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1 Samuel 7

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1
And the men of Kiriath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of Jehovah, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of Jehovah. ​
2
And it came to pass, from the day that the ark abode in Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after Jehovah. ​

Israel Repents and Gathers at Mizpeh 3–6

3
And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto Jehovah with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts unto Jehovah, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. ​
4
Then the children of Israel did put away the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, and served Jehovah only.
5
And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you unto Jehovah. ​
6
And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before Jehovah, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against Jehovah. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah. ​

God Delivers Israel at Ebenezer 7–14

7
And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ​
8
And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto Jehovah our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
9
And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt-offering unto Jehovah: and Samuel cried unto Jehovah for Israel; and Jehovah answered him. ​
10
And as Samuel was offering up the burnt-offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but Jehovah thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten down before Israel. ​
11
And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car.
12
Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath Jehovah helped us. ​
13
So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the border of Israel: and the hand of Jehovah was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ​
14
And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the border thereof did Israel deliver out of the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. ​

Samuel Judges Israel 15–17

15
And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ​
16
And he went from year to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all those places. ​
17
And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Israel: and he built there an altar unto Jehovah. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Samuel 7

Verse 1

sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark — 'Sanctified' is qadash, to set apart, and the ark's keeper is Abinadab's son. The house 'in the hill' is the same house from which David's company later brings it out (2 Sam 6:3–4, 'the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah').

Verse 2

the time was long — The ark abides at Kirjathjearim 'twenty years', against the seven months in the Philistines' land (6:1). 'Lamented' is nahah, to wail, found elsewhere only in Ezek 32:18 and Mic 2:4. Samuel's call to return follows at once (v.3).

Verse 3

return unto the LORD with all your hearts — The words of Deut 30:2, 'return unto the LORD thy God… with all thine heart'. 'Strange gods' is the phrase of Gen 35:2, where Jacob's household puts them away before Bethel, and 'Ashtaroth' stands with Baal in the earlier forsaking (Judg 2:13). Israel does so in v.4.

Verse 5

Gather all Israel to Mizpeh — Mizpeh is where all Israel had once assembled 'as one man… unto the LORD' (Judg 20:1). Samuel's 'I will pray for you' is the work that Scripture names for him elsewhere: 'Samuel among them that call upon his name' (Ps 99:6), and 'Moses and Samuel' stand before the LORD in Jer 15:1.

Verse 6

drew water, and poured it out before the LORD — The verb for pouring out is shaphak, the one in Lam 2:19, 'pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord'. With the fast comes the confession, 'We have sinned against the LORD', the words Israel used in Judg 10:15. Samuel 'judged' the people there.

Verse 7

the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel — The Philistines hear of the gathering, and their five lords (seren, 5:8; 6:4) respond with an advance. Israel 'were afraid', and in v.8 they ask Samuel to 'cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us', where in 4:3 they had said that the ark 'may save us'.

Verse 9

a sucking lamb… wholly — Taleh, a lamb still at the breast, found elsewhere only in Isa 65:25. 'Wholly' is kalil, the whole burnt offering of Deut 33:10. Samuel cried and the LORD 'heard' him, anah, to answer, the word of Ps 99:6, 'they called upon the LORD, and he answered them'.

Verse 10

the LORD thundered with a great thunder — Raam, to thunder, the verb of Hannah's song, 'out of heaven shall he thunder upon them' (2:10). 'Discomfited' is hamam, as when 'the LORD discomfited them before Israel' at Gibeon (Josh 10:10) and Sisera (Judg 4:15). 'Smitten' is nagaph (4:2, 3, 10), now falling on the Philistines.

Verse 12

Ebenezer — The name is eben ha-ezer, 'the stone of the help', and Samuel gives it with the words 'Hitherto hath the LORD helped us'. The name Ebenezer is already used for the camp where Israel was beaten (4:1; 5:1). The stone is set 'between Mizpeh and Shen'.

Verse 13

the Philistines were subdued — Kana, to bring low. The 'hand of the LORD', which had been heavy on Ashdod (5:6), is now 'against the Philistines all the days of Samuel'. They 'came no more into the coast of Israel', where in 4:10 they had slain thirty thousand of Israel's footmen.

Verse 14

from Ekron even unto Gath — The restored cities lie between the two Philistine cities where the ark had caused the plague (5:8–10). The verse ends: 'And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.'

Verse 15

all the days of his life — Samuel's judging covers his whole life, where Eli's 'forty years' (4:18) ended with his death. The account of Samuel's death is in 25:1, when 'all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him'.

Verse 16

Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh — The three places of his yearly circuit were each already known in Israel's history: Bethel, where Jacob named the place (Gen 28:19) and was told to build an altar (Gen 35:1), Gilgal, where Israel encamped after crossing the Jordan (Josh 4:19), and Mizpeh (v.6).

Verse 17

his return was to Ramah — Ramah is 'his house', where his parents returned after worshipping (1:19), and where he is buried (25:1). 'There he built an altar unto the LORD' closes the account of his judging, as the elders later come to him there (8:4).