Targum Jonathan on the Prophets 1 Samuel · chapter 4

Tap any Aramaic word to trace it to its Jastrow dictionary entry.

1. 1

   וַהֲוָה פִּתְגָם שְׁמוּאֵל מַדְעָא לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל וּנְפַק יִשְׂרָאֵל לְקָדָמוּת פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי לְאַגָחָא קְרָבָא וּשְׁרוֹ עַל אָבֶן סְעָדָא וּפְלִשְׁתָּאֵי שְׁרוֹ בַאֲפַק:

   Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek.

2. 2

   וּסְדָרוּ קְרָבָא פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי לָקֳדָמוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִתְרְטִישׁוּ עָבְדֵי קְרָבָא וְאִתַּבָּרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל קֳדָם פְּלִשְׁתָאֵי וּמְחוֹ בְסִידְרָא בְּחַקְלָא כְאַרְבְּעָא אַלְפִין גַבְרָא:

   The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield.

3. 3

   וַאֲתָא עַמָא לְמַשְׁרִיתָא וַאֲמַרוּ סָבֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמָה תַבְּרָנָא יְיָ יוֹמָא דֵין קֳדָם פְלִשְׁתָּאֵי נִסַב לָנָא מִשִׁילֹה יַת אֲרוֹן קְיָמָא דַייָ וְיֵיתֵי בֵּינָנָא בְּדִיל יְקַר שְׁמֵיהּ נִתְפְּרִיק מִיַד בַּעֲלֵי דְבָבָנָא:

   When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.”

4. 4

   וּשְׁלַח עַמָא לְשִׁילֹה וּנְטָלוּ מִתַּמָן יַת אֲרוֹן קְיָמָא דַייָ צְבָאוֹת דִשְׁכִינְתֵּהּ שַׁרְיָא עֵיל מִן כְּרוּבַיָא וְתַמָן תְּרֵין בְּנֵי עֵלִי עִם אֲרוֹן קְיָמָא דַייָ חָפְנִי וּפִינְחָס:

   So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5. 5

   וַהֲוָה כַּד אֲתָא אֲרוֹן קְיָמָא דַייָ לְמַשְׁרִיתָא וְיַבִּיבוּ כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל יַבָּבָא רַבָּא וְאִשְׁתְּגָּשַׁת אַרְעָא:

   When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great shout that the ground shook.

6. 6

   וּשְׁמָעוּ פְלִשְׁתָּאֵי יַת קַל יַבָּבָא וַאַמַרוּ מָה קָל יַבָּבָא רַבָּא הָדֵין בְמַשְׁרִיתָא דִיהוּדָאֵי וִידָעוּ אֲרֵי אֲרוֹנָא דַייָ אָתָא לְמַשְׁרִיתָא:

   On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp,

7. 7

   וּדְחִילוּ פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי אֲרֵי אֲמַרוּ אֲתָא אֲרוֹנָא דַייָ לְמַשְׁרִיתָא וַאֲמַרוּ וַי לָנָא אֲרֵי לָא הֲוַת כַּהֲדָא מֵאִיתְמְלֵי וּמִדְקָדָמוֹהִי:

   the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before.

8. 8

   וַי לָנָא מַן יְשֵׁיזְבִינָנָא מִיַד מֵימְרָא דַייָ דְעוֹבָדוֹהִי רַבְרְבִין הָאִלֵין אִלֵין אִינוּן גְבוּרָתָא דַייָ דִמְחָא יַת מִצְרַיִם בְּכָל מָחָא וּלְעַמֵיהּ עֲבַד פְּרִישָׁן בְּמַדְבְּרָא:

   Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.

9. 9

   אִיתְקְפוּ וַהֲווֹ לְגַבְרִין פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי דִלְמָא תִּשְׁתַּעְבְּדוּן לִיהוּדָאֵי כְּמָא דְאִשְׁתַּעְבְּדוּ לְכוֹן וּתְהוֹן לְגַבְרִין גִבָּרִין וְתַגִיחוּן קְרָבָא:

   Take courage and be men, O Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight!”

10. 10

    וְאַגִיחוּ קְרָבָא פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי וְאִתַּבָּרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאַפָּכוּ גְבַר לְקִירְווֹהִי וַהֲוָה מְחָתָא רַבְּתָא לַחֲדָא וְאִתְקְטַל מִיִשְׂרָאֵל תְּלָתִין אַלְפִין גְבַר רִגְלָי:

    So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great — thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.

