The Meaning of 1 Samuel 4:18 Explained

1 Samuel 4:18

KJV: 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.

YLT: And it cometh to pass, at his mentioning the ark of God, that he falleth from off the throne backward, by the side of the gate, and his neck is broken, and he dieth, for the man is old and heavy, and he hath judged Israel forty years.

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

ASV: And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli feel 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does 1 Samuel 4:18 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 4:12-22 - The Glory Departed From Israel
Notwithstanding their high hopes, disaster again overtook the hosts of Israel. No symbols of God will help us, until we have put away our idols and laid our hearts bare before Him.
The bad news traveled quickly over the land and everywhere brought dismay. The death of Eli and that of his daughter-in-law were tragedies, but in each ease there was a beautiful touch of true devotion to God's holy cause. The old man succumbed only when the messenger told of the capture of the Ark; while the mother could not be rallied from her death-swoon, even by the cry of her child, because, with the Ark, the glory of her people had passed away. May we not all pray to be equally devoted to the cause of Jesus Christ, so that its victories or its delays may touch us to the quick? The glory of our lives, as of the Church, should ever consist in the possession, not of the symbol, but of the real presence of our Lord, recognized, revered, loved and enshrined in our tenderest emotions. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 4

1  The Israelites are overcome by the Philistines at Ebenezer
3  They fetch the ark unto the terror of the Philistines
10  They are smitten again, the ark taken, and Hophni and Phinehas are slain
12  Eli at the news, falling backward, breaks his neck
19  Phinehas's wife, discouraged in her travail with Ichabod, dies

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 4:18 mean?

And it came to pass when he made mention of the ark of God that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate and was broken his neck and he died for was old the man and heavy And he had judged - Israel forty years
וַיְהִ֞י כְּהַזְכִּיר֣וֹ ׀ אֶת־ אֲר֣וֹן הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים וַיִּפֹּ֣ל מֵֽעַל־ הַ֠כִּסֵּא אֲחֹ֨רַנִּ֜ית בְּעַ֣ד ׀ יַ֣ד הַשַּׁ֗עַר וַתִּשָּׁבֵ֤ר מַפְרַקְתּוֹ֙ וַיָּמֹ֔ת כִּֽי־ זָקֵ֥ן הָאִ֖ישׁ וְכָבֵ֑ד וְה֛וּא שָׁפַ֥ט אֶת־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אַרְבָּעִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה

וַיְהִ֞י  And  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כְּהַזְכִּיר֣וֹ ׀  when  he  made  mention 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: זָכַר 
Sense: to remember, recall, call to mind.
אֲר֣וֹן  the  ark 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: אֲרֹון  
Sense: chest, ark.
הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים  of  God 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וַיִּפֹּ֣ל  that  Eli  fell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
מֵֽעַל־  off 
Parse: Preposition-m
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַ֠כִּסֵּא  the  seat 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כִּסֵּא 
Sense: seat (of honour), throne, seat, stool.
אֲחֹ֨רַנִּ֜ית  backward 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אֲחֹרַנִּית  
Sense: backwards, back part, the rear.
יַ֣ד  the  side 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
הַשַּׁ֗עַר  of  the  gate 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
וַתִּשָּׁבֵ֤ר  and  was  broken 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
מַפְרַקְתּוֹ֙  his  neck 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מַפְרֶקֶת  
Sense: neck.
וַיָּמֹ֔ת  and  he  died 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
זָקֵ֥ן  was  old 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: זָקֵן  
Sense: to be old, become old.
הָאִ֖ישׁ  the  man 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
וְכָבֵ֑ד  and  heavy 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: heavy, great.
וְה֛וּא  And  he 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
שָׁפַ֥ט  had  judged 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁפַט  
Sense: to judge, govern, vindicate, punish.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
אַרְבָּעִ֥ים  forty 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: אַרְבָּעִים  
Sense: forty.
שָׁנָֽה  years 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.