And the word of Samuel came to all Israel
Or was "known", as the Targum, the word of prophecy by him, which
related to what befell Eli and his family; this was spread
throughout the land, and everyone almost had knowledge of it, and
which began to be fulfilled in the war between Israel and the
Philistines, later related; or the doctrine, instructions, and
exhortations of Samuel to the people of Israel, were by the means
of others conveyed throughout the land; and yet they went into
measures which proved fatal and ruinous to them; or the word of
Samuel, which was from the Lord, came to Israel, to stir them up
to go to war with the Philistines, whereby the punishment
threatened to Eli's family would begin to have its
accomplishment:
now Israel went out against the Philistines to
battle;
according to the word of Samuel, or of the Lord by him; though
Ben Gersom thinks they did this of themselves, which was their
sin, and did not ask counsel of the Lord, nor of Samuel his
prophet; but it seems as if the Philistines were the aggressors,
and first came forth to war against them, and they went out to
meet them F1, as the word is, and defend
themselves as it became them: this was forty years after the
death of Samson, and at the end of Eli's government, who judged
Israel so many years, when they had recruited themselves, and
recovered their losses they sustained by Samson; and when they
perceived a new judge was raised up among the Israelites, who was
likely to be of great service to them, and to prevent their
authority over them, and therefore thought to begin with them as
soon as possible:
and pitched beside Ebenezer;
a place so called by anticipation, and had its name from an later
victory obtained, when Samuel set up a stone between Mizpeh and
Shen, and called it by this name, ( 1 Samuel
7:12 ) , it signifies a stone of help:
and the Philistines pitched in Aphek;
a city in the tribe of Judah, bordering on the Philistines,
(See Gill on Joshua
12:18).
F1 (tarql) "in occursum", Pagninus, Montanus.