John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 4. So the people sent to Shiloh , etc.] They liked the proposal of the elders, took their advice, and joined with them in a message to Eli the high priest at Shiloh: that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubim ; which overshadowed the mercy seat that was upon the ark, and was the residence of the divine Majesty; wherefore having this with them, they concluded they should have the presence of God with them, and so success, (see Psalm 53:1 99:1) and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God ; these, either with or without the leave of Eli, took the ark out of the tabernacle, and carried it on their shoulders to the camp, or however attended it there, being borne by other priests or Levites; and by this means they were brought into the camp, and so to battle, to meet their doom there; according to Bunting f81 , it was carried by them forty two miles.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-9 - Israel is smitten before the Philistines. Sin, the accursed thing, wa in the camp, and gave their enemies all the advantage they could wis for. They own the hand of God in their trouble; but, instead of submitting, they speak angrily, as not aware of any just provocatio they had given him. The foolishness of man perverts his way, and the his heart frets against the Lord, Pr 19:3, and finds fault with him They supposed that they could oblige God to appear for them, by bringing the ark into their camp. Those who have gone back in the lif of religion, sometimes discover great fondness for the outwar observances of it, as if those would save them; and as if the ark God's throne, in the camp, would bring them to heaven, though the worl and the flesh are on the throne in the heart.
Original Hebrew וישׁלח7971 העם5971 שׁלה7887 וישׂאו5375 משׁם8033 את853 ארון727 ברית1285 יהוה3069 צבאות6635 ישׁב3427 הכרבים3742 ושׁם8033 שׁני8147 בני1121 עלי5941 עם5973 ארון727 ברית1285 האלהים430 חפני2652 ופינחס׃6372
