornament of Israel, which they could glory in above all other nations.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And she named the child Ichabod,…. Which some render, “where is the glory?” as in the margin of our Bibles; but it signifies “no glory”, as Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it; her husband being dead, she gives her child its name; the reason for which name follows:
saying, the glory is departed from Israel: the God of glory, or the glorious Lord, was departed from Israel; the ark, the symbol of his presence, being taken from them, and carried captive by the enemy; see
Ps 78:61
because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law, and her husband; who were dead; these are the words either of the writer of this book, or, as Abarbinel thinks, of the women that assisted at her labour; who interpreted the name of the child, and suggested what were her intentions in giving this name, which she had only expressed in general terms; the particulars of which they thought fit to give, agreeably to her meaning, as they supposed; which were the taking of the ark, and the death of her father-in-law, and of her husband; but according to the same writer she before her death corrected the sense they put upon her intention in thus naming the child; showing that it was not on the account of the death of her father and husband that she supposed the glory to be departed, and therefore named her child Ichabod: but solely and alone because the ark was taken, as in the next verse.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(21-22) The glory is departed from Israel.This singular and circumstantial account of the death of the widow of Phinehas, the evil warrior-priest, the son of Eli, which follows directly after the story of the great national disaster, is introduced from the records of that sad time, not from any special interest in the hapless woman and her sad fate, but solely for the purpose of showing how deeply the heart of Israel was penetrated with a love for their God, His Tabernacle, and its sacred contents. It was not the intelligence of her husbands bloody end on the field of battle, or of her father-in-laws death on his throne, or the downfall of her house, which stirred her so painfully; she could have borne all this better than the news that the Ark of the Covenant was in the hands of the idolatrous enemies of God. Von Gerlach remarks that the wife of this deeply corrupt man shows how penetrated the whole people then was with the sense of the value of its covenant with God.
The meaning of the term I-chabod is much disputed, owing to the doubt which hangs over the first syllableI followed by chabod. It is usually taken to mean a simple negative; not: chabod signifying glory: I-chabod thus represents not glory: i.e., there is no glory. Others render the I syllable as a query, Where? Where is the glory? the answer, of course, being, It is nowhere. But the best rendering seems to be to understand the syllable I as an exclamation of bitter sorrow, Alas ! The name then could be translated, Alas! the glory.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
21. She named the child Though unable to answer or regard the words of comfort given by the bystanders, (1Sa 4:20,) she sufficiently aroused herself at the last moment to give her child a name.
Ichabod , Where the glory? equivalent to a negative statement, no glory, inglorious. Sad name for one to bear through life, a constant reminder of Israel’s shame and woe! This dying mother shows an example of profoundest affection for the cause of God. Though Israel’s armies fly, and thousands are slain, and among them her own husband, yet, like Eli, her grief is rather that the ark of God is taken.
The preceding chapters present to us the character of Eli in three different aspects: (1.) The devoted high priest. He takes particular interest in Hannah when he understands her sorrows, and bestows upon her his priestly benediction, (1Sa 1:17; 1Sa 2:20😉 he tenderly reminds his sons of their awful responsibilities before God, (1Sa 2:25😉 he bows in humble submissiveness to the prophecy of his downfall, (1Sa 3:18,) and shows his profound devotion to God by his anxiety for the ark, and his sudden fall and death at the tidings of its capture. We can find in him no indication of hypocrisy, or lack of faith in God. (2.) The partial judge. He judged Israel forty years, and, on the whole, was probably careful and just. We first meet with him sitting on his throne at the door of the tabernacle, where he appears quick to discern and reprove improprieties, (1Sa 1:14,) and this may be regarded as a fair example of his usual administration. But his partiality appears when his own sons are the offenders. Though their sins are black and dreadful, defiling the holy place and making even the offerings an abomination, yet he deals with them only by counsel and reproof. 1Sa 2:22-25. He should have used his power and authority as judge to correct such flagrant abuses and punish the impious offenders, even though they were his own flesh and blood. But they were his darling sons, and he forbore, (3.) The unduly affectionate father. Eli let his paternal love run away with his judgment; his fondness for his sons restrained him from the exercise of proper parental authority. We quote with admiration the excellent remarks of Adam Clarke: “Many fine families have been spoiled, and many ruined, by the separate exercise of these two principles. Parental affection, when alone, infallibly degenerates into foolish fondness; and parental authority frequently degenerates into brutal tyranny when standing by itself. The first sort of parents will be loved without being respected; the second sort will be dreaded, without either respect or esteem. A father may be as fond of his offspring as Eli, and his children be sons of Belial; he may be as authoritative as the grand Turk, and his children despise and plot rebellion against him. But let parental authority be tempered with fatherly affection, and let the rein of discipline be steadily held by this powerful but affectionate hand, and there shall the pleasure of God prosper; there will he give his blessing, even life for evermore.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Sa 4:21-22. And she named the child I-chabod, &c. Here, as usual, the reason of the name imposed is given: I-chabod signifying literally inglorious, or without glory; glory being departed; i.e. the ark of God taken. Houbigant supposes the 22nd verse not to be the words of the mother of I-chabod, but those of the historian. The Arabic and some other versions omit that verse. Houbigant renders the two verses thus, 1Sa 4:21. But she named the child I-chabod, because it was told her that the ark of God was taken. 1Sa 4:22. For she said, The glory is departed from Israel, since the ark of God is taken.
