1Sa 7 | TNotes | STEP | 7:1 The men of Kiriath-jearim who transported the Ark and Eleazar were probably Levites (see 6:15 ; Num 1:47-51 ). • in charge of it: The same verb describes the Levites’ duty of guarding the Tabernacle (Num 1:53 ; 3:7 ).

7:1 ^a The men of Kiriath-jearim who transported the Ark and Eleazar were probably Levites (see 6:15 ^b; Num 1:47-51 ^c).

• in charge of it: The same verb describes the Levites’ duty of guarding the Tabernacle (Num 1:53 ^d; 3:7 ^e).
7:2 ^f Twenty years covers the time until Samuel assembled the people at Mizpah (7:5-6 ^g). David later brought the Ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam 6:1-19 ^h).
Summary for 1Sam 7:3-10: 7:3-10 ⁱ The change in the people’s standing with God, not the presence of the Ark (see 4:3-11 ^j), led Israel to victory against the Philistines. 7:3 ^k People cannot expect God’s blessing unless they get rid of what is contrary to his will (see Gen 35:2 ^l; Josh 24:14 ^m).

• Ashtoreth was the Canaanite goddess of fertility associated with Baal (1 Sam 7:4 ⁿ). Worship of Canaanite deities was an ongoing problem throughout Israel’s history. The people started worshiping idols during the twenty-year period mentioned in 7:2 ^o, or perhaps they had done so ever since the days of the judges (8:8 ^p; Judg 6:25 ^q; cp. Amos 5:25-26 ^r). Israel’s devastating defeat by the Philistines was due not only to the sins of Eli’s two sons but to several generations of unfaithfulness to God.
7:5 ^s Mizpah was an administrative center and rallying point for the nation (see 7:16 ^t; 10:17 ^u; Judg 20:1 ^v).

• I will pray ... for you: Eli’s question in 1 Sam 2:25 ^w is answered here; Samuel was the intercessor Israel needed.
7:6 ^x drew water ... poured it out: This type of ceremony is not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament.

• At times Israelites went without food to express grief or to seek the Lord’s favor (2 Sam 1:12 ^y; 12:22-23 ^z; 1 Kgs 21:27 ^aa; Ezra 8:21-23 ^ab; Neh 9:1 ^ac; Esth 4:3 ^ad, 16 ^ae; Joel 2:12 ^af; cp. Luke 2:37 ^ag; Acts 13:2-3 ^ah; 14:23 ^ai).

• To have Samuel as Israel’s judge was refreshing compared to Eli’s failed leadership (see 1 Sam 4:18 ^aj and corresponding study note) and the leadership of some other judges (e.g., Gideon, Judg 8:22-27 ^ak; Jephthah, Judg 11:30–12:7 ^al; and Samson, Judg 13:1–16:21 ^am).
7:9 ^an The whole burnt offering was probably for forgiveness of sin (see Lev 1:1-4 ^ao).

• The Lord answered with a forceful thunderclap (1 Sam 7:10 ^ap).
7:10 ^aq voice of thunder: See 2:10 ^ar. God often used similar tactics to throw Israel’s enemies into confusion and defeat them (e.g., Exod 14:24 ^as; 23:27 ^at; Josh 10:10 ^au; Judg 4:15 ^av).
7:12 ^aw Ebenezer: The location of this stone memorial is unknown. The Philistines had defeated Israel and captured the Ark at a place with the same name (4:1 ^ax; 5:1 ^ay). Samuel erected this memorial to commemorate God’s help in turning the tide against the Philistine attacks.
7:13 ^az The Philistines were quiet for some time—until Saul became king (see 13:5 ^ba).

• God’s powerful hand, not Samuel’s giftedness, was the key factor in Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines.
7:14 ^bb The Amorites had inhabited Canaan and the region east of the Jordan before Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land (see Gen 15:16 ^bc; Deut 3:8 ^bd; Josh 2:10 ^be). Some Amorites remained in the area after the conquest (see 2 Sam 21:2 ^bf).
7:15 ^bg judge for the rest of his life: Once Saul became king (ch 10 ^bh), Samuel’s role was more judicial than military.
7:16 ^bi Bethel and Mizpah were places of national assembly in the judges era (Judg 20:1 ^bj, 18 ^bk, 26 ^bl; 21:1-2 ^bm). Bethel’s significance went back to the days of Abraham (Gen 12:8 ^bn; 13:3-4 ^bo; 28:10-22 ^bp; 35:1-15 ^bq).

• Gilgal, located near Jericho, had been a sacred place since Joshua’s day (Josh 4:19-24 ^br; 5:2-10 ^bs). From this circuit, Samuel influenced “all the people of Israel” (1 Sam 10:17 ^bt).
7:17 ^bu Ramah was Samuel’s hometown (see 1:1 ^bv).