1 Samuel 4:21

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

Ichabod: that is, Where is the glory, or, There is no glory

The glory: Psalms 26:8, Psalms 78:61, Psalms 78:64, Psalms 106:20, Jeremiah 2:11, Hosea 9:12

Reciprocal: Genesis 35:18 - her soul 1 Samuel 4:18 - when he made 1 Samuel 14:3 - Ichabod's 1 Chronicles 4:9 - I bare him 1 Chronicles 7:23 - because Psalms 63:2 - To see Psalms 89:44 - Thou Isaiah 7:14 - shall call Lamentations 2:1 - the beauty Ezekiel 3:12 - glory Hosea 10:5 - for the glory Zechariah 11:3 - for their Romans 9:4 - and the glory

Cross-References

Genesis 4:11
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:11
And now cursed are you from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand;

Genesis 4:11
And now you will be cursed in your work with the ground, the same ground where your brother's blood fell and where your hands killed him.

Genesis 4:11
So now, you are banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:11
And now [art] thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

Genesis 4:11
Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:11
"And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's [shed] blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:11
Now therfor thou schalt be cursid on erthe, that openyde his mouth, and resseyuede of thin hond the blood of thi brothir.

Genesis 4:11
and now, cursed [art] thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive the blood of thy brother from thy hand;

Genesis 4:11
Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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

Psalms 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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Is departed - Properly, “Is gone into captivity.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 4:21. She named the child I-chabod — The versions are various on the original words כבוד I-chabod; the Septuagint, ουαιβαρχαβωθ 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.