Junyuan Wu

Steven Mann
UBBL 310
16 February 2022

#1 Observations
First Reading:
● The war is between the Philistines and the Israelites.
● Israelites encamped at Ebenezer
● Philistines encamped at Aphek
● The Philistines defeated Israel
● The Philistines killed about 4000 men in the battle
● The troops came back to the camp, no specific description of how many men left.
● The elders wondered why the Lord let them lose the battle
● The elders decided to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts
● They believe that bringing the ark of the covenant will make the Lord help with the
battle
● They sent people to Shiloh and brought the ark of the covenant back
● The two sons of Eli are Hophni and Phinehas
● Hophni and Phinehas came with the ark of the covenant
● The israel gave a mighty shout when the ark of the covenant arrived to the camp
● The shouting was loud that the philistines could hear them
● The philistines wondered about what the shouting was about
● The philistines were afraid when knowing about the ark of the covenant
● The philistines thought that God is with the israelites now
● Israel and The Philistine fought again
● Israel lost the battle again
● Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers
● The ark of God was captured
● Hophini and Phinehas died.
Second Reading:
● The text described that the Philistines and Israel had mustered for war in those days,
but didn’t indicate a specific date
● The philistines and Israelites encamped at two different locations, but very close to
each other
● Israel lost four thousand men when losing the battle but don’t know how many are
left
● The elders don't go to the battlefield for they only speak when the troops come back
to the camp location.
 ● The ark of the covenant of the Lord was located in shiloh
● The elders believe bringing the ark to the campsite will help them defeat their enemy
● The text emphasize on the ark is enthroned on the cherubim
● The text mentions the ark with repeated title like the ark of the covenant of the Lord
of hosts, or the ark of the covenant of the Lord, not just “the ark”
● The text emphasizes that Hophni and Phinehas are the two sons of Eli
● The shout was so loud that the earth resounded
● Ebenezer and Aphek are not very far since the philistines can hear the shouting as
well
● The Philistines learned about the ark of the Lord but we don’t know how they know
about it
● The Philistines were afraid of the ark of the Lord, and were scared by Israel’s
shouting
● The Philistines were first afraid but then they turn the fear into motivation and
courage
● Philistines knew about how God saved Hebrews from Egyptians and from the
wilderness.
● The Hebrews have been slaves to the Philistines for they lost their battle to the
Philistines last time
● The Philistines still stood up and fight
● Israel still lost, the ark didn’t do anything like what israel was expecting
● Great slaughter took place by philistines to Israel
● Israel lost almost ten times more men than last battle with the Philistines
● Hophni and Phinehas died on the battlefield, maybe by slaughter.
Third Reading:
● The only Israelites that speaks is the elders
● The philistines speaks in a unified voice in the text
● The Israelites lost twice in this text
● The elders of Israel believes that the ark of the covenant means the presence of the
Lord
● Israel was willing to send people from Ebenezer all the way to Shiloh which is a lot
further than Aphek just to get the Ark
● Israel believes the Ark will make God help them with the battle
● The text doesn’t specify whether Hophni and Phinehas were coming from Shiloh or
when to shiloh from the campsite and came back
● The Israelites did four things, they lost the battle, brought the ark to campsite, gave a
mighty shout, and lost the battle again
● The two sons of Elim Hophni and Phinehas are the only three names that were
mentioned in the text.
● Hophni and Phinehas came to Ebenezer with the ark of the covenant, and then died
on the battlefield
● Despite the fear, the Philistines were still able to win the war and slaughter Israel
troops.
● Israel all fled and run to their home when they were defeated
 ● The ark of covenant didn’t help Israel win the battle
● Israel ended up losing a bigger battle
● Everytime the text talks about Hophni and Phinehas, it has to mention that they are
the two sons of Eli
Fourth Reading:
● The mindset that the Israelites had was to have the ark with them means to have the
Lord with them
● They mighty shout that Israel gave when the ark arrives was not for God but for
themselves for they believe they could win the battle
● When Israel lost the battle or got discouraged they choose to bring the ark to bring
them courage
● When the Philistines were afraid they choose to use Hebrews as a motivation to
encourage themselves, tell themselves to be men and fight
● The text describe the ark “came into the camp” as if the Lord actually came into the
camp
● According to the Philistines, whoever lost will become the slaves of the other one

#2 Literary Context (5 pts):

Prior to the text, which is Samuel chapter 1-3, introduces Eli the priest, and the two sons of Eli.

In Samuel 1, Eli blesses Hannah to have a son of her own, and Hannah named her son Samuel

and gave him to the Lord to show her gratitude to the Lord. Samuel 2 introduces the two wicked

sons of Eli Hophni and Phinehas. They took the sacrifice that made for the Lord and lay with the

women served at the tent. The Lord was mad at their actions and cursed Eli’s family and his two

sons. In Samuel 3, the Lord speaks to Samuel and tell him the vision of Eli, including the fate of

Hophni and Phinehas.

