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1 Samuel
Chapter Seven
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 7
This
chapter gives an account of the ark being brought to Kirjathjearim
where it
continued twenty years
1 Samuel 7:1 of the
exhortation of Samuel to the people of Israel to reform from idolatry
and
which had its desired effect
1 Samuel 7:3 of
Samuel's praying for the people
and offering sacrifices for them
and of the
success thereof
victory over their enemies
1 Samuel 7:5
and
of his administration of justice to them
and constancy in it
1 Samuel 7:15.
1 Samuel 7:1 Then the men of
Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord
and brought
it into the house of Abinadab on the hill
and consecrated Eleazar his son to
keep the ark of the Lord.
YLT
1And the men of
Kirjath-Jearim come and bring up the ark of Jehovah
and bring it in unto the
house of Abinadab
in the height
and Eleazar his son they have sanctified to
keep the ark of Jehovah.
And the men of Kirjathjearim came and fetched up the ark of the
Lord
.... From Bethshemesh
which was near unto them
as JosephusF7Antiqu.
l. 6. c. 1. sect. 4. says; they made no difficulty of fetching it
but gladly
received it; for if they knew of what happened to the men of Bethshemesh
they
knew it was not owing to the presence of the ark among them
but to their
irreverent behaviour to it; and though Kirjathjearim was not a Levite city
and
so the men of it could not bear the ark themselves
yet they might have proper
persons from Bethshemesh to do this service:
and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill; which; hill
was within the city of Kirjathjearim
and is mentioned either to distinguish
this Abinadab that dwelt on it from another of the same name in the city
as
Kimchi observes; or else to remark the propriety of the place
and the reason
of the choice of it for the ark to be placed in; hills and high places being in
those times accounted fittest for sacred services to be performed in
as well
as places of safety; who this man was is not certain. JosephusF8Ibid.
says he was a Levite
but if so he could only be a sojourner in this place;
however he might be
as he suggests he was
a man of great esteem for religion
and righteousness:
and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord; not only to
watch it that it might not be taken away
but to keep persons from it
from
touching it
or using it irreverently; and such as were not allowed to come
nigh it; as well as to keep the place clean where it was put; and for this he
was appointed by the priests
or the elders of the city; and was set apart for
this service
and prepared for it by washings and sacrifices; and the rather he
and not his father was invested with this office
because he was a young man
and his father might be old and decrepit; and this his son also a holy goodman
wise and prudent
and active and zealous for God
and true religion; and on all
accounts a fit person for this post.
1 Samuel 7:2 2 So it was that the ark
remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the
house of Israel lamented after the Lord.
YLT
2And it cometh to pass
from
the day of the dwelling of the ark in Kirjath-Jearim
that the days are
multiplied -- yea
they are twenty years -- and wail do all the house of Israel
after Jehovah.
And it came to pass
while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim
that
the time was long
.... It could not be less than between forty and fifty years
for
it remained here until the times of David
who removed it from hence after he
was made king over all Israel
and when he had reigned over Judah seven years;
and from the death of Eli to that time
which included the government of Samuel
and Saul
it could not be less than what has been hinted:
for it was twenty years; not that this was all
the time the ark was at Kirjathjearim
but it was so long there before it was
much taken notice of
and sought unto
and the Lord by it; there was a great
neglect of God
and his worship
which through the means of Samuel began to
revive about this time
as it follows:
and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord; became
sensible of their evil doings
and repented of them
and sought the Lord with
fasting
and prayer
and tears; bewailed their backslidings and revoltings from
him
and cried after a departing God.
1 Samuel 7:3 3 Then Samuel spoke to all
the house of Israel
saying
“If you return to the Lord with all your
hearts
then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths[a] from among
you
and prepare your hearts for the Lord
and serve Him only; and
He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
YLT
3And Samuel speaketh unto
all the house of Israel
saying
`If with all your heart ye are turning back
unto Jehovah -- turn aside the gods of the stranger from your midst
and
Ashtaroth; and prepare your heart unto Jehovah
and serve Him only
and He doth
deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.'
