1 Samuel 4:7
New International Version
the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before.

New Living Translation
they panicked. “The gods have come into their camp!” they cried. “This is a disaster! We have never had to face anything like this before!

English Standard Version
the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

Berean Standard Bible
the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before.

King James Bible
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

New King James Version
So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before.

New American Standard Bible
So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

NASB 1995
The Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

NASB 1977
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

Amplified Bible
The Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe [disaster is coming] to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

Christian Standard Bible
they panicked. “A god has entered their camp! ” they said. “Woe to us! Nothing like this has happened before.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
they panicked. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, nothing like this has happened before.

American Standard Version
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the Philistines were afraid because they said: “God has come to the encampment!” And they said: “Woe to us, for nothing like this has ever happened before!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Philistines feared, and said, These are the Gods that are come to them into the camp.

Contemporary English Version
they were scared to death and said: The gods have come into their camp. Now we're in real trouble! Nothing like this has ever happened to us before.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Philistines were afraid, saying: God is come into the camp. And sighing, they said:

English Revised Version
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then they were frightened and said, "A god has come into [their] camp." They also said, "Oh no! Nothing like this has ever happened before.

Good News Translation
they were afraid, and said, "A god has come into their camp! We're lost! Nothing like this has ever happened to us before!

International Standard Version
and the Philistines were terrified. "God has come into the camp," they said. "How terrible for us, because nothing like this has ever happened before!

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said: 'God is come into the camp.' And they said: 'Woe unto us! for there was not such a thing yesterday and the day before.

Literal Standard Version
And the Philistines are afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp”; and they say, “Woe to us, for there has been nothing like this before.

Majority Standard Bible
the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before.

New American Bible
the Philistines were frightened, crying out, “Gods have come to their camp. Woe to us! This has never happened before.

NET Bible
The Philistines were scared because they thought that gods had come to the camp. They said, "Too bad for us! We've never seen anything like this!

New Revised Standard Version
the Philistines were afraid; for they said, “Gods have come into the camp.” They also said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

New Heart English Bible
The Philistines were afraid, for they said, "Gods have come into the camp." They said, "Woe to us. For there has not been such a thing before.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God hath come into the camp. And they said, Woe to us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

World English Bible
The Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” They said, “Woe to us! For there has not been such a thing before.

Young's Literal Translation
And the Philistines are afraid, for they said, 'God hath come in unto the camp;' and they say, 'Woe to us, for there hath not been like this heretofore.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Philistines Capture the Ark
6On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp, 7the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before. 8Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.…

Cross References
Exodus 15:14
The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.

1 Samuel 4:6
On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, "What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?" And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp,

1 Samuel 4:8
Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.


Treasury of Scripture

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe to us! for there has not been such a thing heretofore.

were afraid

Exodus 14:25
And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

Exodus 15:14-16
The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina…

Deuteronomy 32:30
How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?

heretofore.

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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














(7) God is come into the camp.--The joy manifested by the Israelites at the arrival of the Ark from the sanctuary made the Philistines suspect that their enemies' God was now present with the defeated army.

The city of Aphek, near to which the camp of Israel was pitched, was close to the western entrance of the Pass of Beth-horon. The two defeats of Israel are termed in this Commentary the Battles of Aphek. The name of Eben-ezer, by which the scene was known in after days, was only given to the locality some twenty years later, on the occasion of the victory of Samuel near the same spot.

Philistines and Israelites, then, were equally superstitious in their belief both supposing that Deity was in some way connected with the lifeless gold and wood of the symbol Ark and Cherubim. But the Philistines had some excuse for their fears. Tradition was, no doubt, current among the old inhabitants of Canaan how this sacred Ark had been carried before the conquering armies of Israel in many a battle and siege in those bygone days, when the strange shepherd hordes under Joshua had. first invaded and taken possession of their beautiful land. The next verse explains more clearly some of the reasons for their fear.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
the Philistines
הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים (hap·pə·liš·tîm)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia

were afraid.
וַיִּֽרְאוּ֙ (way·yir·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3372: To fear, to revere, caus, to frighten

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

have entered
בָּ֥א (bā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

their camp!”
הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה (ham·ma·ḥă·neh)
Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 4264: An encampment, an army

they said.
אָמְר֔וּ (’ā·mə·rū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Woe
א֣וֹי (’ō·w)
Interjection
Strong's 188: Lamentation, Oh!

to us,
לָ֔נוּ (lā·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew

for
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

nothing
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

like this
כָּזֹ֖את (kā·zōṯ)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

has happened
הָיְתָ֛ה (hā·yə·ṯāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

before.
אֶתְמ֥וֹל (’eṯ·mō·wl)
Adverb
Strong's 865: Heretofore, definitely yesterday


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OT History: 1 Samuel 4:7 The Philistines were afraid for they said (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 4:6
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