King James Version
1 Samuel 7
17 verses with commentary
Samuel Leads Israel
And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.</strong><br><br>Kirjath-jearim responds to Beth-shemesh's request, bringing the Ark to a private residence on 'the hill' (Hebrew 'gibah'). Abinadab's house becomes an unlikely sanctuary, with his son Eleaz...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **The ark of the Lord.**—Kirjath-jearim, the home of the Ark for nearly fifty years, was probably selected as the resting-place of the sacred emblem as being the nearest large city to Beth-shemesh then in the hands of the Israelites. It was neither a priestly nor a Levitical city, but it no doubt had preserved something of its ancient character of sanctity even among the children of Israel. In...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
The ark removed to Kirjath-jearim.
(1-4)
The Israelites solemnly repent.(5-6)
The Lord discomfits the Philistines.(7-12)
They are subdued, Samuel judges Israel.(13-17)
**Verses 1-4**
God will find a resting-place for his ark; if some thrust it from them, the hearts of others shall be inclined to receive it. It is no new thing for God's ark to...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.</strong><br><br>Twenty years represents a generation of spiritual dormancy. The Hebrew 'wayyinnahu' (lamented) derives from 'nahah', expressing mournful longing or groaning. Israel collectively yearned for restored relationship wi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years.**—Literally, *And it came to pass, from the day that the Ark rested at Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years. *There is something very touching in this sad note of time. We think we read Samuel’s own words here. The unwearied toiler for God and His dear peopl...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
The ark removed to Kirjath-jearim.
(1-4)
The Israelites solemnly repent.(5-6)
The Lord discomfits the Philistines.(7-12)
They are subdued, Samuel judges Israel.(13-17)
**Verses 1-4**
God will find a resting-place for his ark; if some thrust it from them, the hearts of others shall be inclined to receive it. It is no new thing for God's ark to...
Read full commentary →And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.</strong><br><br>Samuel emerges as Israel's spiritual leader, his prophetic authority now fully establishe...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **The strange gods.**—The strange gods are in 1Samuel 7:4 described as “Baalim.” This plural form of Baal refers to the numerous images of Baal which existed, as does the plural form Ashtaroth to those of the female goddess Astarte. They were both favourite Phœnician deities, known under the familiar names of Baal, Bil, Bel, and Ashtaroth, Astarte, Istar. They represented the productive power ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
The ark removed to Kirjath-jearim.
(1-4)
The Israelites solemnly repent.(5-6)
The Lord discomfits the Philistines.(7-12)
They are subdued, Samuel judges Israel.(13-17)
**Verses 1-4**
God will find a resting-place for his ark; if some thrust it from them, the hearts of others shall be inclined to receive it. It is no new thing for God's ark to...
Read full commentary →Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.</strong><br><br>Israel's response demonstrates genuine repentance through concrete action. The plural 'Baalim' (the Baals) and 'Ashtaroth' (the Ashtoreths) suggest multiple local manifestations of these deities had infiltrated Israelite worship. Their removal represented decisive rejection of syncretis...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth.**—The answer of the people showed how well and thoroughly the prophet-statesman had done his Master’s work. Through the land of Israel the graven images of the Phœnician idols were thrown down, and their impious worship everywhere was boldly dishonoured, and once more, in bold defiance of the idol-worshipping Philistines, the Inv...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 7
Chapter Outline
The ark removed to Kirjath-jearim.
(1-4)
The Israelites solemnly repent.(5-6)
The Lord discomfits the Philistines.(7-12)
They are subdued, Samuel judges Israel.(13-17)
**Verses 1-4**
God will find a resting-place for his ark; if some thrust it from them, the hearts of others shall be inclined to receive it. It is no new thing for God's ark to...
Read full commentary →And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.</strong><br><br>Samuel calls a national assembly at Mizpeh ('watchtower'), a significant gathering point in Benjamin's territory. His promise 'I will pray for you' establishes his intercessory role - standing between God and people as Moses had done. The Hebrew 'palal' (pray, intercede) carries the sense o...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Mizpeh.**—Or, as it should be spelt, *Mizpah, *a common name for lofty situations. It signifies a “watch-tower,” a place where an outlook could be kept against an advancing enemy.
Now the assembly of the tribes at Mizpeh marked a new departure for Israel. It was the result of more than twenty years of toil undertaken by the greatest reformer and statesman the chosen race ever knew. The great...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-6**
Israel drew water and poured it out before the Lord; signifying their humiliation and sorrow for sin. They pour out their hearts in repentance before the Lord. They were free and full in their confession, and fixed in their resolution to cast away from them all their wrong doings. They made a public confession, We have sinned against the Lord; thus giving glory to God, and takin...
Read full commentary →And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.</strong><br><br>The assembly at Mizpeh featured three acts of penitence. First, water-pouring ('sha'av mayim') - a ritual otherwise unattested in Scripture, perhaps symbolizing t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.**—For some quarter of a century Samuel had been the principal personage among the people, and had, no doubt, long exercised the varied functions of the “judges” of Israel; but the tribes were scattered, their fortresses in the hand of enemies, there was scarcely any national life in that gloomy period in the people. In the first general ass...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 5-6**
Israel drew water and poured it out before the Lord; signifying their humiliation and sorrow for sin. They pour out their hearts in repentance before the Lord. They were free and full in their confession, and fixed in their resolution to cast away from them all their wrong doings. They made a public confession, We have sinned against the Lord; thus giving glory to God, and takin...