And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel
.... When they
assembled at one of their three yearly feasts
or as he went from place to
place
exhorting them to repentance and reformation; and perceiving they began to
be awakened to a sense of their sins
and seemed desirous of returning to God
and restoring his worship:
saying
if ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts; truly and
sincerely; for he might fear there was hypocrisy and dissimulation at least in
some of them:
then put away the
strange gods; as all but the true God are; or the gods of another people
as
the Philistines
Canaanites
&c. Baalim seem chiefly intended
as appears
from the following verse:
and Ashtaroth from among you; female deities
such as
with other nations went by the name of Juno
Venus
&c. so the Arabic
version
"the idols of the women ye secretly worship.'Aquila renders it
"the images of Astarte"; so they call Venus as Procopius Gazaeus
observes
from "aster"
a star; but the word signifies flocks of
sheep
and these deities are supposed by some to be in the form of them; but be
they what they may
they were to be put away out of their houses
and out of
their hearts:
and prepare your hearts unto the Lord
and serve him only; that is
direct your hearts to him while in his service; let it proceed from the heart
and let it be done to him only
and not to another with him; or to him in and
by another
as may be pretended
and commonly is by idolaters:
and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines; under whose
dominion they had been for many years; for though their power over them was
weakened by Samson
yet they were not completely delivered by him; so all the
time of Eli they were not wholly free from them; and especially since their
last defeat by them; when the ark was taken
they had been under oppression by
them; now Samuel promises them deliverance from it
in case they relinquish
their idols
and served the Lord solely and heartily.
1 Samuel 7:4 4 So the children of Israel
put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths
[b] and served
the Lord
only.
YLT
4And the sons of Israel turn
aside the Baalim and Ashtaroth
and serve Jehovah alone;
Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth
.... Both
their male and female deities
of which see Judges 2:13.
and served the Lord Only; Dr. LightfootF9Works
vol. 1. p. 54. observes
that a spirit of repentance and conversion came
generally upon all the people; a matter and a time as remarkable as almost any
we read of in Scripture
one only parallel to it; and that is in Acts
chapters
two and three
at the great conversion there.
1 Samuel 7:5 5 And Samuel said
“Gather
all Israel to Mizpah
and I will pray to the Lord for you.”
YLT
5and Samuel saith
`Gather
all Israel to Mizpeh
and I pray for you unto Jehovah.'
And Samuel said
gather all Israel to Mizpeh
.... Not
Mizpeh in Gilead
on the other side Jordan
but a city which lay on the borders
of Judah and Benjamin
where the tribes met on the account of the Levite's
concubine
Judges 20:1. This
order Samuel gave by messengers sent to the several tribes
or the heads of
them
to meet him at this place:
and I will pray for you unto the Lord; no doubt he
prayed for them privately
that the reformation begun might be carried on
and
appear to be sincere
and hearty
and general
and universal; but he was
desirous that they might appear in a body
and join with him in public prayer
for their spiritual and temporal welfare; that they might have true repentance
for their sins
reform from them
and have remission of them
and be delivered
out of the hands of their enemies.
1 Samuel 7:6 6 So they gathered together
at Mizpah
drew water
and poured it out before the Lord. And they
fasted that day
and said there
“We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel
judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.
YLT
6And they are gathered to
Mizpeh
and draw water
and pour out before Jehovah
and fast on that day
and
say there
`We have sinned against Jehovah;' and Samuel judgeth the sons of
Israel in Mizpeh.
And they gathered together to Mizpeh
.... Even all
Israel
at least the heads of the people
and representatives of them:
and drew water
and poured it out before the Lord; drew it from
some fountain near at hand
and poured it out as in the presence of God
who
was where his people were met together. JeromF11Trad. Heb. in lib.
