Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Samuel 4:18

A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.

Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Modern study notes
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.

4:18 Eli fell backward: Either he was startled or he had a heart attack when he heard the message. Eli’s fatal fall symbolizes his family’s fall from the priesthood and the end of the abomination that his sons began (2:12-17). • Israel’s judge: Priesthood and judgeship were not incompatible (cp. Exod 18:13-26; Deut 17:8-13). Samuel replaced Eli as Israel’s judge and provided leadership that Eli had failed to provide (see 1 Sam 7:12-17). • The phrase for forty years incorporates Eli’s career into the conceptual and temporal framework of the book of Judges (cp. Judg 3:11; 5:31; 8:28; 13:1).

Read 1 Samuel 4:18 →Read the full chapter →John Gill's Exposition →Barnes' Notes →Wesley's Explanatory Notes →Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge →

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