When the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has Yahweh struck us today before the Philistines? Let us get the ark of the covenant of Yahweh out of Shiloh to us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.
The major historical element of continuity in this section is the fate of Eli’s sons (1 Samuel 4:9-11). The theological theme of fertility continues to be the primary unifying factor in the narrative.