1 Samuel 4:12

WEB

There ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn, and with earth on his head.

KJV

And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.

Commentary

And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army,.... Out of the rank in which he was, before the whole army was quite broken up. This was a young man as Josephus (b) says, which is highly probable; though not at all to be depended on is what the Jews (c) say, that this was Saul, later king of Israel: and came to Shiloh the same day; which, according to Bunting (d), was forty two miles from Ebenezer, near to which the battle was fought; and that it was a long way is pretty plain by the remark made, that this messenger came the same day the battle was fought; though not at such a distance as some Jewish writers say, some sixty, some one hundred and twenty miles (e); which is not at all probable: with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head; which were both tokens of distress and mourning, and showed that he was a messenger of bad tidings from the army; See Gill on Jos 7:6 . (b) Antiqu. l. 5. c. 11. sect. 3. (c) Shalshalet Hakabala. fol. 8. 1. Jarchi in loc. (d) Travels of the Patriarchs, &c. p. 123. (e) Midrash Schemuel apud Abarbinel in loc.