Chapter Seven
The Ark is Moved to Kiriath-jearim
7:1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD.
The men of Kiriath-jearim responded the the urgent cry from the people of Beth-shemesh to get the Ark of YHWH out of their town. They brought it to the house of Abinadab in Kiriath-jearim which was located on a hill. Abinadab’s son Eleazar was then consecrated to be responsible for the Ark. The text doesn’t tell us much about Abinadab, Eleazar, the consecration process, or who did the consecrating. However, the historian Josephus claims Adinadab was a Levite:
In this city lived one Abinadab, by birth a Levite, and who was greatly commended for his righteous and religious course of life; so they brought the ark to his house, as to a place fit for God himself to abide in, since therein did inhabit a righteous man. His sons also ministered to the divine service at the ark, and were the principal curators of it for twenty years; for so many years it continued in Kirjath-jearim, having been but four months with the Philistines.[1]
7:2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
Israel suffered a defeat, brought the Ark of YHWH to a battle without seeking God first, suffered another defeat, lost the Ark of YHWH to the Philistines for seven months (although Josephus recorded four months, see above), the Philistines send it back, which then the Israelites suffer punishment from YHWH, resulting in more loss of life. This was a period of somber reflection, nearly twenty years had passed while the people of Israel lamented after YHWH. Israel needed someone to help bring them back to YHWH, and we see that God had been preparing Samuel to do just that.
Samuel Judges Israel
7:3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only.
Samuel tells the people of Israel, if you’re really serious about returning to YHWH, with all of their hearts, then stop worshiping idols! He tells them to “put away” (Hebrew hā·sî’·rû, to stop, to remove, to completely depart from) the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from their presence (the Septuagint adds “and the groves”) and direct their hearts to YHWH and serve Him only. Then He will deliver them from the Philistines. The people responded to Samuel’s plea, and removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth (the Septuagint again adds ‘groves’, but specifically identifies them as Ashtoreth groves) and they served YHWH alone. Since God cannot be fooled by actions, as He knows the hearts and minds of all people, this was a legitimate repentance.
7:5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah 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 people of Israel at Mizpah.
Samuel had the Israelites gather at Mizpah so that he could pray for them. When they were all gathered together they drew water and poured it out before YHWH, fasted on that day, and repented of their sins. The reference to the water being drawn and poured out has been widely interpreted. Some believe that this action was in relationship to Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles’ water pouring ceremony (see Leviticus 23:33-43), but there is no reference given to any of the appointed times (click here to read about God’s appointed times). Perhaps the best way to interpret this passage is how it is recorded in the Targum, “And they gathered to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured out their hearts in repentance like water before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, "We have sinned before the Lord."[2] For the first time Samuel is identified as being a judge.
7: 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
When the Philistines heard that so many of the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah they undoubtedly thought this would be an easy invasion wiping out many of their enemy in one location. So they “went up against Israel” (possibly literally uphill) and approached Mizpah to attack. When the people heard that the Philistines were approaching they were frightened.
7:8 And the people 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.” 9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. And Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.
The people pleaded with Samuel to not stop praying to save them from the Philistines. So Samuel took a young lamb, slaughtered it, and offered it to YHWH as a whole burnt offering (see Leviticus 1:1-9), and cried out to God on behalf of Israel. The text states that YHWH responded to Samuel’s prayer, not in a verbal way, but through action. While Samuel was still in the process of offering up the sacrifice, the Philistines began to attack. Then YHWH created a thunderously loud sound that confused the Philistines allowing the Israelites to defeat them. The men of Israel went out beyond Mizpah and drove out the Philistines to below Beth-car (Hebrew ḇêṯ’ kār’, house of the lamb, only mentioned this one time in the Old Testament, Josephus calls it Corrhaea, but the location of either one is unknown, thought to be west of Mizpah at the edge of the Philistine’s territory).
7:12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
Samuel then erected a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen (another unknown location, since the words means “tooth” or “pointed rock,” it may refer to a prominent rock formation instead of a city), and called it Ebenezer, which means “stone of help,” stating that YHWH has helped them this far. This was likely a different location than the location of the same name mentioned earlier (see 1 Samuel 4:1; 5:1). The Philistines were subdued and did not attempt again to enter into Israel’s territory at that time. The author informs us that the hand (Hebrew yǎḏ, meaning hand and strength) of YHWH was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
7:14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.
We are also told that the cities the Philistines had taken from Israel were reclaimed by the Israelites everything between Ekron and Gath, an approximate six mile distance. It is interesting to note that the Septuagint records that they restored the towns between Ashkelon on the Mediterranean Sea (north of Gaza) to Azob (an unknown location), which is unlikely as Ashkelon was well into Philistine territory and there is no Biblical or archeological evidence the Israelites had occupied it at that time.
The author adds that there was peace also between Israel and the Amorites, who we have not heard about since Jephthah sent a message to the Ammonites recorded in Judges 11:12-28.
The Amorites were one of the groups of people who lived in Palestine and in the regions east of the Jordan River before the conquest by the Israelites. Often the term is used as a synonym for Canaanites.[3]
If the the use of the word (Amorites) is to be considered a synonym for Canaanites, which then has also been used as a synonym for all the co-inhabitants (those conquered previously and provide much of the labor) of Israel, then Israel could be described as experiencing peace from within their boundaries as well as from the Philistines, their primary exterior enemy.
7:15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the LORD.
This chapter closes with what appears to be a summary of Samuel’s life, but he doesn’t die here. He made an annual circuit between the cities of Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, which is not a big area but effective. We are told that he judged in these places (undoubtedly handling disputes and other issues much like the judges reported in the book of Judges did). With Samuel being the last judge and perhaps Israel’s finest judge, these verses reflect a time of true peace. With the Ark of the Covenant in Kiriath-jearim and little mention regarding the Tabernacle’s status after the Philistine incursion, Samuel built an altar to YHWH in Ramah, his father’s home town, possibly to keep the sacrifices from stopping, making Ramah a temporary religious center for the time being. The name ‘Ramah’ refers to a height or high place, the city was likely on a rise.
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[1] Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged (p. 152). Hendrickson. (Antiquities 6.17)
[2] Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon. (2005). Targum Jonathan to the Prophets (1 Sa 7:5). Hebrew Union College. (Translated by Logos software)
[3] Omanson, R. L., & Ellington, J. (2001). A handbook on the first book of Samuel (pp. 161–162). United Bible Societies.