1 Samuel 4:21
New International Version
She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The Glory has departed from Israel"—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.

New Living Translation
She named the child Ichabod (which means “Where is the glory?”), for she said, “Israel’s glory is gone.” She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead.

English Standard Version
And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

Berean Standard Bible
And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.

King James Bible
And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

New King James Version
Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

New American Standard Bible
And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

NASB 1995
And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

NASB 1977
And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

Legacy Standard Bible
And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

Amplified Bible
And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has left Israel,” because the ark of God had been taken and because of [the deaths of] her father-in-law and her husband.

Christian Standard Bible
She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and to the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and to the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.

American Standard Version
And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel; because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

English Revised Version
And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
She called the boy Ichabod [No Glory], saying, "Israel's glory is gone," because the ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and her husband [died].

Good News Translation
She named the boy Ichabod, explaining, "God's glory has left Israel"--referring to the capture of the Covenant Box and the death of her father-in-law and her husband.

International Standard Version
She had named the boy Ichabod, saying, "Glory has departed from Israel," because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead.

Majority Standard Bible
And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, ?The glory has departed from Israel,? because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.

NET Bible
She named the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel," referring to the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.

New Heart English Bible
And she named the boy Ichabod, because of the ark of God, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

Webster's Bible Translation
And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory hath departed from Israel. (Because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.)

World English Bible
She named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because God’s ark was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and she calls the youth Ichabod, saying, “Glory has removed from Israel,” because of the taking of the Ark of God, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

Young's Literal Translation
and she calleth the youth I-Chabod, saying, 'Honour hath removed from Israel,' because of the taking of the ark of God, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

Smith's Literal Translation
And she will call the boy, Where the Glory? saying, The glory uncovered from Israel: (for the taking of the ark of God, and for her father-in-law, and her husband.)
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And she called the child Ichabod, saying: The glory is gone from Israel, because the ark of God was taken, and for her father in law, and her husband:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory of Israel has been taken away,” because the ark of God was captured, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

New American Bible
She named the child Ichabod, saying, “Gone is the glory from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and to her father-in-law and her husband.

New Revised Standard Version
She named the child Ichabod, meaning, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And she named the child Jochabar, saying, The glory is departed from Israel; because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And she called the name of the boy Yukabar and she said: “The glory has passed from Israel”, because the Ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and because of her husband
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And she named the child Ichabod, saying: 'The glory is departed from Israel'; because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And she called the child Uaebarchaboth, because of the ark of God, and because of her father-in-law, and because of her husband.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Death of Eli
20As she was dying, the women attending to her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son!” But she did not respond or pay any heed. 21And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed. 22“The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “for the ark of God has been captured.”…

Cross References
Ezekiel 10:18-19
Then the glory of the LORD moved away from the threshold of the temple and stood above the cherubim. / As I watched, the cherubim lifted their wings and rose up from the ground, with the wheels beside them as they went. And they stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, with the glory of the God of Israel above them.

Ezekiel 11:22-23
Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. / And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.

Psalm 78:60-61
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.

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.

Lamentations 2:1
How the Lord has covered the Daughter of Zion with the cloud of His anger! He has cast the glory of Israel from heaven to earth. He has abandoned His footstool in the day of His anger.

Hosea 9:12
Even if they raise their children, I will bereave them of each one. Yes, woe be to them when I turn away from them!

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 17:18-20
So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained, / and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced. / So the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had banished them from His presence.

Isaiah 42:8
I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.

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.’”

Matthew 23:38
Look, your house is left to you desolate.

Luke 13:35
Look, your house is left to you desolate. And I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Romans 9:4
the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises.

Revelation 2:5
Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.


Treasury of Scripture

And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

I-chabod.

Psalm 26:8
LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.

Psalm 78:61,64
And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand…

Psalm 106:20
Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.

