Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, April 9th, 2026
Thursday in Easter Week
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

1 Samuel 4:14

And Eli hears the noise of the cry and says, "What [is] the noise of this tumult?" And the man hurried, and comes in, and tells Eli.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ark;   Eli;   Judgments;   Parents;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ark of the Covenant;   Eli;   Philistines;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Lord's Name Taken in Vain;   Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Eli;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Philistines, the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Heart;   Philistines;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Hophni ;   Phinehas ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Eli;   Hophni;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Eli;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Samuel the Prophet;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ichabod;   Iyyar;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for March 30;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?” The man quickly came and reported to Eli.
Hebrew Names Version
When `Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What means the noise of this tumult? The man hurried, and came and told `Eli.
King James Version
And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
Lexham English Bible
When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What is the noise of this commotion?" Then the man came quickly and told Eli.
English Standard Version
When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, "What is this uproar?" Then the man hurried and came and told Eli.
New Century Version
Eli heard the crying and asked, "What's all this noise?" The Benjaminite ran to Eli and told him what had happened.
New English Translation
When Eli heard the outcry, he said, "What is this commotion?" The man quickly came and told Eli.
Amplified Bible
When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he asked, "What is the noise of this uproar?" And the man came hurriedly and told Eli.
New American Standard Bible
When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the noise of this commotion mean?" Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when Eli heard the noyse of the crying, he sayd, What meaneth this noyse of the tumult? and the man came in hastily, and tolde Eli.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Eli heard the noise of the outcry, and he said, "What does the noise of this commotion mean?" So the man came hurriedly and told Eli.
Contemporary English Version
He was ninety-eight years old and blind, but he could hear everyone crying, and he asked, "What's all that noise?" The soldier hurried over and told Eli,
Complete Jewish Bible
On hearing the cries, ‘Eli asked, "What does this uproar mean?" So the man hurried, came to ‘Eli and told him.
Darby Translation
And Eli heard the noise of the crying, and said, What is the noise of this tumult? And the man came hastily, and told Eli.
Easy-to-Read Version
Eli was 98 years old. He was blind, so he could not see what was happening, but he could hear the loud noise of the people crying. Eli asked, "Why are the people making this loud noise?" The Benjamite man ran to Eli and told him what happened.
George Lamsa Translation
And when Eli heard the noise of crying, he said, What is this noise of tumult? And the man came in hastily and told Eli.
Good News Translation
Eli heard the noise and asked, "What is all this noise about?" The man hurried to Eli to tell him the news.
Literal Translation
And Eli heard the noise of the cry, and said, What is the noise of this tumult? And the man hurried and came and reported to Eli.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan Eli herde ye noyse of the cryege, he axed: What noyse of busynes is this? The man came haistely, and tolde Eli.
American Standard Version
And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man hasted, and came and told Eli.
Bible in Basic English
And Eli, hearing the noise and the cries, said, What is the reason of this outcry? And the man came quickly and gave the news to Eli.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when Eli heard the noyse of the crying, he saide: What meaneth this noyse of the tumult? And the man came in hastyly, and tolde Eli.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said: 'What meaneth the noise of this tumult?' And the man made haste, and came and told Eli.
King James Version (1611)
And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, hee said; What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Heli heard the sound of the cry, and said, What is the voice of this cry? and the men hasted and went in, and reported to Heli.
English Revised Version
And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man hasted and came and told Eli.
Berean Standard Bible
Eli heard the outcry and asked, "Why this commotion?" So the man hurried over and reported to Eli.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Heli herde the soun of cry, and seide, What is this sown of this noise? And he hastide, and cam, and telde to Heli.
Young's Literal Translation
And Eli heareth the noise of the cry, and saith, `What -- the noise of this tumult!' And the man hasted, and cometh in, and declareth to Eli.
Update Bible Version
And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What is the noise of this tumult? And the man hurried, and came and told Eli.
Webster's Bible Translation
And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What [meaneth] the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
World English Bible
When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What means the noise of this tumult? The man hurried, and came and told Eli.
New King James Version
When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the sound of this tumult mean?" And the man came quickly and told Eli.
New Living Translation
"What is all the noise about?" Eli asked. The messenger rushed over to Eli,
New Life Bible
When Eli heard the noise in the city, he said, "What does this noise mean?" Then the man came in a hurry and told Eli.
New Revised Standard
When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, "What is this uproar?" Then the man came quickly and told Eli.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said - What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And, the man, hasted, and came, and told Eli.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Heli heard the noise of the cry, and he said: What meaneth the noise of this uproar? But he made haste, and came, and told Heli.
Revised Standard Version
When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, "What is this uproar?" Then the man hastened and came and told Eli.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the noise of this commotion mean?" Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli.

