ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for 1 Samuel 7

1 Sam 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.)

1 Sam 7:2–17 Samuel has not appeared since 4:1, but when he calls the people to repent of their idolatry, they respond. He is clearly the leader of “all . . . Israel” (8:4).

1 Sam 7:3–4 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 Deut. 6:4–15; Josh. 24:14–28; Judg. 10:6–16). Foreign gods and the Ashtaroth refers to all idols. The Baals and the Ashtaroth has the same meaning.

1 Sam 7:5–6 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 20–21 and also 1 Sam. 10:17–27, where Saul was proclaimed king. Samuel was the judge for the city. I will pray to the Lord for you. Samuel was known as an intercessor (7:8; 12:23; Jer. 15:1). They drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted. Like fasting, pouring out the water was an act of self-denial.

1 Sam 7:9 nursing lamb. An animal could be sacrificed once it was eight days old (Lev. 22:27). A basic purpose of the whole burnt offering was to make atonement (Lev. 1:4).

1 Sam 7:10 confusion. Compare Ex. 14:24, where the Lord threw the Egyptian army into “panic.” Compare also “confusion” (Ex. 23:27), “panic” (Josh. 10:10), and “routed” (2 Sam. 22:15 and Ps. 18:14). These are all the same Hebrew word.

1 Sam 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., 10:5; 13:3).

1 Sam 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 from inside the land.

1 Sam 7:15–16 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 and here in 1 Samuel, a “judge” can be someone who simply leads or governs, but apparently Samuel also “judged” in the sense of deciding legal cases.