Levite living at the time of United Monarchy
Ichabod was the son of Phinehas, born when the ark of God was captured by the Philistines and named to reflect the departure of glory from Israel.
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Ichabod is mentioned in 1Sa.4.21 and 1Sa.14.3 as the son of Phinehas and the grandson of Eli, the high priest of Israel. His birth is recorded in the context of a tragic event in Israel's history.
In 1Samuel 4, the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines in battle, and the ark of the covenant, a symbol of God's presence, was captured. Upon hearing the news of the ark's capture and the deaths of her husband Phinehas and her father-in-law Eli, Ichabod's mother went into labor and gave birth to him. As she lay dying, she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."
The name Ichabod means "no glory" or "where is the glory?" reflecting the despair and sense of loss felt by the Israelites at the capture of the ark and the death of the priestly family. The name serves as a reminder of the spiritual and moral decline of Israel during this period.
In 1Sa.14.3, Ichabod's brother Ahijah is mentioned as serving as a priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. This suggests that despite the tragic circumstances surrounding Ichabod's birth, the priestly lineage continued through his brother.
The story of Ichabod's birth highlights the importance of the ark of the covenant in Israelite worship and the devastating consequences of its capture by the Philistines. It also underscores the significance of names in the Bible, as they often reflect the circumstances or character of the individuals who bear them.
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When the tidings of the disastrous defeat of the Israelites in the battle against the Philistines near to Mizpeh were carried to Shiloh, the wife of Phinehas “was near to be delivered. And when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed” (1 Sam. 4:19-22). In her great distress she regarded not “the women that stood by her,” but named the child that was born “Ichabod” i.e., no glory, saying, “The glory is departed from Isreal;” and with that word on her lips she expired.
(inglorious), the son of Phinehas and grandson of Eli. (1 Samuel 4:21) (B.C. about 1100.)
where is the glory? or, no glory
ICH'ABOD (where is the glory? or inglorious), the son of Phinehas, and grandson of Eli, the high priest. 1 Sam 4:21-22. He was born just after his mother received the sad tidings that her husband and father-in-law were dead and the ark of God taken by the Philistines.
ICH'ABOD (where is the glory? or inglorious), the son of Phinehas, and grandson of Eli, the high priest. 1 Sam 4:21-22. He was born just after his mother received the sad tidings that her husband and father-in-law were dead and the ark of God taken by the Philistines.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
2 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0350
And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.
including Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was the son of Ichabodʼs brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli the priest of the LORD in Shiloh. But the troops did not know that Jonathan had left.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.