1 Samuel 4:11
New International Version
The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

New Living Translation
The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed.

English Standard Version
And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Berean Standard Bible
The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

King James Bible
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

New King James Version
Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

New American Standard Bible
Moreover, the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

NASB 1995
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

NASB 1977
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Amplified Bible
Also the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.

Christian Standard Bible
The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

American Standard Version
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

Contemporary English Version
Hophni and Phinehas were killed, and the sacred chest was captured.

English Revised Version
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The ark of God was captured. Both of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Good News Translation
God's Covenant Box was captured, and Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were both killed.

International Standard Version
The Ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, died.

Majority Standard Bible
The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

NET Bible
The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were killed.

New Heart English Bible
The ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

World English Bible
God’s ark was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the Ark of God has been taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, have died.

Young's Literal Translation
and the ark of God hath been taken, and the two sons of Eli have died, Hophni and Phinehas.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli were slain, Hophni and Phinehas.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the ark of God was taken: and the two sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were slain.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the ark of God was captured. Also, the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

New American Bible
The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were dead.

New Revised Standard Version
The ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the Ark of LORD JEHOVAH was taken and the two sons of Eli, Khaphni and Phinkhas, died
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the ark of God was taken, and both the sons of Heli, Ophni, and Phinees, died.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Philistines Capture the Ark
10So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Cross References
Psalm 78:60-64
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men. / He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary. / He surrendered His people to the sword because He was enraged by His heritage. ...

Jeremiah 7:12-14
But go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for My Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. / And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and because I have spoken to you again and again but you would not listen, and I have called to you but you would not answer, / therefore what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears My Name, the house in which you trust, the place that I gave to you and your fathers.

Jeremiah 26:6
then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth.’”

Psalm 132:8
Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength.

Lamentations 2:7
The Lord has rejected His altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast.

Hosea 10:5-6
The people of Samaria will fear for the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn over it with its idolatrous priests—those who rejoiced in its glory—for it has been taken from them into exile. / Yes, it will be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim will be seized with shame; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.

Judges 18:30-31
The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. / So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.

2 Kings 25:9
He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.

2 Chronicles 36:19
Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value.

1 Samuel 2:34
And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.

1 Samuel 3:12-14
On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his house, from beginning to end. / I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them. / Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”

1 Samuel 2:32
You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age.

1 Samuel 2:31
Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in it will reach old age.

1 Samuel 2:30
Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.

1 Samuel 2:27-29
Then a man of God came to Eli and told him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh’s house? / And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the food offerings of the Israelites. / Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’


Treasury of Scripture

And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

the ark

1 Samuel 2:32
And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.

Psalm 78:61
And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.

the two sons

1 Samuel 2:34
And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.

Psalm 78:64
Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

Isaiah 3:11
Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

were slain [heb] died

Jump to Previous
Ark Captured Died Eli Eli's Hophni Phinehas Phin'ehas Slain Sword
Jump to Next
Ark Captured Died Eli Eli's Hophni Phinehas Phin'ehas Slain Sword
1 Samuel 4
1. The Israelites are overcome by the Philistines at Ebenezer
3. They fetch the ark unto the terror of the Philistines
10. They are smitten again, the ark taken, and Hophni and Phinehas are slain
12. Eli at the news, falling backward, breaks his neck
19. Phinehas's wife, discouraged in her travail with Ichabod, dies














The ark of God
The "ark of God" refers to the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred chest that held the tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod, and a pot of manna. In Hebrew, the word for "ark" is "aron," which means a chest or box. The Ark symbolized God's presence among His people and was central to Israelite worship. Its capture by the Philistines was not just a military loss but a spiritual crisis, indicating God's judgment on Israel for their disobedience and the corruption of their leaders.

was captured
The phrase "was captured" signifies a significant turning point in Israel's history. The Hebrew root "lakad" means to seize or take. This event marked a moment of divine judgment, as the Israelites had treated the Ark as a talisman rather than a symbol of God's covenant. The capture of the Ark by the Philistines demonstrated that God's favor was not with Israel due to their unfaithfulness and highlighted the need for genuine repentance and reliance on God rather than mere religious symbols.

and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died
The death of "Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas," fulfills the prophecy given to Eli in 1 Samuel 2:34. Hophni and Phinehas were priests who had shown contempt for the Lord's offerings and engaged in immoral behavior. Their deaths were a direct consequence of their actions and a manifestation of divine justice. The Hebrew names "Hophni" and "Phinehas" are associated with violence and brazen behavior, respectively, reflecting their characters. This tragic event underscores the seriousness of sin and the importance of faithful leadership in God's service. It serves as a sobering reminder that God holds leaders accountable and that His holiness cannot be compromised.

(11) And the ark of God was taken.--The bare fact, without comment or note, is given of this, the greatest calamity that had yet happened to Israel. All the people would know by this terrible sign that their invisible King had withdrawn His countenance from them; but the loss of the Ark to the heathen taught another lesson, not merely for the Israel of the days of Eli and Samuel--the eternal truth that "the living God does not bind His presence to a dead thing" (Erdmann). But though it was a dead thing, it was inexpressibly precious to the patriot Israelite. Was it not the ark "which Moses had made by God's command at Sinai, and on which the Divine presence was enshrined in the Holy of Holies; and which had accompanied Israel in their marches through the wilderness, and before which the waters of Jordan had fled backward, and the walls of Jericho had fallen down?--that ark was taken by idolaters."--Bishop Wordsworth.

The two sons of Eli . . . were slain.--This was in strict accordance with the saying of the man of God. (See 1Samuel 2:34.)

Verse 11. - Moreover, the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain, according to the prediction of the man of God. Probably the last resistance was made round the ark, and the sons of Eli at least died "as men" (1 Samuel 2:33). THE OVERTHROW OF ELI'S HOUSE (vers. 12-22).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The ark
וַאֲר֥וֹן (wa·’ă·rō·wn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 727: A chest, ark

of God
אֱלֹהִ֖ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

was captured,
נִלְקָ֑ח (nil·qāḥ)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

and Eli’s
עֵלִי֙ (‘ê·lî)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5941: Eli -- a priest at Shiloh

two
וּשְׁנֵ֤י (ū·šə·nê)
Conjunctive waw | Number - mdc
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

sons,
בְנֵֽי־ (ḇə·nê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

Hophni
חָפְנִ֖י (ḥā·p̄ə·nî)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2652: Hophni -- a son of Eli

and Phinehas,
וּפִֽינְחָֽס׃ (ū·p̄î·nə·ḥās)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6372: Phinehas -- three Israelites

died.
מֵ֔תוּ (mê·ṯū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill


Links
1 Samuel 4:11 NIV
1 Samuel 4:11 NLT
1 Samuel 4:11 ESV
1 Samuel 4:11 NASB
1 Samuel 4:11 KJV

1 Samuel 4:11 BibleApps.com
1 Samuel 4:11 Biblia Paralela
1 Samuel 4:11 Chinese Bible
1 Samuel 4:11 French Bible
1 Samuel 4:11 Catholic Bible

OT History: 1 Samuel 4:11 The ark of God was taken (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 4:10
Top of Page
Top of Page