1 Samuel 7:12

12 Then Samuel got a big stone. He set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer. He said, "The LORD has helped us every step of the way."

1 Samuel 7:12 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 7:12

And Samuel took a stone, and set it
Not for worship, but as a monument of the victory obtained by the help of God: and this he placed

between Mizpeh and Shen;
which latter signifies a tooth, and designs the precipice of a rock which juts out, and hangs over in the form of one:

and called the name of it Ebenezer;
which signifies "the stone of help"; and is the same place which by anticipation has this name, ( 1 Samuel 4:1 ) , so that in the selfsame place where the Israelites were twice beaten by the Philistines, and the ark taken, was this salvation wrought for them:

saying, hitherto hath the Lord helped us;
this was but the beginning of their deliverance from the Philistines, and which was owing to the help of the Lord; and as he had begun to help them, they might hope and encourage themselves that he would go on to help them until their deliverance was completed: however, they with Samuel thought it their duty, which was right, to acknowledge what the Lord had done for them, and perpetuate the memory of it, though they could not be sure what he would do for them hereafter; yet as they were sensible of, and thankful for this instance of his goodness, they hoped for more, and had their dependence on him for future success against their enemies.

1 Samuel 7:12 In-Context

10 The Philistines came near to attack Israel. At that time Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering. But that day the LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines. He threw them into such a panic that the Israelites were able to chase them away.

11 The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah. They chased the Philistines all the way to a point below Beth Car. They killed them all along the way.

12 Then Samuel got a big stone. He set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer. He said, "The LORD has helped us every step of the way."

13 So Samuel brought the Philistines under Israel's control. The Philistines didn't attack their territory again. The LORD used his powerful hand against the Philistines as long as Samuel lived.

14 The Philistines had captured many towns between Ekron and Gath. But they had to give all of them back. Israel took back the territories near those towns from the powerful hand of the Philistines. During that time Israel and the Amorites were friendly toward each other.