Contextual Overview

12And a man of Benjamin runs out of the ranks, and comes into Shiloh, on that day, and his long robes [are] torn, and earth [is] on his head; 13and he comes in, and behold, Eli is sitting on the throne by the side of the way, watching, for his heart has been trembling for the Ark of God, and the man has come into the city and declares [it], and all the city cries out. 14And Eli hears the noise of the cry and says, "What [is] the noise of this tumult?" And the man hurried, and comes in, and tells Eli.15And Eli is a son of ninety-eight years, and his eyes have stood, and he has not been able to see. 16And the man says to Eli, "I [am] he who has come out of the ranks, and I have fled out of the ranks today"; and he says, "What has been the matter, my son?" 17And he who is bearing tidings answers and says, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and also a great slaughter has been among the people, and also your two sons have died—Hophni and Phinehas—and the Ark of God has been captured." 18And it comes to pass, at his mentioning the Ark of God, that he falls backward from off the throne, by the side of the gate, and his neck is broken, and he dies, for the man [is] old and heavy, and he has judged Israel [for] forty years.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What meaneth: 1 Samuel 4:6

Reciprocal: Esther 4:3 - great mourning Jeremiah 48:19 - ask

Cross-References

Genesis 4:5
and to Cain and to his present He has not looked; and it is very displeasing to Cain, and his countenance is fallen.
Genesis 4:6
And YHWH says to Cain, "Why do you have displeasure? And why has your countenance fallen?
Genesis 4:11
and now, cursed [are] you from the ground, which has opened her mouth to receive the blood of your brother from your hand;
Genesis 4:12
when you till the ground, it will not add to give its strength to you—a wanderer, even a trembling one, you are in the earth."
Genesis 4:13
And Cain says to YHWH, "My punishment is too great than to bear;
Genesis 4:14
behold, You have driven me today from off the face of the ground, and from Your face I am hid; and I have been a wanderer, even a trembling one, in the earth, and it has been—everyone finding me will slay me."
Genesis 4:15
And YHWH says to him, "Therefore, of any slayer of Cain it is required sevenfold"; and YHWH sets to Cain a token that none finding him will slay him.
Genesis 4:16
And Cain goes out from before YHWH, and dwells in the land, moving about east of Eden;
Genesis 4:20
And Adah bears Jabal, he has been father of those inhabiting tents and [having] purchased livestock;
Genesis 4:24
For sevenfold is required for Cain, || And for Lamech seventy-sevenfold."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when Eli heard the noise of the crying,.... The shrieks of the men and women, which were very clamorous and terrible. Eli had his hearing, though not his sight; he could not see the distress in their countenances, but he heard the lamentations they made:

and said, what meaneth the noise of this tumult? it seems the people ran about, wringing their hands, and making doleful shrieks; the noise of which Eli heard, and the meaning of which he inquired after, or what should be the cause of it:

and the man came in hastily, and told Eli; or made haste, and came to him, and related all that is later expressed; for Eli was not in any house, but on a seat by the way side, and therefore could not be said to come "in" to him; but he came to him, where he was, being brought by some of the citizens Eli had inquired of what should be the meaning of this noise; and therefore without delay the man was hastened to give the whole account unto him, as it was highly proper he should, being the supreme magistrate.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile