1 Samuel 4:6 Commentary and Bible Study

The Philistines are very worried. They have got their God with them. What is the difference here between the Israelites and the Philistines? They are pretty well the same. They are both trusting in portable gods almost, both with the same superstitious attitudes. When they heard that the noise of the shout in the Israelite camp was due to the ark of the covenant being brought onto the field of battle, they were pretty terrified. They seem to remember the history of Israel better than the Israelites did.‘And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us!’ This hasn't happened before. ‘who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods?’ It is worth noting that God has gone into the plural now. ‘these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness’, and they were fearful. Of course they think that Israel's God is no different from their manufactured gods in the plural. The god and his goddess wife, god children and so on. So they are used to working in the plural when it comes to gods. So the effect of this – of the ark of the covenant being brought out – is to strengthen the Philistines. It arouses them to far greater zeal and effort and courage through fear. But then their leaders or their priests got hold of them, verse 9, and exhorted them and said, Behave like men. You don’t want to be slaves to the Israelites, do you? Don't you know, just as they have been slaves to you, they will get back at you now and make you just as much slaves to themselves. So by engendering fear into the people they managed to rouse their troops.