Psalms 78:64
Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
Original Language Analysis
כֹּ֭הֲנָיו
Their priests
H3548
כֹּ֭הֲנָיו
Their priests
Strong's:
H3548
Word #:
1 of 6
literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman)
בַּחֶ֣רֶב
by the sword
H2719
בַּחֶ֣רֶב
by the sword
Strong's:
H2719
Word #:
2 of 6
drought; also a cutting instrument (from its destructive effect), as a knife, sword, or other sharp implement
נָפָ֑לוּ
fell
H5307
נָפָ֑לוּ
fell
Strong's:
H5307
Word #:
3 of 6
to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)
Cross References
Job 27:15Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.1 Samuel 4:17And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.Ezekiel 24:23And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.1 Samuel 4:11And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
Historical Context
Eli's sons died carrying the ark into battle (1 Samuel 4:11), a fitting judgment for their sacrilege (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25). Their widows—facing devastating trauma—couldn't perform normal mourning rites. This crisis catalyzed Israel's demand for monarchy, ending the judges period and beginning a new political era.
Questions for Reflection
- How does corrupt spiritual leadership contribute to national judgment, and what responsibility do congregations bear for tolerating it?
- What does the absence of normal grief rituals teach about trauma's comprehensive destruction of social functioning?
- In what ways does Christ's perfect priesthood remedy the failures of Israel's human priests?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation. The death of priests (kohanav, כֹּהֲנָיו)—Hophni and Phinehas, Eli's corrupt sons—represented spiritual leadership's collapse. Priests were supposed to mediate God's presence; their violent death symbolized broken mediation. Israel lost both military defenders (v. 63) and spiritual guides simultaneously—total societal breakdown.
The phrase widows made no lamentation (almnotav lo tivkeynah, אַלְמְנֹתָיו לֹא תִבְכֶּינָה) describes shock so profound that normal grief rituals ceased. Ancient Near Eastern mourning included loud wailing and formal laments; their absence indicates either complete numbness or circumstances (continued battle, captivity) preventing proper grieving. Grief itself was stolen.
This verse prepares for God's awakening (v. 65)—the nadir before restoration. Only when human strength utterly fails does God rise to act. The priests' death exposed the need for a perfect High Priest; Christ alone fulfills priestly mediation that human weakness corrupted (Hebrews 7:23-28).