What Does 1 Samuel 4:7 Mean in the King James?

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

1 Samuel 4:7 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

THE KEY

Recognizing God’s presence does not tell anyone what that presence will mean for them.

THE MEANING

When God’s presence seems to enter the very space you count as yours, fear can rise before understanding. Sensing the divine as near does not mean you control what happens next.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

God’s nearness always feels safe and reassuring; here, the arrival they perceive fills them with dread.

THE ROOT

וַיִּירְאוּ

vayyir'u

GROWS FROM

ירא

To fear or stand in awe.

The root holds fear and awe together, so “afraid” names the reaction but not the full range of the word family. Here the Philistines’ “Woe unto us!” gives their response a terrified edge: awe before God’s perceived arrival is not the same as trust or allegiance.

ALSO GROWS

yir'ah: Awe, fear, or reverence.

יִרְאָה

The same root can describe a response to something perceived as overwhelming, revealing a depth beneath the English word “afraid.”

mora: Dread or awe.

מוֹרָא

This branch carries the root’s more terrifying edge, close to the Philistines’ cry, “Woe unto us!”.

THE PATTERN

Recognizing divine presence can produce trembling without producing trust or understanding.

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Genesis 3:10 · KJVThe human hears God’s voice and responds with fear, showing that perceived nearness can unsettle before it brings understanding.

Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;

Psalm 114:7 · KJVThe earth trembles at God’s presence, making the response to divine nearness larger than any one person or people.

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

James 2:19 · KJVEven belief that God exists can coexist with trembling, so recognition alone does not amount to trust.

THE THREAD

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Genesis 3:10 · KJV

Genesis uses the same Hebrew root, ⁨ירא⁩ (yare, fear or stand in awe), when the human hears God’s voice and hides. Here it names the Philistines’ fear at God’s perceived arrival; the shared root links the response across very different scenes without making fear itself a sign of trust.

Read the SDV Bible.

Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.

Get Selah Verse

The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.

Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us