John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 7. And the Philistines were afraid , etc.] When the spies returned, and reported to them the reason of the shouting: for they said, God is come into the camp ; into the camp of Israel, because the ark represented him, and was the symbol of his presence; and these Heathens might take the ark itself for an idol of the Israelites; the Targum is, “the ark of God is come” and they said, woe unto us ; it is all over with us, destruction and ruin will be our case, victory will go on their side now their God is among them: for there hath not been such a thing heretofore ; if by this they meant that the ark had never been in the camp of Israel before, they were mistaken; and it is no great wonder they should, being not so well acquainted with the affairs of Israel, and their customs; or rather, it was not so yesterday, or three days ago, when they were defeated; there was no shouting then: or the state of the war is altered; before we fought with the men of Israel, but now we must fight with the God of Israel also.
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 ויראו3372 הפלשׁתים6430 כי3588 אמרו559 בא935 אלהים430 אל413 המחנה4264 ויאמרו559 אוי188 לנו כי3588 לא3808 היתה1961 כזאת2063 אתמול865 שׁלשׁם׃8032