Note; If God depart from us, if his ordinances are removed, and the light of his countenance withheld, neither earth, nor the things of it, have any more sweetness or glory; all is under a dismal eclipse, universal darkness reigns, and the soul experiences the foretastes of the outer darkness in eternal death.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
“I-chabod.” 1Sa 4:21 .
When the daughter-in-law of Eli, the wife of Phinehas, heard that the ark of God was taken, and that her brother-in-law and her husband were dead, she called the child that was born in that hour “I-chabod,” saying, “The glory is departed from Israel.” Thus children are born into distressing circumstances. Men come into the world when the world’s history is deeply shadowed, when there is indeed little to be seen but cloud and storm. How fortunate, as we say, have some men been in the time of their birth; they came into the world when everything was budding with promise, when the vernal air was awakening the whole earth, and beauty was about to clothe every plant that grew. Others are born under circumstances that depress the spirit; everything is backward, disheartened, utterly without hope as to the future; nothing answers the touch of fire or the cry of inspiration; there is no contagion in enthusiasm, and prayer itself is an empty vessel. We have no control, of course, over the times when we come into the world, but we should take their character into account in estimating our influence. He may do a great work who comes into the world in a dark hour, though it may contrast but poorly with the work which is done by men who were born under radiant advantages. The thought that applies to the matter of birth in relation to an age applies also to all positions of trust and usefulness; ministers come to churches under infinite disadvantages; merchants undertake the conduct of businesses that have been blighted or complicated and thrown into the most uncontrollable disorders; men are called upon to discharge the duties of life who have been born into bodies that are heavily afflicted, all these things ought to be taken into account in estimating the work which we are doing in our day and generation. Herein it is well that God himself is judge, and not man. He knows our parentage, our difficulties, our disadvantages, our constitution, the peculiar conditions in which we have begun our work, and in adding up all these, and assigning our reward, he will be just with the justice of love.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
1Sa 4:21 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.
Ver. 21. And she named the child Ichabod, ] i.e., Inglorious, a as Josephus interpreteth it. Now no glory, because no ark. b
And because of her father-in-law, &c.
a A .
b Fuit Ilium et ingens gloria Teucrorum.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
I-chabod = Where is the glory?
because of. Some codices add “the death of”. Compare 1Sa 4:19.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Ichabod: that is, Where is the glory, or, There is no glory
The glory: Psa 26:8, Psa 78:61, Psa 78:64, Psa 106:20, Jer 2:11, Hos 9:12
Reciprocal: Gen 35:18 – her soul 1Sa 4:18 – when he made 1Sa 14:3 – Ichabod’s 1Ch 4:9 – I bare him 1Ch 7:23 – because Psa 63:2 – To see Psa 89:44 – Thou Isa 7:14 – shall call Lam 2:1 – the beauty Eze 3:12 – glory Hos 10:5 – for the glory Zec 11:3 – for their Rom 9:4 – and the glory
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE ARKNO DEFENCE
The ark of God was taken.
1Sa 4:21
At this hour the condition of Israel could not have been lower. Their army was defeated, their High Priest and his sons were dead, and the ark was in the hands of their idolatrous foes. In the ark were the tables of the Law; above it was the mercy seat, and when it disappeared it seemed as if God had abolished His covenant of grace with an idolatrous people. But all that the ark represented had already been abandoned by them. The tables of stone, the witnesses of what God required, had failed to remind them of their disobedience and disloyalty. The mercy seat, on which the sacrificed blood was sprinkled, testifying to mercy connected with an atonement, was no longer drawing the people towards it in penitential prayer. Though the Law was in the ark, it was not in their minds; though they bowed before the mercy seat, they did not pray for mercy. The cloudless ark was a useless ark, though it was carried by the appointed priests, and this is full of teaching for us. Note then
I. The people of God are still summoned to conflict.Gods enemies vary with the conditions of the social life and intellectual condition of His people, but the reality and intensity of their enmity does not diminish. Blasphemous infidelity is superseded by cynical scepticism, but the one is as dangerous as the other. Profligacy, cruelty, dishonesty, and other products of godlessness ever prevail. Against these some contend who are moved by desire for mens temporal welfare. They go forth, as the Israelites did at first, without the presence of God, and without any symbol of it. Others have the outward sign, but not the spiritual reality, the religious organisation, without the religious spirit; and so resemble the Israelites when they went out to battle, trusting that the ark would save them. There are inward foes also to fight against (returning indifference, growing prayerlessness, evil habits, etc.), in which we shall only succeed, when we remember our Lords word, Without Me ye can do nothing.