After the text, in the rest of Samuel chapter 4, Eli heard about the death of his two sons and the

capture of the ark of the Lord and died, judged Israel forty years. His daughter in law Hannah

gave birth to another son after hearing the news and named him Ichabod, meaning the glory has

departed from Israel.

#3 Outline (25 pts):
The Capture of The Ark of God
I. Beginning (v.v 1b-3)
A. Israel went out to battle against the Philistines (1b-1c)
1. The Philistines fight against Israel (1b)
2. Israel and the Philistines camped at closed locations (1c)
a) Israel encamped at Eben-Ezer (1ca)
b) The Philistines encamped at Aphek (1cb)
B. The Philistines lead off an attack (2-3a)
1. The philistines drew up in line against Israel (2a)
2. Israel was defeated (2b)
a) About four thousand men were killed (2c)
3. Troops came back to camp (3aa)
C. The elders stepped out and spoke (v.v 3ab-3bb)
1. The elders wondered why God let them lose (3ab)
2. Called to bring the ark to Eben-Ezer from Shiloh (3b)
a) They assume God’s power will come along with the ark with them
(3bb)
II. Middle: Brought the Ark to campsite (v.v 4-9)
A. Take the Ark from Shiloh to Ebenezer (4)
1. Israel sent people to take the Ark (4a)
2. Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas came along with the Ark (4b)
B. The ark arrives to campsite (5)
1. The ark arrives (5a)
2. All Israel gave a mighty shout (5b)
a) The earth resounded (5c)
C. The Philistines’ reaction when hearing about the ark (6-9)
1. The philistines heard Israelites’ shouting (6a)
a) Heard the noise (6aa)
b) Wonder what they were shouting for (6ab)
c) learned that the ark arrived to the camp (6ac)
2. The Philistines’s reactions (7-9)
a) They were afraid of God and losing the war(7a-8)
(1) Said “God have come into the camp” (7b)
(2) “Nothing like this has happened before” (7c)
(3) Scared of God’s power (8a)
(a) The God who saved the Hebrews out of Egypt and
the wilderness (8b)
b) Encourage themselves (9)
(1) Decides to face the fear (9a)
(a) “Take courage” (9aa)
(b) “Be men” (9ab)
(2) Don’t want to lose (9b)
(a) Don’t be subject to Israel
(3) Fight the war (9c)
 (a) “Be men and fight”
III. End: battle again (v.v 10-11)
A. The Philistines and Israel fought again (10)
1. Israel lose the battle (10ba)
2. They fled to their home/tent (10bb)
3. Great slaughter of the Israel (10c)
a) Lost thirty thousand foot soldiers
B. The ark of God was captured (11)
1. The ark was captured (11a)
2. Hophni and Phinehas died

#4 Important Terms and Historical and Cultural Context, and Selected Research (30 pts):

There are three parts to this step.

Important terms

- Drew up in line

- This word gives a sense of military battlefields, like the front line of the

battlefield.

- Elders

- It was the elders of the Israel that speaks and makes the call

- Ark of the covenant

- The ark was made of acacia wood, and it was the most sacrosanct

possession of the nation. It represents the relationship of God and Israel.

- “Sons of Eli”

- Each time Hophni and Phinehas were introduced their titles which is their

father’s name were mentioned along with their name

- Mighty shout

- The mighty shout was for celebrating the arrival of the ark
 - Be men

- The philistines use phrase “be men” to encourage themselves shows it was

a patriarchal society at the time

- Become slaves

- When one loses the battle they become the slaves of the winner’s side at

the time

- Enthroned on the cherubim

- It is a flourish title that the elders give to the ark, showing the earthly title

of the ark of God

- The ark was captured

- To have the ark captured means the most important thing that the nation

had is gone, the nation is falling.

- Great slaughter

- For ancient audiences the great slaughter after the troop wins means it is a

great victory.

Historical and Cultural Content

- The Philistines: “The Philistines were part of the general incursion of the so-

called Sea Peoples from the Aegean”1

- Israel went out to battle against the Philistines: in order to claim the dominance of

the nation, Israel went out to fight their nearby neighbors.

1 Alter, Robert. Ancient Israel: The Former Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings: A Translation with
Commentary. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2014, 315.
 - The ark of the Covenant: it was the representation of the throne of God for Israel.

Bringing the ark to the camp gives them the illusion of God is actually with them.

- These mighty gods: the Philistines do not know much about God, but they have

heard what God has done for the Israelites leading them out of Egypt.

- Hophni and Phinehas, died: Hophni and Phinehas were also the priests, and their

death has fulfilled God judges in the previous chapters.

Research 3-4 of your terms and 3-4 of your topics in the following resource

● The Philistines

○ According to the Hebrew Bible, the Philistines Were organized into a

confederation of five city-states consisting of the coastal cities of*Ashdod,

*Ashkelon and *Gaza, moving north to south, and of the inland cities of

*Ekron and*Gath. ry. In the story, Although the Philistines were

frightened of direct-ly confronting this great god in battle, something

unexpected happened. The Israelites were defeated; and the ark was

captured. Apparently,however, this was only part of God’s plan to

magnify the power of the ark2.