11. 11

    וַאֲרוֹנָא דַייָ אִשְׁתְּבֵי וּתְרֵין בְנֵי עֵלִי אִתְקְטָלוּ חָפְנִי וּפִינְחָס:

    The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

12. 12

    וּרְהַט גַבְרָא מִשִׁבְטָא דְבִנְיָמִן מִסִדְרָא וַאֲתָא לְשִׁלֹה בְּיוֹמָא הַהוּא וּלְבוּשׁוֹהִי מְבַזְעִין וְעַפְרָא רְמֵי עַל רֵישֵׁיהּ:

    That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line all the way to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.

13. 13

    וַאֲתָא וְהָא עֵלִי יָתֵיב עַל כּוּרְסַיָא עַל כְּבַשׁ אוֹרַח תַּרְעָא מְסָכֵי אֲרֵי הֲוָה לִבֵּיהּ תְּבִיר עַל אֲרוֹנָא דַייָ וְגַבְרָא אָתָא לְחַוָאָה לְקַרְתָּא וְאִשְׁתְּגִישַׁת כָּל קַרְתָּא:

    When he arrived, there was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out.

14. 14

    וּשְׁמַע עֵלִי יַת קַל צַוְחָתָא וַאֲמַר מָה קַל שִׁגּוּשַׁיָא הָדֵין וְגַבְרָא אוֹחִי וְאָתָא וְחַוֵי לְעֵלִי:

    Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?” So the man hurried over and reported to Eli.

15. 15

    וְעֵלִי בַּר תִּשְׁעִין וְתַמְנֵי שְׁנִין וְעֵינוֹהִי קָמָה וְלָא יָכִיל לְמֶחֱזֵי:

    Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his gaze was fixed because he could not see.

16. 16

    וַאֲמַר גַבְרָא לְעֵלִי אֲנָא אֲתֵית מִן סִדְרָא וַאֲנָא מִן סִדְרָא דִקְרָבָא אַפָּכִית יוֹמָא דֵין וַאֲמַר מֶה הֲוָה פִּתְגָמָא בְּרִי:

    “I have just come from the battle,” the man said to Eli. “I fled from there today.” “What happened, my son?” Eli asked.

17. 17

    וַאֲתֵיב דִמְבַשֵׂר וַאֲמַר אַפֵּךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל קֳדָם פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי וְאַף מְחָתָא רַבְּתָא הֲוַת בְּעַמָא וְאַף תְּרֵין בְּנָךְ אִתְקְטָלוּ חָפְנִי וּפִינְחָס וַאֲרוֹנָא דַייָ אִשְׁתְּבִי:

    The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”

18. 18

    וַהֲוָה כַּד אַדְכָּרוּתֵיהּ יַת אֲרוֹנָא דַייָ וּנְפַל מֵעַל כּוּרְסָא לַאֲחוֹרוֹהִי עַל כְּבַשׁ אוֹרַח תַּרְעָא וְאִתַּבָּרַת פָּרְקוּתֵיהּ וּמִית אֲרֵי סִיב גַבְרָא וְיַקִיר וְהוּא דָן יַת יִשְׂרָאֵל אַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין:

    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.

19. 19

    וְכַלָתֵיהּ אִתַּת פִּינְחָס מְעַדְיָא לְמֵילַד וּשְׁמָעַת יַת שְׁמוּעֲתָא דְאִשְׁתְּבִי אֲרוֹנָא דַייָ וּדְמִית חָמוּהָא וּדְאִתְקְטֵיל בַּעֲלָהּ וּכְרָעַת וִילֵידַת אֲרֵי בִעַתוּהָא חֶבְלָהָא:

    Now Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news of the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth, for her labor pains overtook her.

20. 20

    וּכְעִידַן מוּתָה וּמַלִילוּ נְשַׁיָא דְקַיְמָן עִלַוָה לָא תִדְחֲלִין אֲרֵי בַּר דְכַר יְלִידַת וְלָא אֲתִיבַת וְלָא שַׁוִיאַת עַל לִבָּהּ:

    As 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.

21. 21

    וּקְרַת לְרַבְיָא אִי כָבוֹד לְמֵימַר גְלָה יְקָרָא מִיִשְׂרָאֵל דְאִשְׁתְּבִי אֲרוֹנָא דַייָ וּדְמִית חָמוּהָא וּדְאִתְקְטֵל בַּעֲלָהּ:

    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.

22. 22

    וַאֲמָרַת גְלָה יְקָרָא מִיִשְׂרָאֵל אֲרֵי אִשְׁתְּבֵי אֲרוֹנָא דַיָי:

    “The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “for the ark of God has been captured.”