1 Samuël 7:12

12 Samuel nu nam een steen, en stelde dien tussen Mizpa en tussen Sen, en hij noemde diens naam Eben-Haezer; en hij zeide: Tot hiertoe heeft de HEERE ons geholpen.

1 Samuël 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 Samuël 7:12 In-Context

10 En het geschiedde, toen Samuel dat brandoffer offerde, zo kwamen de Filistijnen aan ten strijde tegen Israel; en de HEERE donderde te dien dage met een groten donder over de Filistijnen, en Hij verschrikte hen, zodat zij verslagen werden voor het aangezicht van Israel.

11 En de mannen van Israel togen uit van Mizpa, en vervolgden de Filistijnen, en zij sloegen hen tot onder Beth-kar.

12 Samuel nu nam een steen, en stelde dien tussen Mizpa en tussen Sen, en hij noemde diens naam Eben-Haezer; en hij zeide: Tot hiertoe heeft de HEERE ons geholpen.

13 Alzo werden de Filistijnen vernederd, en kwamen niet meer in de landpalen van Israel; want de hand des HEEREN was tegen de Filistijnen al de dagen van Samuel.

14 En de steden, welke de Filistijnen van Israel genomen hadden kwamen weder aan Israel, van Ekron tot Gath toe; ook rukte Israel derzelver landpale uit de hand der Filistijnen; en er was vrede tussen Israel en tussen de Amorieten.