1 Samuel 7:3-13

Samuel Judges Israel

3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ¹"If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then ²put away the foreign gods and the ³Ashtaroth from among you and ⁴direct your heart to the LORD ⁵and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."

4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only.

5 Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel at ⁶Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you."

6 So they gathered at ⁷Mizpah ⁸and drew water and poured it out before the LORD ⁹and fasted on that day and said there, ¹⁰"We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.

7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines."

9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. And ¹¹Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him.

10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. ¹²But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were routed before Israel.

11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

12 Then Samuel ¹³took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen^[a] and called its name Ebenezer;^[b] for he said, "Till now the LORD has helped us."

13 ¹⁴So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

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1 Samuel 7:3-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 7

This chapter gives an account of the ark being brought to Kirjathjearim, where it continued twenty years, 1Sa 7:1,2 of the exhortation of Samuel to the people of Israel to reform from idolatry, and which had its desired effect, 1Sa 7:3,4 of Samuel's praying for the people, and offering sacrifices for them, and of the success thereof, victory over their enemies, 1Sa 7:5-14, and of his administration of justice to them, and constancy in it, 1Sa 7:15-17.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 14

1. 1 Kings 8:48; Isaiah 55:7; Hosea 6:1; Joel 2:12; See Deuteronomy 30:2-10
2. Genesis 35:2; Joshua 24:14, 23; [Judges 10:16]
3. Judges 2:13
4. [2 Chronicles 19:3; 2 Chronicles 30:19; Ezra 7:10]
5. Deuteronomy 6:13; Deuteronomy 10:20; Deuteronomy 13:4; Cited Matthew 4:10; Luke 4:8
6. [Judges 20:1]
7. [See ver. 5 above]
8. [2 Samuel 14:14]
9. 1 Samuel 31:13; Nehemiah 9:1
10. Judges 10:10
11. Psalms 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1
12. 1 Samuel 2:10; [2 Samuel 22:14, 15; Psalms 18:13]
13. Genesis 28:18; Genesis 31:45; Genesis 35:14; Joshua 4:9; Joshua 24:26
14. [Judges 13:1]

Footnotes 2

[a]. Hebrew; Septuagint, Syriac Jeshanah
[b]. Ebenezer means stone of help

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.