10/30/2025
đ 1 Samuel 4:20
> âAnd about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, âDo not be afraid, for you have borne a son.ââ
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đ§ Narrative Context
This verse is spoken to the wife of Phinehas, a priest of Israel. She is dying in childbirth after hearing that the Ark of the Covenant has been captured by the Philistines and that her husband and father-in-law (Eli) are dead. The women attending her try to comfort her with the news that she has borne a son, but she does not respond. She names the child Ichabod, meaning âthe glory has departed from Israel.â
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đ Symbolic and Messianic Echoes
This âfear notâ is tender but tragic. It echoes Rachelâs death in childbirth (Genesis 35:17â18) and foreshadows Maryâs birth of Jesus under duress, where the angel says âDo not be afraidâ (Luke 1:30). The contrast between Ichabod (âno gloryâ) and Christ (âthe glory of Godâ) sets up a powerful reversal in the biblical arcâfrom despair to redemption
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