SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:19
¶ Y su nuera, la mujer de Finees, que estaba encinta, cercana al parto, oyendo el rumor que el arca de Dios era tomada, y muertos su suegro y su marido, se encorvó y dio a luz; porque sus dolores se habían ya derramado por ella.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:19
Verse 19. And his daughter-in-law] This is another very affecting story; the defeat of Israel, the capture of the ark, the death of her father-in-law, and the slaughter of her husband, were more than a woman in her circumstances, near the time of her delivery could bear. She bowed, travailed, was delivered of a son, gave the child a name indicative of the ruined state of Israel, and expired!
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 19. And his daughter in law, Phinehas’s wife, was with child, near to be delivered , etc.] Was near her time, as it is commonly expressed. Ben Gersom derives the word from a root which signifies to complete and finish f91 ; denoting that her time to bring forth was completed and filled up; though Josephus says that it was a seven months’ birth, so that she came two months before her time; the margin of our Bibles is, “to cry out” f93 ; and so Moses Kimchi, as his brother relates, derives the word from a root which signifies to howl and lament, and so is expressive of a woman’s crying out when her pains come upon her: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken : which is mentioned first, as being the most distressing to her: and that her father in law and her husband were dead ; her father-in-law Eli is put first, being the high priest of God, and so his death gave her the greatest concern, as the death of an high priest was always matter of grief to the Israelites; and next the death of her husband, who should have succeeded him in the priesthood; for though he was a bad man, yet not so bad as Hophni, as Ben Gersom observes; and therefore the priesthood was continued in his line unto the reign of Solomon; and no notice is taken by her of the death of her brother-in-law: she bowed herself, and travailed ; put herself in a posture for travailing; perceiving she was coming to it, she fell upon her knees, as the word used signifies; and we are told f94 , that the Ethiopian women, when they bring forth, fall upon their knees, and bear their young, rarely making use of a midwife, and so it seems it was the way of the Hebrew women: for her pains came upon her ; sooner it is very probable than otherwise they would, which is sometimes the case, when frights seize a person in such circumstances: or were “turned upon her” f95 ; they ceased, so that she could not make the necessary evacuations after the birth, which issued in her death; some render it, “her doors were turned” f96 , or changed; the doors of her womb, as in ( Job 3:10), though these had been opened for the bringing forth of her child, yet were reversed, changed, and altered, so as to prevent the after birth coming away, which caused her death, as follows.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 19-22 - The wife of Phinehas seems to have been a person of piety. Her dyin regret was for the loss of the ark, and the departure of the glory from Israel. What is any earthly joy to her that feels herself dying? No jo but that which is spiritual and divine, will stand in any stead then death is too serious a thing to admit the relish of any earthly joy What is it to one that is lamenting the loss of the ark? What pleasur can we take in our creature comforts and enjoyments, if we want God' word and ordinances; especially if we want the comfort of his graciou presence, and the light of his countenance? If God go, the glory goes and all good goes. Woe unto us if he depart! But though the glory is withdrawn from one sinful nation, city, or village after another, ye it shall never depart altogether, but shines forth in one place when eclipsed in another __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
וכלתו 3618 אשׁת 802 פינחס 6372 הרה 2030 ללת 3205 ותשׁמע 8085 את 853 השׁמעה 8052 אל 413 הלקח 3947 ארון 727 האלהים 430 ומת 4191 חמיה 2524 ואישׁה 376 ותכרע 3766 ותלד 3205 כי 3588 נהפכו 2015 עליה 5921 צריה׃ 6735
