1 Samuel 4:18

And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

And it came to pass, when he made mention {H2142} of the ark {H727} of God {H430}, that he fell {H5307} from off the seat {H3678} backward {H322} by {H1157} the side {H3027} of the gate {H8179}, and his neck {H4665} brake {H7665}, and he died {H4191}: for he was an old {H2204} man {H376}, and heavy {H3513}. And he had judged {H8199} Israel {H3478} forty {H705} years {H8141}.

As soon as he mentioned what had happened to the ark of God, 'Eli fell backward off his seat next to the gate, broke his neck and died; for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged Isra'el forty years.

As soon as the ark of God was mentioned, Eli fell backward from his chair by the city gate, and being old and heavy, he broke his neck and died. And Eli had judged Israel forty years.

And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

Commentary

Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • 1 Samuel 4:21 (6 votes)

    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.

  • 1 Samuel 4:22 (6 votes)

    And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

  • 1 Peter 4:17 (5 votes)

    For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first [begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?

  • 1 Peter 4:18 (5 votes)

    And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

  • Psalms 69:9 (3 votes)

    For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

  • 1 Samuel 2:31 (2 votes)

    Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.

  • 1 Samuel 2:32 (2 votes)

    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.