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.
Ver. 7. And the Philistines were afraid.] But without cause; for God - who as Josephus well saith, was greater than the ark - was their enemy. The ark also was brought into the camp without any pomp or due reverence, and by the hands of those ungodly priests that were now come into the field to fetch their bane, as had been foretold in 1 Samuel 2:34 .
For there hath not been such a thing heretofore.] Not that they knew of; but such a thing there had been before at the siege of Jericho, and in that expedition against the Midianites. Num 31:6 So after this (1Sa 14:18 2Sa 11:11) David sent the ark into Joab's camp before Rabbah; though at another time, when he fled from Absalom, he sent back the ark to Jerusalem, 2Sa 15:25 as knowing that God could as well save without it.