Read full commentary →Victory Over the Philistines
And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.</strong><br><br>The Philistines interpreted Israel's gathering as military mobilization, responding with immediate aggression. The five seranim (lords) coordinated the...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **The lords of the Philistines went up against Israel.**—This was what might naturally have been expected. The sudden destruction of the Phœnician idol shrines throughout the country, followed immediately by the summons of a vast popular assembly, held in so conspicuous a place as Mizpeh in Benjamin aroused at once the warlike nation which had so long kept Israel in servitude. The Philistine l...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Jud 21:16-21. The Elders Consult How to Find Wives for Those That Were Left.
**16. the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain--**Though the young women of Jabesh-gilead had been carefully spared, the supply was found inadequate, and some other expedient must be resorted to.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
The Philistines invaded Israel. When sinners begin to repent and reform, they must expect that Satan will muster all his force against them, and set his instruments at work to the utmost, to oppose and discourage them. The Israelites earnestly beg Samuel to pray for them. Oh what a comfort it is to all believers, that our great Intercessor above never ceases, is never silent! f...
Read full commentary →And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. Cease: Heb. Be not silent from us from crying
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.</strong><br><br>Israel's request reveals transformed hearts. Rather than taking up arms or fleeing in panic, they plead for continued intercession. The Hebrew 'al-tachresh' (cease not, do not be silent) expresses urgent dependence - they want Sa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us.**—The fear on the part of Israel was very natural Unarmed—or, at least, very poorly armed and equipped—the assembled Israelites saw from the heights the advancing Philistine army. What hope was there for their ill-disciplined masses when they joined battle with that trained host of fighting men? But they remembered the days of old, and how, when...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin--**As they were the only rightful owners of the territory, provision must be made for transmitting it to their legitimate heirs, and a new act of violence was meditated (Jud 21:19); the opportunity for which was afforded by the approaching festival--a feast generally supposed to be the feast of tabernacles. This, like the othe...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
The Philistines invaded Israel. When sinners begin to repent and reform, they must expect that Satan will muster all his force against them, and set his instruments at work to the utmost, to oppose and discourage them. The Israelites earnestly beg Samuel to pray for them. Oh what a comfort it is to all believers, that our great Intercessor above never ceases, is never silent! f...
Read full commentary →And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. heard: or, answered
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him.</strong><br><br>Samuel's actions combine sacrifice and intercession. The 'sucking lamb' ('teleh chalab') - a nursing lamb, young and innocent - provided the sacrifice. As burnt offering ('olah'), it was consumed entirely ('kalil', whol...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
The Philistines invaded Israel. When sinners begin to repent and reform, they must expect that Satan will muster all his force against them, and set his instruments at work to the utmost, to oppose and discourage them. The Israelites earnestly beg Samuel to pray for them. Oh what a comfort it is to all believers, that our great Intercessor above never ceases, is never silent! f...
Read full commentary →And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.</strong><br><br>The timing is dramatic: while smoke ascended from Samuel's sacrifice, Philistine forces advanced for battle, and Yahweh intervened with t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem--**The exact site of the place was described evidently for the direction of the Benjamites.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
The Philistines invaded Israel. When sinners begin to repent and reform, they must expect that Satan will muster all his force against them, and set his instruments at work to the utmost, to oppose and discourage them. The Israelites earnestly beg Samuel to pray for them. Oh what a comfort it is to all believers, that our great Intercessor above never ceases, is never silent! f...
Read full commentary →And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car.</strong><br><br>Israel's role was response to divine initiative. After God routed the enemy with supernatural thunder, 'the men of Israel went out' to pursue. The Hebrew 'radaph' (pursue) indicates aggressive chase of fleeing enemies. Their striking ('nakah') the Philistin...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Until they came under Beth-car.**—“House of the Lamb,” or, as some would render it, *House of the Field. *Of this place we know nothing; it was, no doubt, a Philistine fortress, where the scattered remains of the beaten host were able to rally and defend themselves.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
The Philistines invaded Israel. When sinners begin to repent and reform, they must expect that Satan will muster all his force against them, and set his instruments at work to the utmost, to oppose and discourage them. The Israelites earnestly beg Samuel to pray for them. Oh what a comfort it is to all believers, that our great Intercessor above never ceases, is never silent! f...