II. In this conflict we may be aided both by what is outward and by what is inward.The ark as a substitute for Gods presence was a curse, but as a sign of it was a blessing.
Our human nature requires a religion which is not purely spiritual. We are incarnate spirits. Our spirit is the lord of the body, but the body has influence over the spirit. Hence religion must find embodiments in words, in acts, in associations, etc., or else others cannot lay hold on it, nor can it lay hold on them. God provided for this in the revelations of Himself. He revealed Himself to the Jews in material things, in signs and ceremonies, in the Shechinah, in thunder on Sinai, in sacrifice and incense in the Tabernacle, and in the ark of the covenant. Under the new dispensation, too, God is revealed, not in a creed, but in the Christ, for the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Since then He speaks through baptism, and the Lords Supper; through the Lords Day, and the church, and hymns, and forms of sacred words, which retain and perpetuate His truth. God has ordained the outward, and, therefore, we must not despise it. It is like the ark; without the Divine presence it is useless, with the Divine presence it is resistless.
III. Trust in the outward only cannot bring victory.It might have been right to have fetched the ark from Shiloh, if the fetching had been preceded by repentance and prayer; but to get the symbol without the reality was a hideous mockery. They trusted the ark with superstitious faith in its virtues, and that was as much Paganism as the conduct of idolaters who carried their gods into battle, and wore charms to prevent wounds and death. The Pharisees in the days of Jesus Christ committed what was much the same kind of sin. They made long prayers, and gave alms, and made clean their cups and platters, as if God was pleased with such things. They would strain out a gnat lest they should be defiled by swallowing its blood, but did not shrink from crucifying the Son of God. The same sin is committed now, if we put the Sacrament in the place of Christ, or if we trust that attendance at worship will make up for our sins. For a long time after the Germans had captured Metz the French flag was flying from the spire of the cathedral, and the inhabitants were glad that no one dared climb to take it down. But it was a poor thing to keep the flag when they had lost the fortressto have the symbol of power, when the power itself was gone. May we never know that bitter experience which the Israelites mourned over when they trusted the cloudless ark.
Illustrations
(1) This chapter gives an account of the fulfilment of the threat of retribution which had been announced by an unknown prophet, and by Samuel, against Eli and his house. The people of Israel, too, shared in the punishment as they righteously deserved to suffer, and Samuel learnt from this dreadful defeat that there could be no deliverance from the tyranny of the Philistines till there was deliverance from the tyranny of sin; that inward change must precede outward revolution. The whole history of the Judges emphasized this, for all their bravery and skill had failed to bring any lasting advantages to Israel.
(2) They were right in attributing defeat to the withdrawal of Divine help, but wrong in supposing that Gods presence was so inseparably bound up with the sacred ark that He must of necessity be where it was. They ought to have sought Gods help in penitential prayer, and not have imagined that a mere outward symbol of the Divine presence would save them out of the hands of their enemies.
(3) Recall Edinburgh after Flodden, when Randolph Murray, the solitary horseman, arrived with the news that the flower of Scottish chivalry lay dead (Aytouns Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers)
A murmur long and loud,
And a cry of fear and wonder
Bursts from out the bending crowd.
For they see in battered harness
Only one hard-stricken man.
(4) It was through the capture of the ark that Israel was led to the feet of God again. And it was when the ark was far away that they learned again how near Jehovah was. Who knows, if the ark had never been carried from Shiloh, but that Israel might have swiftly fallen to idolatry? That sacred coffer was so associated with the Lord, that it was always easy to reckon it Divine. But now the ark was lost, and God was found. They were cast on the living, invisible Jehovah. It was a truth Israel was to bless the world with, and it was graven on their hearts by this disaster.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
1Sa 4:21-22. I-chabod Where is the glory? The glory is departed That is, the glorious type and assurance of Gods presence, the ark, which is often called Gods glory, and which was the great safeguard and ornament of Israel, which they could glory in above all other nations. For the ark of God is taken This is repeated to show her piety, and that the public loss lay heavier upon her spirit than her personal and domestic calamity.