Reg. fol. 75. F. relates it as tradition of the Jews
that curses were cast
into this water
as in the water of jealousy
and that idolaters were tried by
it; and that whatever idolater
who denied he worshipped idols
and tasted of
it
his lips so stuck together that they could not be separated
and by this
means was known and put to death; and therefore it is said Samuel judged now at
this place: but it should be observed
this water was not drank
but poured
out; and that as a token of their humiliation
as Jarchi
that they were before
the Lord
as water poured out; and of the sincerity of their repentance
as the
Targum
which is
"they poured out their heart in repentance
as water;'and
of the atonement and expiation of their sins
which passed away as water to be
remembered no more
as Kimchi
or rather signifying hereby that they thoroughly
renounced idolatry
that nothing of it should remain; as water entirely poured
out
there remains not so much as any smell of it in the cask
as does of honey
or oil
or such kind of liquor; for what a learned writerF12L'Empereur
annot. in Misn. Middot
c. 2. sect. 5. No. 7. says
that this was in token of
joy
like that at the feast of tabernacles
when they drew water out of the
fountain of Siloah
seems not so agreeable
since this was a day of
humiliation
fasting
and prayer
as follows:
and fasted on that day
and said there
we have sinned against the
Lord; Samuel prayed in public for them
with whom they joined; and
they fasted in a literal sense
abstaining from food
and made a confession of
their sins; this was the work of that day:
and Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh; not that he
now began to judge them
but went on in a more public and vigorous manner to
judge them; he sat
and heard
and tried causes that came before him; explained
the laws of God to them
and enforced the obedience of them; reformed abuses
that were among them
and punished idolaters.
1 Samuel 7:7 7 Now when the Philistines
heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah
the lords of
the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of
it
they were afraid of the Philistines.
YLT
7And the Philistines hear
that the sons of Israel have gathered themselves to Mizpeh; and the princes of
the Philistines go up against Israel
and the sons of Israel hear
and are
afraid of the presence of the Philistines.
And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were
gathered together to Mizpeh
.... Not knowing it was upon a religious
account; but supposing they met to form schemes and measures to cast off their
yoke
and deliver themselves out of their hands; and were preparing to take up
arms
and fall upon them:
the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel; with forces
out of their several principalities united to fight with them; judging it
advisable to lose no time
but attack them before they were well prepared and
provided to defend themselves:
and when the children of Israel heard it
they were afraid of the
Philistines; because they were unarmed
and not at all prepared for war
and
having no expectation of it.
1 Samuel 7:8 8 So the children of Israel
said to Samuel
“Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for
us
that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
YLT
8And the sons of Israel say
unto Samuel
`Keep not silent for us from crying unto Jehovah our God
and He
doth save us out of the hand of the Philistines.'
And the children of Israel said to Samuel
.... To whom
they applied
not as the general of their forces
but as the prophet of the
Lord; believing his prayers for them would be of more avail to them than an
army of men ever so numerous
or so well accoutred:
cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us: he had been
praying for them that day
and they desired he would continue praying for them
well knowing that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much;
they knew their salvation was of the Lord
and that he only could save them
and that he must be sought unto for it; and as Samuel had an interest in him
they beg he would continue to make use of it on their behalf; in which they
expressed their trust in God
their regard to means
the duty of prayer
and
the high esteem they had of the prophet of the Lord
whom they entreat to pray
for them:
that he will save us out of the hands of the Philistines; who were now
coming up against them
and who had for a long time tyrannised over them.
1 Samuel 7:9 9 And Samuel took a suckling
lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Then Samuel
cried out to the Lord
for Israel
and the Lord
answered him.
YLT
9And Samuel taketh a fat
lamb
and causeth it to go up -- a burnt-offering whole to Jehovah; and Samuel
crieth unto Jehovah for Israel
and Jehovah answereth him;
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 remarkedF13Midrash Schemuel apud Abarbinel in
loc. 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.
1 Samuel 7:10 10 Now as Samuel was offering
up the burnt offering
the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But
the Lord
thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day
and so confused
them that they were overcome before Israel.
YLT
10and Samuel is causing the
burnt-offering to go up -- and the Philistines have drawn nigh to battle
against Israel -- and Jehovah doth thunder with a great noise
on that day
upon the Philistines
and troubleth them
and they are smitten before Israel.
