1 Samuel 7:8-9 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:7-12

Here, I. The Philistines invade Israel (1 Sam. 7:7), taking umbrage from that general meeting for repentance and prayer as if it had been a rendezvous for war, and, if so, they thought it prudent to keep the war out of their own country. They had no just cause for this suspicion; but those that seek to do mischief to others will be forward to imagine that others design mischief to them. Now see here, 1. How evil sometimes seems to come out of good. The religious meeting of the Israelites at... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:8

And the children of Israel said to Samuel ,.... To whom they applied, not as the general of their forces, but as the prophet of the Lord; believing his prayers for them would be of more avail to them than an army of men ever so numerous, or so well accoutred: cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us : he had been praying for them that day, and they desired he would continue praying for them, well knowing that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much; they knew... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:9

And Samuel took a sucking lamb ,.... Which it might be, and yet more than eight days old, for under that it might not be sacrificed, Exodus 22:30 . and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord ; the whole of it was burnt, skin and all, whereas the skin was the priest's in other burnt offerings; and this is remarked F13 Midrash Schemuel apud Abarbinel in loc. as one of the three things in which it differed from other offerings; the word being feminine, the Jews gather... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 7:8

Cease not to cry unto the Lord - They had strong confidence in the intercession of Samuel, because they knew he was a holy man of God. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 7:9

Samuel took a sucking lamb - This sucking lamb must have been eight days under its mother before it could be offered, as the law says, Leviticus 22:27 . Though Samuel was not a priest, yet he offered this sacrifice; or he might have ordered Eleazar to offer it, and still be said to have done it himself: Qui facit per alterum, facit per se ; "He who procures a thing to be done, may be said to do it himself." His not sacrificing at the tabernacle was justified by the necessity of... 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 7:3-12

Ebenezer. The facts are— 1 . Samuel calls on the people to prove their desire to return to God by putting away idols and preparing their hearts for a blessing. 2 . A response to the call is followed by a summons to Mizpah for prayer and humiliation. 3 . A rumoured approach of the Philistines excites fear, and an urgent request for Samuel's intercession with God. 4 . While Samuel is engaged in worship God discomfits the assailing Philistines by thunder. 5 . The victory... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:9

And Samuel took a sucking lamb. Samuel now appears as priest, and makes intercession and atonement for them. The lamb was at least seven days old, for so the law required (Le 22:27), but probably not much older; for the word, a rare one, occurring elsewhere only in Isaiah 65:25 , means something small and tender: this then he offered for a burnt offering wholly unto Jehovah. The A.V. translates in this way because chalil, "whole," is masculine, while 'olah, "a burnt offering," is... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 7:9

Samuel’s preparation for intercessory prayer, namely, the offering up an atoning sacrifice, is most significant (compare Luke 1:9-10). The term here used for a “lamb” does not occur in the Pentateuch; indeed it is only found besides this place in Isaiah 65:25. The offering is in accordance with Leviticus 22:27.The Lord heard him - Better as in margin. The “answer” was not simply the granting the asked-for deliverance, but the great thunder 1 Samuel 7:10, which was “the voice of the Lord,” the... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 7:8

1 Samuel 7:8. Cease not to cry unto the Lord, &c. We are afraid to look God in the face, because of our great wickedness: do thou therefore intercede for us, as Moses did for his generation. They had reason to expect this, because he had promised to pray for them, had promised them deliverance from the Philistines, and they had been observant of him, in all that he had spoken to them from the Lord. Thus they who receive Christ as their lawgiver and judge, need not doubt of their... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:7-12

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:9

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 7:8

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 7:9

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:1-12

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:3-12

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 7:9

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 7:9

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 7:8

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