The Motif Searcher: one word across the Douay, the Latin, the Greek and the Hebrew.

1 Kings 4:1

And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight: and Israel went out to war against the Philistines, and camped by the Stone of help. And the Philistines came to Aphec,

Challoner: The Stone of helpIn Hebrew Eben-ezer; so called from the help which the Lord was pleased afterwards to give to his people Israel in that place, by the prayers of Samuel, chap. 7. 12.

Open 1 Kings 4:1 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →

The verse in its languages

Vulgate (Clementine): Et factum est in diebus illis, convenerunt Philisthiim in pugnam : et egressus est Israël obviam Philisthiim in prælium, et castrametatus est juxta lapidem Adjutorii. Porro Philisthiim venerunt in Aphec,
Septuagint (Swete): Καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις καὶ συναθροίζονται ἀλλόφυλοι εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἐξῆλθεν Ἰσραὴλ εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτοῖς εἰς πόλεμον, καὶ παρεμβάλλουσιν ἐπὶ Ἀβενέζερ, καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι παρεμβάλλουσιν ἐν Ἀφέκ.
Hebrew (WLC): וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיֵּצֵ֣א יִשְׂרָאֵל֩ לִקְרַ֨את פְּלִשְׁתִּ֜ים לַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה וַֽיַּחֲנוּ֙ עַל הָאֶ֣בֶן הָעֵ֔זֶר וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים חָנ֥וּ בַאֲפֵֽק

Haydock's commentary

And. Hebrew inserts here the conclusion of the last verse, whence some would infer that Samuel told the Israelites to make war upon the Philistines. But as it turned out so ill, this would have tended to discredit him; and we find that the Philistines were the aggressors.

Days. This war took place immediately after the threats denounced to Heli; (Sararius) or according to Usher, and the best chronologists, about 27 years after that event. (Calmet)

The addition of the Septuagint seems to insinuate, that the sons of Heli persevered for a long time in their wicked course, chap. iii. 20. (Haydock)

Josephus says that Phinees was his father's coadjutor.

Salien observes that this must be considered as a fresh blot in the character of the latter, since he ought to have delivered the delinquents up to execution, Deuteronomy xxi. 21. Tirin[Tirinus], on the contrary, adduces the power of his sons, and the debilitated state of Heli, to excuse his neglect. (Haydock)

Help. In Hebrew Eben-ezer; so called, from the help which the Lord was pleased afterwards to give to his people, Israel, in that place, by the prayers of Samuel, chap. vii. 12., (Challoner) about 21 years afterwards.

Aphec, in the tribe of Juda, not far from Maspha.

From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.

The Fathers on this verse

St Ambrose On the Duties of the Clergy, Chapter XXIX. Justice should be observed even in war and with enemies. This is proved by the example of Moses and Elisha. The ancient writers learnt in turn from the Hebrews to call their enemies by a gentler term. Lastly, the foundation of justice rests on faith, and its symmetry is perfect in the Church

141. So also the ancients used to give their foes a less harsh name, and called them strangers. For enemies used to be called strangers after the customs of old. This too we can say they adopted from our writings; for the Hebrews used to call their foes “allophyllos,” that is, when put into Latin, “alienigenas” (of another race). For so we read in the first book of Kings: “It came to pass in those days that they of another race put themselves in array against Israel.”