Battle of Aphek
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Aphek is a biblical episode described in 1 Samuel
4:1-10 of the Hebrew Bible
. During this battle the Philistines
defeat the Israelite army and capture the Ark of the Covenant
.
. During the first battle the Philistines defeat Israel and kill four thousand. The Israelites bring the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh. The Philistines again defeat the Israelites, this time killing thirty thousand and capturing the Ark.
Samuel records that the two sons of the judge Eli, Hophni and Phineas
, died that day, as well as Eli, who "[a]s soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years." (1 Samuel 4:18)
Samuel
Samuel is a leader of ancient Israel in the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. He is also known as a prophet and is mentioned in the Qur'an....
4:1-10 of the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
. During this battle the Philistines
Philistines
Philistines , Pleshet or Peleset, were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age . According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, from the Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with...
defeat the Israelite army and capture the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in Book of Exodus as solely containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed...
.
The Biblical account
The Book of Samuel records that the Philistines were camped at Aphek and Israel at Eben-EzerEben-Ezer
Eben-Ezer , is the name of a location that is mentioned by the Books of Samuel as the scene of battles between the Israelites and Philistines. It is specified as having been less than a day's journey by foot from Shiloh, near Aphek, in the neighbourhood of Mizpah, near the western entrance of the...
. During the first battle the Philistines defeat Israel and kill four thousand. The Israelites bring the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh. The Philistines again defeat the Israelites, this time killing thirty thousand and capturing the Ark.
Samuel records that the two sons of the judge Eli, Hophni and Phineas
Phineas
In Greek mythology, Phineas was a Phoenician King of Thrace.The name 'Phineas' or 'Phineus' may be associated with the ancient city of Phinea on the Thracian Bosphorus.-Phineas, Son of Agenor:...
, died that day, as well as Eli, who "[a]s soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years." (1 Samuel 4:18)
See also
- List of battles between Israel and the Philistines
- Philistine captivity of the ArkPhilistine captivity of the ArkThe Philistine captivity of the Ark was an episode described in the biblical history of the Israelites, in which the Ark of the covenant was in the possession of the Philistines, who had captured it after defeating the Israelites in a battle at a location between Eben-ezer, where the Israelites...