1 Samuel 7:9

9 And Samuel took one sucking lamb, and offered it whole into burnt sacrifice to the Lord (And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it whole for a burnt sacrifice to the Lord). And Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him.

1 Samuel 7:9 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 7:9

And Samuel took a sucking lamb
Which it might be, and yet more than eight days old, for under that it might not be sacrificed, ( Exodus 22:30 )

and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord;
the whole of it was burnt, skin and all, whereas the skin was the priest's in other burnt offerings; and this is remarked ^F13 as one of the three things in which it differed from other offerings; the word being feminine, the Jews gather from hence, as Jarchi notes, that females might be offered at a private altar:

and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel;
not only offered a sacrifice for them, but prayed for them:

and the Lord heard him;
and answered him, either by causing fire to come down on the sacrifice, by which it was consumed, or by the voice of thunder, which frightened and discomfited the Philistines; and the event of things manifestly showed it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 Midrash Schemuel apud Abarbinel in loc.

1 Samuel 7:9 In-Context

7 And the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel were gathered together in Mizpeh; and the princes of Philistines went up to Israel. And when the sons of Israel had heard this, they dreaded of the face of (the) Philistines. (And the Philistines heard that the Israelites were gathered together in Mizpeh; and the princes of the Philistines came up against Israel. And when the Israelites had heard this, they feared to face the Philistines.)

8 And they said to Samuel/And Israel cried to Samuel, Cease thou not to cry for us to our Lord God, that he save us from the hand of Philistines. (And the Israelites cried to Samuel, Cease thou not to cry out to the Lord our God for us, so that he will save us from the hands of the Philistines.)

9 And Samuel took one sucking lamb, and offered it whole into burnt sacrifice to the Lord (And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it whole for a burnt sacrifice to the Lord). And Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him.

10 And it was done, when Samuel offered the burnt sacrifice, that the Philistines began (to do) battle against Israel. And the Lord thundered with great thunder in that day upon the Philistines, and made them afeared; and they were slain of the sons of Israel (and they fled in panic before the Israelites).

11 And the sons of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them unto the place that was under Bethcar.