10 And did they ever fight! It turned into a rout. They thrashed Israel so mercilessly that the Israelite soldiers ran for their lives, leaving behind an incredible 30,000 dead.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Samuel 4:10

Commentary on 1 Samuel 4:10-11

(Read 1 Samuel 4:10-11)

The taking of the ark was a great judgment upon Israel, and a certain token of God's displeasure. Let none think to shelter themselves from the wrath of God, under the cloak of outward profession.