And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering.... Which he
might do by a priest
as Ben Gersom suggests
he being only a Levite; though he
being a prophet
and an extraordinary person
and this an extraordinary case
he might do it himself
as Gideon and others
as well as offer it in another
place than where the tabernacle was; Shiloh being now destroyed
persons and
places for sacrifice were now dispensed with: and before Samuel had made an end
of offering the sacrifice:
the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; and were come
as far almost as Mizpeh
where Israel were
and Samuel was sacrificing:
but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the
Philistines; which fulfilled Hannah's prophecy
1 Samuel 2:10 and
this
as JosephusF14Antiqu. l. 6. c. 2. sect. 2. says
was attended
with lightning
which flashed in their faces
and shook their weapons out of
their hands
so that they fled disarmed; and also with an earthquake
which
caused gaps in the earth
into which they fell:
and discomfited them; disturbed
affrighted
them
and threw them into confusion and disorder
as well as destroyed many of
them:
and they were smitten before Israel; the meaning of which is
not that they fled before them
and were killed by them; but that before Israel
could come out against them
and fight with them
they were smitten and
destroyed
many of them by the thunder and lightning
and by the earth opening
upon them
and devouring them; for this phrase
"before Israel"
denotes time
as Abarbinel observes
and not place.
1 Samuel 7:11 11 And the men of Israel went
out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines
and drove them back as far as below
Beth Car.
YLT
11And the men of Israel go
out from Mizpeh
and pursue the Philistines
and smite them unto the place of
Beth-Car.
And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh
.... To which
they were encouraged by hearing or perceiving that the army of the Philistines
was discomfited by the thunder
and lightning
and earthquake:
and pursued the Philistines; who
when they came out
were fleeing from the opening earth
and frightened with thunder and lightning
and many were killed
and all put in disorder; so that they stayed not to
engage in battle with Israel
and who had nothing to do but to pursue their
enemy:
and smote them: with what weapons of war they could get at
Mizpeh
and with what some might have with them for private use
and in common
wear; but more especially with the weapons of the Philistines
which they in
their confusion and fright had thrown away:
until they came under Bethcar; a place so called;
"car" signifies a lamb; here might be formerly a temple dedicated to
the lamb
unless it had its name in memory of the lamb Samuel now offered
which was followed with such success. JosephusF15Antiqu. l. 6. c. 2.
sect. 2. calls this place Corraea; and in the Targum it is Bethsaron
which
signifies a fruitful field or champaign country.
1 Samuel 7:12 12 Then Samuel took a stone
and set it up between Mizpah and Shen
and called its name Ebenezer
[c] saying
“Thus far the Lord
has helped us.”
YLT
12And Samuel taketh a stone
and setteth [it] between Mizpeh and Shen
and calleth its name Eben-Ezer
saying
`Hitherto hath Jehovah helped us.'
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 7:13 13 So the Philistines were
subdued
and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the
hand of the Lord
was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
YLT
13And the Philistines are
humbled
and have not added any more to come into the border of Israel
and the
hand of Jehovah is on the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
So the Philistines were subdued
.... Not that their
country was conquered
or they made subject and become tributaries to Israel;
but they were so humbled
as not to attempt to give the people of Israel any
further trouble and distress
who were now delivered from their oppression and
tyranny:
and came no more into the coast of Israel; at this time
they did not gather together their forces dispersed
nor raise and bring a new
army into the land of Israel; they contented themselves with placing garrisons
on the coast
but did not attempt to enter and invade them any more; that is
for a long time
even until Samuel was grown old
and the people would have a
king
and had one
which offended the Lord
and then he suffered them to be
distressed by them again; but while Samuel was alone governor they came no
more
though they did quickly after Saul was made king
as it follows:
the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of
Samuel; not all the days of his life
but all the days of his sole
government
which restrained them from making incursions into the land of
Israel; and indeed in later times
when they did come forth to make war with
them
the battle was against them during the times of Samuel.
1 Samuel 7:14 14 Then the cities which the
Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel
from Ekron to Gath;
and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also
there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
YLT
14And the cities which the
Philistines have taken from Israel are restored to Israel -- from Ekron even
unto Gath -- and their border hath Israel delivered out of the hand of the
Philistines; and there is peace between Israel and the Amorite.
