1 Samuel 4:19

Contextual Overview

¹⁹ And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was pregnant, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and brought forth; for her pains came on her. ¹⁹ Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her time of delivery. When she heard that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth. ¹⁹ And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and brought forth; for her pains came upon her. ¹⁹ Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and was about to give birth. When she heard the news that the Ark of God had been taken and that Eli, her father-in-law, and Phinehas, her husband, were both dead, she began to give birth to her child. The child was born, but the mother had much trouble in giving birth. ¹⁹ His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phineas, was pregnant and close to giving birth. When she heard that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she doubled over and gave birth. But her labor pains were too much for her. ¹⁹ And his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was with child [near] to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law, and her husband were dead, she bowed herself, and travailed; for her pains came upon her. ¹⁹ His daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and brought forth; for her pains came on her. ¹⁹Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was pregnant, and was about to give birth; so when she heard the news that the ark of God had been taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, because her [labor] pains began.¹⁹ Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. And when she heard the news 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. ¹⁹ Forsothe his douyter in lawe, `the wijf of Finees, was with childe, and niy the child bering; and whanne `the message was herd that the arke of God was takun, and that hir fadir in lawe was deed, and hir hosebonde, sche bowide hir silf, and childide; for sodeyn sorewis felden in to hir.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:16 - in sorrow Genesis 35:17 - Fear not 1 Kings 14:1 - the son Psalms 78:64 - widows Jeremiah 26:6 - will I

Cross-References

Genesis 2:18
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."

Genesis 2:18
And Yahweh God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a matching helper for him.

Genesis 2:18
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is right for him."

Genesis 2:18
The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him."

Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone: I will make him a help meet for him.

Genesis 2:18
Yahweh God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

Genesis 2:18
Now the LORD God said, "It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him."

Genesis 2:18
And the Lord God seide, It is not good that a man be aloone, make we to hym an help lijk to hym silf.

Genesis 2:18
And Jehovah God saith, `Not good for the man to be alone, I do make to him an helper -- as his counterpart.'

Genesis 2:18
The LORD God also said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And his daughter in law, Phinehas's wife, was with child, near to be delivered,.... Was near her time, as it is commonly expressed. Ben Gersom derives the word from a root which signifies to complete and finish k; denoting that her time to bring forth was completed and filled up; though Josephus l says that it was a seven months' birth, so that she came two months before her time; the margin of our Bibles is, "to cry out" m; and so Moses Kimchi, as his brother relates, derives the word from a root which signifies to howl and lament, and so is expressive of a woman's crying out when her pains come upon her:

and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken: which is mentioned first, as being the most distressing to her:

and that her father in law and her husband were dead; her father-in-law Eli is put first, being the high priest of God, and so his death gave her the greatest concern, as the death of an high priest was always matter of grief to the Israelites; and next the death of her husband, who should have succeeded him in the priesthood; for though he was a bad man, yet not so bad as Hophni, as Ben Gersom observes; and therefore the priesthood was continued in his line unto the reign of Solomon; and no notice is taken by her of the death of her brother-in-law:

she bowed herself, and travailed; put herself in a posture for travailing; perceiving she was coming to it, she fell upon her knees, as the word used signifies; and we are told n, that the Ethiopian women, when they bring forth, fall upon their knees, and bear their young, rarely making use of a midwife, and so it seems it was the way of the Hebrew women:

for her pains came upon her; sooner it is very probable than otherwise they would, which is sometimes the case, when frights seize a person in such circumstances: or were "turned upon her" o; they ceased, so that she could not make the necessary evacuations after the birth, which issued in her death; some render it, "her doors were turned" p, or changed; the doors of her womb, as in Job 3:10, though these had been opened for the bringing forth of her child, yet were reversed, changed, and altered, so as to prevent the after birth coming away, which caused her death, as follows.

k כלה "absolvere, consummare, perficere", Buxtorf. l Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 3.) sect. 4. m ללת "ad ululandum", Montanus; so some in Munster; "ad ejulandum", as some in Vatablus. n Ludolph. Hist. Aethiop. l. 1. c. 14. o נהפכו "versae erant", Pagninus, Montanus. p "Quoniam inversi sunt super eam eardines ejus", Munster; so Jarchi; Vid. T. Bab. Becorot, fol. 45. 1.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 4:19. And his daughter-in-law — This is another very affecting story; the defeat of Israel, the capture of the ark, the death of her father-in-law, and the slaughter of her husband, were more than a woman in her circumstances, near the time of her delivery could bear. She bowed, travailed, was delivered of a son, gave the child a name indicative of the ruined state of Israel, and expired!