He who brought the news answered, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
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.