Chapter 4 commences with the sentence “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel”. But reading forward in the chapter it seems that Samuel may as well have not existed as far as the Israelites were concerned. In this chapter we see the prophecy from chapter 2 against Eli and his two ne’er-do-well sons come to pass, as the Israelites, rather than seeking out Samuel,  listen to bad advise from elders whose guiding principle seemed to be “when in doubt, lets do the same thing that failed miserably last time.” As a result, the Ark of the Covenant is captured by the Philistines, and the people of Israel have their faulty understanding of the nature of Yahweh shattered.

Scriptures From This Episode:

1 Samuel 4

Exodus 18:13-27

Numbers 11:16-17

Judges 20:27

Numbers 10:35-36

Joshua, chapters 3, 4 & 6

Psalm 99:55

Psalm 132:7

Lamentations 2:1

Jeremiah 3:16-17

2 Samuel 1

2 Samuel 15:32

Matthew 10:16

Psalm 78:60

Jeremiah 7:12-14, 26:6, 9

Genesis 25:16-20

John 1:1-18

Resources Mentioned

The Rubin Edition Of The Prophets: Samuel 1 And 2 (Art Scroll Series: Book): https://amzn.to/31edM95

The First Book of Samuel Kindle Edition by David Toshio Tsumura (Book): https://amzn.to/3iVdoCv

Biblical Archaeology Review 12:1, January/February 1986

Shiloh Yields Some, But Not All, of Its Secrets

Location of Tabernacle still uncertain By Israel Finkelstein

https://www.baslibrary.org/biblical-archaeology-review/12/1/7

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