Read full commentary →Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. Ebenezer: that is, The stone of help
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.</strong><br><br>Samuel's memorial stone created permanent testimony to divine faithfulness. 'Eben-ezer' ('stone of help') commemorated God's assistance ('ezer') at that exact location. The word 'hitherto' ('ad-hennah', 'until here') acknowledges both ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Between Mizpeh and Shen.**—The situation of Ha-Shen, “The Tooth,” has not yet been identified. It probably denotes a peak or crag, a prominent rock formation, so named, like the modern French *dent*—a favourite name for a peak in some districts of the Alps and Pyrenees: *e.g., Dent du Midi.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21-22. daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances--**The dance was anciently a part of the religious observance. It was done on festive occasions, as it is still in the East, not in town, but in the open air, in some adjoining field, the women being by themselves. The young women being alone indulging their light and buoyant spirits, and apprehensive of no danger, facilitated the execution ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
The Philistines invaded Israel. When sinners begin to repent and reform, they must expect that Satan will muster all his force against them, and set his instruments at work to the utmost, to oppose and discourage them. The Israelites earnestly beg Samuel to pray for them. Oh what a comfort it is to all believers, that our great Intercessor above never ceases, is never silent! f...
Read full commentary →So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.</strong><br><br>The verse summarizes lasting effects of Mizpah's victory. 'Subdued' ('kana'') indicates humiliation and forced submission - the dominant Philistines now acknowledged Israelite resurgence. The phrase 'came no more into ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **So the Philistines were subdued.**—The work of Samuel had been thorough. It was no mere solitary victory, this success of Israel at Ebenezer, but was the sign of a new spirit in Israel, which animated the nation during the lifetime of Samuel, and the reigns of David and Solomon and the great Hebrew kings. The petty jealousies had disappeared, and had given place to a great national desire f...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21-22. daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances--**The dance was anciently a part of the religious observance. It was done on festive occasions, as it is still in the East, not in town, but in the open air, in some adjoining field, the women being by themselves. The young women being alone indulging their light and buoyant spirits, and apprehensive of no danger, facilitated the execution ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-17**
In this great revival of true religion, the ark was neither removed to Shiloh, nor placed with the tabernacle any where else. This disregard to the Levitical institutions showed that their typical meaning formed their chief use; and when that was overlooked, they became a lifeless service, not to be compared with repentance, faith, and the love of God and man.
And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.</strong><br><br>Territorial restoration accompanied military victory. The cities 'from Ekron even unto Gath' - Philistine heartland - returned to Isr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **The cities.**—The immediate result of Samuel’s great victory at Eben-ezer, and the renovated national spirit of the people, was their recovery of the towns and villages which during the late disastrous period had fallen into the Philistines’ hands.
**From Ekron even unto Gath.**—It is doubtful whether these words signify that at this period these famous Philistine cities fell into the hands...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-17**
In this great revival of true religion, the ark was neither removed to Shiloh, nor placed with the tabernacle any where else. This disregard to the Levitical institutions showed that their typical meaning formed their chief use; and when that was overlooked, they became a lifeless service, not to be compared with repentance, faith, and the love of God and man.
And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.</strong><br><br>This narrative marks the transition from priestly to prophetic leadership in Israel. Samuel's calling demonstrates that God raises up servants according to His sovereign purposes, often choosing unexpected persons during dark spiritual times. The rarity of prophetic revelation ('the word of the LORD was precious in those da...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.**—The influence and supreme power of Samuel only ended with his life. For a very long period—probably for at least twenty years after the decisive battle of Eben-ezer—Samuel, as “judge,” exercised the chief authority in Israel. The time at length arrived when, convinced by clear Divine monition that it was best for the people that a king sh...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-17**
In this great revival of true religion, the ark was neither removed to Shiloh, nor placed with the tabernacle any where else. This disregard to the Levitical institutions showed that their typical meaning formed their chief use; and when that was overlooked, they became a lifeless service, not to be compared with repentance, faith, and the love of God and man.
And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. in circuit: Heb. and he circuited
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he went from year to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places.</strong><br><br>This narrative marks the transition from priestly to prophetic leadership in Israel. Samuel's calling demonstrates that God raises up servants according to His sovereign purposes, often choosing unexpected persons during dark spiritual times. The rarity of pro...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **To Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel.**—These centres, it is observable, were all situated in the southern part of the land, in the tribe of Benjamin. This leads us to the conclusion that the power of Samuel, if not exclusively, was chiefly exercised among the southern tribes. The whole subsequent story of the chosen people seems to tell us that the religion of the Eternal ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-17**
In this great revival of true religion, the ark was neither removed to Shiloh, nor placed with the tabernacle any where else. This disregard to the Levitical institutions showed that their typical meaning formed their chief use; and when that was overlooked, they became a lifeless service, not to be compared with repentance, faith, and the love of God and man.
And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.</strong><br><br>This narrative marks the transition from priestly to prophetic leadership in Israel. Samuel's calling demonstrates that God raises up servants according to His sovereign purposes, often choosing unexpected persons during dark spiritual times. The rari...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Raman.**—The same Ramah “of the Watchers” where Elkanah and Hannah had dwelt. After the destruction of Shiloh, Samuel seems to have fixed his abode in his father’s city.
**And there he built an altar.**—Thus following the old custom of the patriarchs. It must be remembered that at this period there was no national sanctuary, no formal seat of worship, where the high priest and his attendant...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-17**
In this great revival of true religion, the ark was neither removed to Shiloh, nor placed with the tabernacle any where else. This disregard to the Levitical institutions showed that their typical meaning formed their chief use; and when that was overlooked, they became a lifeless service, not to be compared with repentance, faith, and the love of God and man.