a man in general (singly or collectively) · noun, common masculine plural construct
Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Yis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
out
וַיֵּ֨צְא֜וּvai.Ye.tze.'U
H3318
to go (causatively · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
Mizpeh
הַמִּצְפָּ֔הha.mitz.Pah
H4709
Mitspah · definite article + proper noun, a place name
pursued
וַֽיִּרְדְּפ֖וּvai.yir.de.Fu
H7291
to run after (usually with hostile intent · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
Philistines
פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑יםpe.lish.Tim
H6430
a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth · noun, gentilic masculine plural absolute
smote
וַיַּכּ֕וּםvai.ya.Kum
H5221
to strike (lightly or severely · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
Beth-car
לְבֵ֥יתle.Veit
H1033
Beth-Car · preposition + proper noun, a place name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 7:7-12
Here, I. The Philistines invade Israel (Sa1 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 Mizpeh brought trouble upon them from the Philistines, which perhaps tempted them to wish they had staid at home and to blame Samuel for calling them together. But we may be in God's way and yet meet with di…
WHILE SAMUEL PRAYS, THE PHILISTINES ARE DISCOMFITED. (Sa1 7:7-14)
when the Philistines heard, &c.--The character and importance of the national convention at Mizpeh were fully appreciated by the Philistines. They discerned in it the rising spirit of religious patriotism among the Israelites that was prepared to throw off the yoke of their domination. Anxious to crush it at the first, they made a sudden incursion while the Israelites were in the midst of their solemn celebration. Unprepared for resistance, they besought Samuel to supplicate the divine interposition to save them from their enemies. The prophet's prayers and sacrifice were answered by such a tremendous storm of thunder and lig…
Under Beth-car - We know not where this place was; the Septuagint have Beth-chor; the Targum, Beth-saron; and the Syriac and Arabic, Beth-jasan.
John Gill on 1 Samuel 7:11
And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh,.... To which they were encouraged by hearing or perceiving that the army of the Philistines was discomfited by the thunder, and lightning, and earthquake:
and pursued the Philistines; who, when they came out, were fleeing from the opening earth, and frightened with thunder and lightning, and many were killed, and all put in disorder; so that they stayed not to engage in battle with Israel, and who had nothing to do but to pursue their enemy:
and smote them: with what weapons of war they could get at Mizpeh, and with what some might have with them for private use, and in common wear; but more especially with the weapons of the Philistines, which the…
The Church Fathers
The men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, etc. The apostles went out from Mizpah, that is, the watchtower of their peaceful way of life, pursued the impious by reproving them; and struck them from their ancient, that is, impious life, gradually removing them with the sword of the word, until they led them to the fellowship of the Church, which is founded upon Christ. For Bethcar, which is interpreted as the house of the lamb, or the house of recognition, certainly signifies him, who, having innocently died in humanity, powerfully reveals the paternal secrets in divinity. Upon which house of divine recognition he found a place of beloved residence, who said: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John VI). Which he desired to enter, who humbly knocking, asked: "Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us" (John XIV). For they had learned from him because no one knows the Son, except the Father: nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and to whom the Son will reveal (Luke X). And therefore, rightly it is called the house of recognition, through whom he alone and the Father are revealed.
21. Well indeed, those who slay the Philistines are said to have gone forth from Mizpah. For in Mizpah, which is called "watching," those dwell who persist in the contemplation of divine things. But they go out to slay the Philistines when, coming forth instructed from the secret of inner meditation, they suppress the forces of hostile domination. For inwardly they secretly arrange how outwardly, in open action, they may break through the battle formations of the enemy. Indeed they wage all the heavier battles against them when they go forth, the more quietly they have lain hidden within themselves while pondering internal things. And because evil spirits must always be suppressed by God's elect, the Philistines are recorded to have been struck down as far as the place below Beth-car. Beth-car indeed is interpreted as "house of the lamb." Isaiah, pointing out this lamb to us, says: "As a lamb he shall be led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearer, without a sound" (Isaiah 53:7). What then was the house of the lamb, if not that sublime and uniquely fortified life of the Redeemer, which, since it was free from fault, stood inaccessible to all wicked spirits? No one can reach Beth-car, that is, the house of the lamb, because whoever advances greatly is still inferior to the holiness of the Redeemer. Hence also the outstanding preacher, pressing upon the praises of the same Redeemer, says: "It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens, who has no need, as priests do, first to offer sacrifices for his own sins" (Hebrews 7:26–27). What then is the place below Beth-car, to which we must slay and pursue the Philistines? But if Beth-car signifies the perfection of the Lord's life, the place below Beth-car expresses the common highest sanctity of the Saints, who both humble themselves by obeying the same Redeemer, and draw near to his glory through the pursuit of an innocent life. For the place which is shown to be situated below Beth-car is recognized as both inferior to and near the place beneath which it lies: because holy men, the nearer they are to God through the height of their life, the more they are subject to him in humbler thought. Therefore, while the triumph of new believers is shown under the deeds of the Israelites, the foreigners are said to have…
Dictionary and topics
Beth-car — Sheep-house, a place to which the Israelites pursued the Philistines west from Mizpeh (1 Sam. 7:11).
Bethcar — (house of the lamb), a place named as the point to which the Israelites pursued the Philistines, (1 Samuel 7:11) and therefore west of Mizpeh.
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Eben-ezer — Stone of help, the memorial stone set up by Samuel to commemorate the divine assistance to Israel in their great battle against the Philistines, whom they totally routed (1 Sam. 7:7-12) at Aphek, in…
Mizpah — Or Miz’peh, watch-tower; the look-out. (1.) A place in Gilead, so named by Laban, who overtook Jacob at this spot (Gen. 31:49) on his return to Palestine from Padan-aram. Here Jacob and Laban set up…
Prayer — Is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or…
Samuel — Heard of God. The peculiar circumstances connected with his birth are recorded in 1 Sam. 1:20. Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah, who came up to Shiloh to worship before the Lord, earnestly…
Beth-Car · A place west of Mizpeh — A place west of Mizpeh
Philistines · Miraculously routed at Mizpeh — Miraculously routed at Mizpeh
Samuel · The Philistines — The Philistines
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Victory obtained over the Philistines through Samuel's prayer. - Sa1 7:5, Sa1 7:6. When Israel had turned to the Lord with all its heart, and had put away all its idols, Samuel gathered together all the people at Mizpeh, to prepare them for fighting against the Philistines by a solemn day for penitence and prayer. For it is very evident that the object of calling all the people to Mizpeh was that the religious act performed there might serve as a consecration for battle, not only from the circumstance that, according to Sa1 7:7, when the Philistines heard of the meeting, they drew near to make war upon Israel, but also from the contents of Sa1 7:5 : "Samuel said (sc., to the heads or represe…
voice of thunder: See 2:10. God often used similar tactics to throw Israel’s enemies into confusion and defeat them (e.g., Exod 14:24; 23:27; Josh 10:10; Judg 4:15).