● The ark of the Covenant

○ According to the Hebrew Bible, the ark of the Covenant is a portable

wooden chest that occupied a central position in ancient Israelite worship.

The ark contains the documentation of a covenant between the Israelites

2 Bill T. Arnold and Williamson H G M., Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books (Downers Grove, IL:
IVP Academic, 2005), 783.
 and their Deity WHWH to mark that Deity’s presence. It was located in

the holiest part of the wilderness tabernacle and later in Solomon’s temple

in Jerusalem.

● Enthroned on the Cherubim

○ This epithet for God occurs in 1 Samuel1:3 for the first time in the Bible,

and it may reflect an especially close connection to worship at Shiloh3.

The flashy title that the elders mention in the text represents their

eagerness for the help of God to win the war, not because they really want

to worship God.

● The elders

○ The judicial system in Israel traditionally was within the purview of local

elders. By the time of Joshua and Judges the authority was shifting to

elders, leaders and judges. Elder at the city gate served as both witnesses

and judges4.

Arnold, Bill T. and H.G.M. Williamson, editors. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical

Books. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2005.

#5. Alarming/Intriguing Part:

One intriguing part that I found in Samuel 4:1b-11 is that when Israel is losing the battle,

the first thing they ask is why the Lord doesn’t help them, and they believe that having the ark

3 Bill, 867.
4 Bill T. Arnold and Williamson H G M., Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books (Downers Grove, IL:
IVP Academic, 2005), 649.
with them would mean that God will be with them. The ark is only a representation of God, it is

not God himself. When the text describes the scene how the Israel gives mighty shouts when the

ark arrives at the camp, it reminds me of idolatry instead of worship of God.

#6. Exegetical Thesis Statement:

Samuel 1b-11 was written to reveal to the ancient audience that having the presence of

God doesn’t mean that having God on our side. This text also shows that God will show his

power through unexpected ways. The battle was lost for the israelites, but God’s plan for the

Eli’s son and the fate of Israel is fulfilling.

#7: Interaction with Commentaries:

In the commentary by Graemme, he mentions the idea of the statement that Israel being

“defeated” by the Philistines, it was being mistranslated. According to the Hebrew text it is better

translated to Israel as being defeated by Yahweh and that Philistines followed this up with a

laughter of the defeated Israelites5. This is an interesting idea and it would make sense for the

loss of battle was also part of Yahweh’s plan for the Israel and teach them their lessons.

Graemme also talks about when the elders make the call to take the ark of God to the

covenant, there is no consultation of God before they take it into the battlefield. But many of the

Israelites have participated in this decision, the elders proposed the decision, the people went and

collected the ark, and Eli’s two sons are with it6. I agree with this point, not only were the leaders

not making a thorough decision, also the people were not thinking about what God really wanted

them to do.

5 Alan Graeme Auld, I & II Samuel: A Commentary (Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 65.
6 Alan Graeme Auld, 66.
 The Philistines are presented as showing awareness of Israel’s traditions of its earlier

history in other chapters of Samuel according to Graemme. For example, Tahab and the

Gibeonites and the King of Ammon. They are also aware of the significant meaning of the ark of

the covenant7. However, Graemme believes that their version of the history of Israel is different

from what we know in the bible. I agree with this and it could explain why the Philippines said

“gods” instead of “God” when knowing about the ark coming to the camp.

In verse 11, the capture of the ark is the main topic of the paragraph and it is stated

passively in the Hebrew bible. Graemme believes that the passive suggests divine agency, he

also gives one of the the remaining instances which is Elijah’s being taken into heaven in 2 King

2:108. This again shows that the capture of the ark is the action of God, not just the Philistines.

For Hophni and Phinehas, they are simply “with the ark as it is removed from Shiloh.

They are as simply as its taking is described so is their death9. The simple description of their

death shows that they were not the main point of the story, their death simply shows the

fulfillment of God’s words that God had told Samuel in Samuel chapter 2-3.

#8. Application (10 pts):

At first sight reading this passage about what the Israelites did seems ridiculous to me, having

moved the ark believing that this will help them win the war. However, when comparing this

story to my life I realize that I also made mistakes like the Israelite, materializing God and his

presence, thinking that just because God loves me, he will be on my side no matter what.

Especially when I am doing something selfish and not being rational and thinking about the

consequences of others. It is easy to use God as an excuse to say God wants the best for me. But

7 Alan Graeme Auld, 66.

8 Alan Graeme Auld, 67.
9 Alan Graeme Auld, 67.
this text reminds me that this is not the case, God loves us but he won’t help us for our own

cause. Even though he loves us, we will need to take the consequences for our own doings.
 Bibliography

Alter, Robert. Ancient Israel: The Former Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings: A

Translation with Commentary. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2014.

Arnold, Bill T., and Williamson H G M. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books.

Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2005.

Auld, Alan Graeme. I & II Samuel: A Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press, 2011.