1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 7:1 ELEAZAR may have been descended from Aaron, and that may have been why the people of Beth-shemesh asked Kiriath-jearim to take the ark. (Aaron also had a son named Eleazar; the name was probably common in the Levitical families.) ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElements... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 7:2__ Samuel has not appeared since 1 Samuel 4:1, but when he calls the people to repent of their idolatry, they respond. He is clearly the leader of “all... Israel” (1 Samuel 8:4). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, i... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 7:3 RETURNING here means repenting, that is, a change of direction back to the Lord. Samuel gives three commands: (1) turn away from idolatry; (2) direct the HEART TO THE LORD; and (3) SERVE HIM alone (see Deuteronomy 6:4; Joshua 24:14; Judges 10:6). FOREIGN GODS AND THE AS... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 7:5 MIZPAH was probably about 7 miles (11 km) north of Jerusalem, near an important north-south road. It was a place of assembly for all Israel, as in Judges 20:1 and also 1 Samuel 10:17, where Saul was proclaimed king. Samuel was the judge for the city. I WILL PRAY TO THE... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 7:9 NURSING LAMB. An animal could be sacrificed once it was eight days old (Leviticus 22:27). A basic purpose of the WHOLE BURNT OFFERING was to make atonement (Leviticus 1:4). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for ... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 7:10 CONFUSION. Compare Exodus 14:24, where the Lord threw the Egyptian army into “panic.” Compare also “confusion” (Exodus 23:27), “panic” (Joshua 10:10), and “routed” (2 Samuel 22:15 and Psalms 18:14). These are all the same Hebrew word.... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 7:13 DID NOT AGAIN ENTER THE TERRITORY OF ISRAEL. The victory is here described as a decisive turning point, although Philistine armies do reappear later (e.g., 1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Samuel 13:3). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 7:14 RESTORED TO ISRAEL, FROM EKRON TO GATH probably means that the Israelite territories that had come under the control of those two Philistine cities were now freed. PEACE ALSO BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE AMORITES. Thus Israel was no longer bothered by enemies from outside or... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 7:15 SAMUEL JUDGED ISRAEL ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE. This is a summary of Samuel’s activities as judge. From his hometown of RAMAH, he visited the cities of BETHEL, GILGAL, AND MIZPAH, which are all in or around the territory of Benjamin. In the book of Judges 1:1 and here i... [ Continue Reading ]