1 Samuel 4:9

1Sa 4:9 Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.

Ver. 9. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men.] Though they were convinced that they should fight against God, yet they hearten up themselves, and resolve to fight howsoever: so doth every obstinate sinner. Ahaziah sent a third captain to fetch the prophet ai despito di Die, as if he would despitefully spit in the face of Heaven, and wrestle a fall with the Almighty.

That ye be not servants unto the Hebrews.] That ye lose not your sweet liberty. Philo Judaeus reporteth of a certain heathen people, who in their wars used only this expression, to put spirit into their soldiers, Estote viri, libertas agitur. Play the men, for your liberty lieth at stake.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa 4:9. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men — When they were recovered out of the fright which had at first seized them, they considered that they had made the Israelites subject to them notwithstanding the power of their God, and had also overthrown them in a late battle. Probably the words of this verse were spoken by some of their commanders, or they spoke thus to encourage one another.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 9. Be strong, c.] This was the address to the whole army, and very forcible it was. "If ye do not fight, and acquit yourselves like men, ye will be servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you and you may expect that they will avenge themselves of you for all the cruelty you have exercised towards them."

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(9) Be strong, . . . O ye Philistines . . .—The ring of these striking words—part of the same Philistine tradition of their splendid success—probably embodied in some well-known hymn of victory, was evidently in St. Paul’s mind when he wrote his stirring words of exhortation to his loved Corinthian Church, “Quit ye like men; be strong.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9. quit yourselves] i.e. behave. Cp. 1Co_16:13. “To quit oneself” = “to acquit oneself,” to release oneself from obligation by meeting the claims upon or expectations entertained of oneself. It is derived from Lat. quietare, through Fr. quitter. Cp. Milton, Samson Agonistes, 1709,

“Samson hath quit himself

Like Samson.”

servants] Tributary vassals. See Jdg_13:1. The Philistines appear to have had some Israelites as actual slaves (ch. 1Sa_14:21).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines,.... Since this was all they had to depend upon, their manly courage; if they did not exert that it was all over with them; and seeing their case was desperate, having gods as well as men to fight with, it became them to exert themselves to the uttermost; which did they, there was a possibility still of gaining victory, and so immortal honour to themselves; these words seem to be spoken by the generals and officers of the army of the Philistines to the common soldiers:

that ye be not servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you; that is, before and in the times of Samson; but it appears from hence that at this time neither the Philistines ruled over the Israelites, nor the Israelites over them; but as there was danger of their becoming subject to Israel, they had better die gloriously in the field of battle than to be in the base state of servitude:

quit yourselves like men, and fight; this is repeated to animate them to battle, which they supposed was not far off by the shoutings of the Israelites, and which they must prepare for.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Fight. To serve those whom they had lately oppressed, would be doubly afflicting. (Salien) --- If these people had seriously attended to the instructions, which they might have derived from the fall of others, they would surely never have exposed themselves to fight against the high God. But they looked upon him in no other light than their own contemptible idols. Homer often represents them as wounded, and conquered by mortal men.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Quit yourselves like men; since you can expect no relief from your gods, who are not able to resist theirs, it concerns you to put forth all your strength and courage, and once for all to act like brave and valiant men.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Be strong. But, as is often the case, despair served only to nerve them to bitter determination. The greatness of the danger for as heathen the Philistines fully believed that the ark would act as a charm and the fearful alternative of being servants, i.e. slaves to those who not so very long ago had been slaves to them, made them resolve to do their very utmost. The result was a complete victory.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But instead of despairing, they encouraged one another, saying, "Show yourselves strong, and be men, O Philistines, that we may not be obliged to serve the Hebrews, as they have served you; be men, and fight!"

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)