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Ark Boy Capture Captured Child Departed Honour Husband Ichabod I-Chabod Israel Law Removed Youth
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Ark Boy Capture Captured Child Departed Honour Husband Ichabod I-Chabod Israel Law Removed Youth
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














She named the boy Ichabod
The name "Ichabod" is derived from the Hebrew words "I" (no) and "kabod" (glory), meaning "no glory" or "where is the glory?" This naming reflects a deep sense of loss and despair. In the ancient Near Eastern culture, names were often prophetic or descriptive of circumstances. The choice of this name signifies the gravity of the situation, as the Ark of the Covenant, representing God's presence and glory, had been captured by the Philistines. This act was not just a military defeat but a spiritual crisis for Israel.

saying, 'The Glory has departed from Israel'
The term "Glory" (Hebrew: "kabod") refers to the manifest presence of God among His people. In the Old Testament, the glory of God was often associated with the Ark of the Covenant, which was the physical symbol of God's covenant and presence with Israel. The departure of the glory signifies a profound spiritual abandonment, highlighting the consequences of Israel's disobedience and the seriousness of losing the Ark. This phrase underscores the theological theme that God's presence is contingent upon the faithfulness of His people.

because the ark of God had been captured
The Ark of the Covenant was central to Israel's worship and identity. It contained the tablets of the Law, Aaron's rod, and manna, symbolizing God's covenant, authority, and provision. Its capture by the Philistines was a catastrophic event, indicating not only a military defeat but also a spiritual and national crisis. This loss was perceived as God withdrawing His favor and protection, a direct result of Israel's failure to uphold the covenant.

and her father-in-law and her husband were dead
The deaths of Eli, the high priest, and his sons, including Phinehas, the husband of the woman naming Ichabod, represent the collapse of the current priestly leadership. Eli's family had been judged by God for their corruption and failure to lead Israel in righteousness. This personal tragedy for the woman is intertwined with the national tragedy, emphasizing the interconnectedness of personal and communal faithfulness to God. The deaths signify the end of an era and the need for new leadership that would honor God and restore His glory to Israel.

(21-22) The glory is departed from Israel.--This singular and circumstantial account of the death of the widow of Phinehas, the evil warrior-priest, the son of Eli, which follows directly after the story of the great national disaster, is introduced from the records of that sad time, not from any special interest in the hapless woman and her sad fate, but solely for the purpose of showing how deeply the heart of Israel was penetrated with a love for their God, His Tabernacle, and its sacred contents. It was not the intelligence of her husband's bloody end on the field of battle, or of her father-in-law's death on his throne, or the downfall of her house, which stirred her so painfully; she could have borne all this better than the news that the Ark of the Covenant was in the hands of the idolatrous enemies of God. Von Gerlach remarks that "the wife of this deeply corrupt man shows how penetrated the whole people then was with the sense of the value of its covenant with God."

The meaning of the term I-chabod is much disputed, owing to the doubt which hangs over the first syllable--"I" followed by "chabod." It is usually taken to mean a simple negative; "not:" chabod signifying "glory:" I-chabod thus represents "not glory:" i.e., there is no glory. Others render the "I" syllable as a query, "Where?" "Where is the glory?" the answer, of course, being, "It is nowhere." But the best rendering seems to be to understand the syllable "I" as an exclamation of bitter sorrow, "Alas !" The name then could be translated, "Alas! the glory."



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And she named
וַתִּקְרָ֣א (wat·tiq·rā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

the boy
לַנַּ֗עַר (lan·na·‘ar)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5288: A boy, lad, youth, retainer

Ichabod,
כָבוֹד֙ (ḵā·ḇō·wḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 350: Ichabod -- 'inglorious', a son of Phinehas

saying,
לֵאמֹ֔ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“The glory
כָב֖וֹד (ḵā·ḇō·wḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3519: Weight, splendor, copiousness

has departed
גָּלָ֥ה (gā·lāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1540: To denude, to exile, to reveal

from Israel,”
מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (mî·yiś·rā·’êl)
Preposition-m | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

because
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the ark
אֲר֣וֹן (’ă·rō·wn)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 727: A chest, ark

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

had been captured
הִלָּקַח֙ (hil·lā·qaḥ)
Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3947: To take

[and]
וְאֶל־ (wə·’el-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

her father-in-law
חָמִ֖יהָ (ḥā·mî·hā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 2524: Husband's father

and her husband had been killed.
וְאִישָֽׁהּ׃ (wə·’î·šāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person


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OT History: 1 Samuel 4:21 She named the child Ichabod saying (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 4:20
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