1 Samuel 4:10

“And the Philistines fought, etc.] With great ardour and spirit, quitted themselves like men of valour and courage, their case being desperate as they imagined, since God was in the camp of Israel: and Israel was smitten: were routed and beaten: and they fled every man into his tent; such of them as escaped the sword of the Philistines fled to their own houses in the several cities from whence they came; so the Targum, “every man to his city” so that their army was quite broken up: and there was a very great slaughter far greater than in the first battle: For there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen; their army chiefly, if not altogether, consisting of footmen, there being few horses in…”

“Tent - To his habitation, called by the ancient name of his tent. There fell - Before, they lost but four thousand, now in the presence of the ark, thirty thousand, to teach them that the ark and ordinances of God, were never designed as a refuge to impenitent sinners, but only for the comfort of those that repent. 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 4:11”

“4:10 30,000 was more than seven times as many as haddied previously without the Ark (4:2). The Israelites learned the hard way that the Ark was not a talisman to ward off misfortune.”

“Israel: Sa1 4:2; Lev 26:17; Deu 28:25; Psa 78:9, Psa 78:60-64 every man: Sa2 20:1; Kg1 12:16, Kg1 22:36; Kg2 14:12 a very great: Sa2 18:7; Ch2 13:17, Ch2 28:5, Ch2 28:6; Isa 10:3-6 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 4:11”

“Stimulated in this way, they fought and smote Israel, so that every one fled home ("to his tent," see at Jos 22:8), and 30,000 men of Israel fell. The ark also was taken, and the two sons of Eli died, i.e., were slain when the ark was taken, - a practical proof to the degenerate nation, that Jehovah, who was enthroned above the cherubim, had departed from them, i.e., had withdrawn His gracious presence. (Note: "It is just the same now, when we take merely a historical Christ outside us for our Redeemer. He must prove His help chiefly internally by His Holy Spirit, to redeem us out of the hand of the Philistines; though externally He must not be thrown into the shade, as accomplishing our…”