1 Samuel 4:19 Meaning and Explanation
“And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Phinehas's pregnant wife, hearing of the ark's capture and the deaths, goes into sudden labor under the weight of the news.
What Does 1 Samuel 4:19 Mean?
The grief reaches one more person. Phinehas's wife, far along in pregnancy, hears the threefold news, the ark taken, her father-in-law dead, her husband dead, and the shock brings on sudden labor. She bows down under pains that are both physical and unbearably emotional, the loss pressing in upon her body and soul at once.
Here the chapter's sorrow becomes deeply personal and feminine, a young widow laboring in anguish at the very edge of death. Scripture lingers on her to show that great national tragedies are also intimate, private wounds. God sees the individual griefs hidden inside the larger story, the widow, the soon-fatherless child, the heart breaking quietly. No sorrow is too small for His notice, and no broken person is overlooked in the sweep of His purposes.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Samuel 4:19
What does 1 Samuel 4:19 mean?
Phinehas's pregnant wife, hearing of the ark's capture and the deaths, goes into sudden labor under the weight of the news.