And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were
restored to Israel
.... We nowhere read that the Israelites went out to war with
them
and took these cities from them by besieging and assaulting them; but
they made a demand of them after the above victory obtained
by which the
Philistines were so intimidated
that they quietly surrendered them to them:
from Ekron even unto Gath
and the coasts thereof
did Israel
deliver out of the hands of the Philistines; not by dint of sword
but by demand
to which they submitted; and though Ekron
if not Gath
fell to
the tribe of Judah by lot
yet were never in their possession; and so are to be
understood exclusively here
that not they
but the cities and towns that lay
between them and the coasts thereof
which the Philistines had seized upon
these they were obliged to deliver up again to Israel; and if Ekron and Gath
were delivered
they were not long held by them
for we soon read of them as in
the hands of others:
and there was peace between Israel and the Amorites; who were a
principal nation of the Canaanites
and are put for the whole of them that
remained; and so JosephusF16Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 2. sect. 2.)
calls them the remnant of the Canaanites; these
finding the Philistines were
subdued
were quiet and peaceable
and gave Israel no more trouble.
1 Samuel 7:15 15 And Samuel judged Israel
all the days of his life.
YLT
15And Samuel judgeth Israel
all the days of his life
And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. Not only
before Saul was made king
but afterwards; for though he had not the exercise
of the supreme government of the nation
yet he might act as a judge under
Saul
and hear and try causes brought before him
and execute justice and
judgment; and as a prophet he taught and instructed the people
and reformed
abuses among them; and besides
he held and exercised his extraordinary office
to which he was raised up of God
and even took upon him to reprove Saul
himself
and to kill Agag. The Jews sayF17Seder Olam Rabba
c. 13.
p. 35. Midrash Tillim apud Abarbinel in loc. Kimchi in loc. he judged Israel
thirteen years only
eleven by himself
and two with Saul; but his government
must be much larger
his with Saul is reckoned forty years
Acts 13:21.
1 Samuel 7:16 16 He went from year to year
on a circuit to Bethel
Gilgal
and Mizpah
and judged Israel in all those
places.
YLT
16and he hath gone from year
to year
and gone round Beth-El
and Gilgal
and Mizpeh
and judged Israel [in]
all these places;
And he went from year to year in circuit
.... As judges
do; or "from the year in the year"F18מדי
שנה בשנה "ex anno in
anno". from the time of the year in the year
as the Targum
from the
middle of it
that is
every half year; and so Josephus saysF19Antiqu.
l. 6. c. 3. sect. 1.
that he went twice a year in circuit: and the places he
went to
and where he held his courts of judicature
were
Bethel
and Gilgal
and Mizpeh; by Bethel is not meant
Shiloh
as Abarbinel
for that was now destroyed; nor Kirjathjearim
where the
ark was
for it would have been called by its name; but the same Bethel that
was near to Ai
and not far from Shiloh
and was in the tribe of Benjamin
as
all those places were. Gilgal was where the tabernacle
ark
and camp of Israel
were first pitched
when they came over Jordan
and Mizpeh where the people
used to be assembled on occasion
see 1 Samuel 7:5
and judged Israel in all those places; who came from
all parts hither with their causes
and for advice and counsel in all cases
at
the returning periods.
1 Samuel 7:17 17 But he always returned to
Ramah
for his home was there. There he judged Israel
and there he
built an altar to the Lord.
YLT
17and his returning [is] to
Ramath
for there [is] his house
and there he hath judged Israel
and he
buildeth there an altar to Jehovah.
And his return was to Ramah
.... When he had gone his
circuit
he came back to this city
which was his native place
and where his
father and mother had dwelt
see 1 Samuel 1:1.
for there was his house; and his father's house
before him
and perhaps the same
1 Samuel 1:19 and
there he judged Israel; here was his fixed residence
and here he was always to
be met with
except when on his circuit; and hither the people of Israel might
come from all parts
to have justice done them between man and man
or receive
information in matters of difficulty and importance:
and there he built an altar unto the Lord: to offer his
own sacrifices
and the sacrifices of the people
either by himself
or by a
priest
when the people came to have justice administered to them; or to desire
him to pray for them
teach and instruct them
or to give them advice. Shiloh
being destroyed
and no place appointed for the tabernacle and altar
the Jews
say
high places for a private altar were lawful
and even for one that was not
a priest to offer; these things
though settled by law
yet were for a time
dispensed with
until things could be fixed in their proper place and order.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)