All of a sudden, for no discernible reason, the Israelites are at war with the Philistines. The writer gives not the slightest indication of the reason for this. It's evidently not about territory, because the Israelites get clobbered but as far as we can tell the Philistines don't take a centimeter of ground, they just go home. They do capture the Ark of the Covenant but that didn't have anything to do with the reason for the war, it wasn't even there in the beginning. Maybe the Israelites started it in order to conquer them? But why?
Anyway, this never happened, at least not as described. The Israelite population at the time wasn't nearly big enough to raise such a large army, or to endure such casualties. Furthermore, they had no central authority, no king, as even this tale affirms. Who would conscript the troops, who would command them? The Philistines at least were real. Archaeologists aren't sure where they came from, but they apparently arrived by sea, perhaps from the Aegean, and we do find them in the right place, on the coast. It's conceivable that they overran some Israelite villages and that was the seed for this fanciful story. Anyway they become perennial foes in the ensuing narrative. I'll just give you a heads up that the following chapters become weird, bizarre, and very, very strange.
4 1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.
The Ark of God Captured
Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines; they encamped at Ebene′zer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who slew about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 And when the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord put us to rout today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that he may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phin′ehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid; for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and acquit yourselves like men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; acquit yourselves like men and fight.”
10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home; and there was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 And the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phin′ehas, were slain.
Death of Eli
12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes rent and with earth upon his head. 13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting upon his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, “What is this uproar?” Then the man hastened and came and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set, so that he could not see. 16 And the man said to Eli, “I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” And he said, “How did it go, my son?” 17 He who brought the tidings answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the people; your two sons also, Hophni and Phin′ehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.
19 Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phin′ehas, was with child, about to give birth. And when she heard the tidings 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. 20 And about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, “Fear not, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer or give heed. 21 And she named the child Ich′abod, 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. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
2 comments:
It seems like this story uses the narrative to explain the loss of the ark of the covenant. It also provides a coda In which poetic justice is served as God makes good on his promise to destroy the house of Eli.
Yes, but this is just the set up for what happens next with the Ark. It's a demonstration of Yahweh's power, but he makes it a weird one as we shall see.
The Ark doesn't disappear until the Babylonian conquest, centuries after these purported events, but its actual fate is never described in the Tanakh.
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