1 Samuel 7:2-3 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:1-2

Here we must attend the ark to Kirjath-jearim, and then leave it there, to hear not a word more of it except once (1 Sam. 14:18), till David fetched it thence, about forty years after, 1 Chron. 13:6. I. We are very willing to attend it thither, for the men of Beth-shemesh have by their own folly made that a burden which might have been a blessing; and gladly would we see it among those to whom it will be a savour of life unto life, for in every place where it has been of late it has been a... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:3-6

We may well wonder where Samuel was and what he was doing all this while, for we have not had him so much as named till now, since 1 Sam. 4:1; not as if he were unconcerned, but his labours among his people are not mentioned till there appears the fruit of them. When he perceived that they began to lament after the Lord he struck while the iron was hot, and two things he endeavoured to do for them, as a faithful servant of God and a faithful friend to the Israel of God:? I. He endeavoured to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:2

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:3

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: ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 7:2

It was twenty years - This chapter contains the transactions of at least twenty years, but we know not the date of each event. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 7:3

And Samuel spake - We have heard nothing of this judge since he served in the tabernacle. He was now grown up, and established for a prophet in the land of Israel. If ye do return - From your backsliding and idolatry. With all your hearts - For outward services and professions will avail nothing. Put away the strange gods - Destroy their images, altars, and groves: they are strange; you do not know them as helpers, saviours, or defenders. Prepare your... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:1-2

Fitness for service. The facts are— 1 . At the request of the terrified men of Beth-shemesh the men of Kirjath-jearim bring the ark to their high place. 2 . Arrangements are made in the house of Abinadab for the due care of the ark. 3 . The time of the sojourn Of the ark in this place, up to the date of Samuel's test of repentance, was twenty years. 4 . Towards the close of this period the people long for the full restoration of the Divine favour. A new stage was being... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:1-12

Steps of return to God. The whole interest of this passage is moral. No stress is laid on the forms, or even the authorised appurtenances, of religion. The ark, of which we have heard so much, and which had been treated with a singular mixture of superstition and profanity, plays no part in the history. It is left for years in a quiet retreat. Israel had backslidden from the Lord. The steps of their return have a meaning and a moral lesson for all generations. I. THE FEELING OF A... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:2

While the ark, etc. The literal translation of this verse is, "And it came to pass, from the day that the ark rested at Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years." The words dwell wearily upon the length of this mournful period, during which. Israel was in a state of subjection to the Philistines, with its national life crushed to the ground, and its strength wasted by unjust exactions and misrule. For though the Philistines gave up the ark, there was no restoration of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:3

If ye do return, etc. At length everything was ripe for a change, and the reformation wrought privately in their hearts was followed by public action. Samuel's secret addresses had no doubt been watched with anger by the Philistines, but he now ventures upon open resistance; for this public summons to Israel to put away its idols by a national act was a summons also to an uprise against foreign domination. We must suppose that the people had often assured Samuel in his wanderings of the... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:1-2

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:3-6

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:2

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:3

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 7:2

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 7:3

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:1-2

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:1-12

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:2

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:3

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