1 Samuel 7:9

1Sa 7:9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered [it for] a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him.

Ver. 9. And Samuel took a sucking lamb.] A figure of that Lamb undefiled and without spot, Jesus Christ, by whom we prevail over all our spiritual enemies, as here Israel did over the Philistines. It was a sucking lamb, to show, haply, that the people purposed to be renewed in piety and holiness {a} - a lamb of no great price, to show that God looketh not to the greatness of the gift, but to the heart of the offerer. {b}

And offered it for a burnt offering.] This he might do as a prophet, though no priest, saith Kimchi. See 1Ki 18:30-31.

And Samuel cried unto the Lord.] He was famous for calling upon God’s name with singular success. {Psa 99:6 Jer 15:1}

And the Lord heard him.] So he doth all such as bring unto him honest hearts and lawful petitions: these are sure of not miscarrying returns of their prayers.

{a} Diod.

{b} Pet. Martyr.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa 7:9. Samuel took a sucking lamb — For after a lamb was eight days old, it was fit to be sacrificed to God, Exo 22:30; Leviticus 17:27. And offered it for a burnt-offering — For though he was not a priest, nor this place appointed for sacrifice, yet as a prophet he had authority from God to build an altar anywhere and offer sacrifices. Thus other holy men, Gideon and Manoah, were warranted to offer extraordinary sacrifices, in places which God had not before appointed. And thus we read of an altar he built in another place, 1Sa 7:17, as Elijah did in following times. And Samuel cried unto the Lord — He made intercession with the sacrifice. So Christ intercedes in virtue of his satisfaction. And in all our prayers we must have an eye to his great oblation, depending on him for audience and acceptance. And the Lord heard him — Probably God answered Samuel as he did Manoah, by sending fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, in testimony of his acceptance of it.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

7:9 The whole burnt offering was probably for forgiveness of sin (see Lev 1:1-4). • The Lord answered with a forceful thunderclap (1 Sam 7:10).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 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, Le 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 the case; neither tabernacle nor ark was at hand.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

9. a sucking lamb] Which might not be less than seven days old, according to Lev_22:17.

for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord] The whole animal was burnt upon the altar to denote the entire consecration to Jehovah of those who were pleading for deliverance.

and the Lord heard him] Better, answered him. Cp. Psa_99:6, and note on 1Sa_7:5.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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, Exo 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 (m) as one of the three things in which it differed from other offerings; the word being feminine, the Jews gather from hence, as Jarchi notes, that females might be offered at a private altar:

and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; not only offered a sacrifice for them, but prayed for them:

and the Lord heard him; and answered him, either by causing fire to come down on the sacrifice, by which it was consumed, or by the voice of thunder, which frightened and discomfited the Philistines; and the event of things manifestly showed it.

(m) Midrash Schemuel apud Abarbinel in loc.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Samuel’s preparation for intercessory prayer, namely, the offering up an atoning sacrifice, is most significant (compare Luk 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 Isa 65:25. The offering is in accordance with Lev 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 1Sa 7:10, which was “the voice of the Lord,” the same voice with which the Lord answered Moses Exo 19:19; Psa 99:6.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Suckling lamb. Any might be used, when eight days old, except for the paschal lamb, which must be older; a yearling, Exodus xxiii. 9., and Leviticus xxii. 27. --- Offered it, either by the hands of the priests, or by dispensation, which authorized him to sacrifice out of the tabernacle. --- Whole, without blemish; (Ecclesiasticus xlvi. 19.) or, not having time to divide it, according to the ritual, Leviticus i. 12. He consumed even the skin. (Salien) --- Septuagint, "with all the people."

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

It might be a sucking lamb, though it was more than eight days old, and so that law, Exo 23:19, was not violated.

Offered it; either himself by Divine instinct, which was a sufficient warrant; or rather by a priest, as Saul is afterwards said to have offered, 1Sa 13:9.

A burnt-offering wholly; burning all the parts of it, according to the law of the burnt-offerings; whereas in other offerings some parts were reserved.

The Lord heard him, as appears by the effects, the following thunder, and the overthrow of the Philistines’ host.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

9. A sucking lamb — שׂלה חלב, a lamb of milk, that is, young and tender, only seven or eight days old, (Lev_22:27,) such “being the most suitable to represent the nation that had wakened up to new life through its conversion to the Lord, and was, as it were, newborn.” — Keil.

A burnt offering wholly — Not cut up and divided, as sacrificial victims often were, but offered entire. We need not suppose that Samuel offered this burnt-offering with his own hand, and thus assumed a function of the priesthood. The co-operation of the priests on such occasions being generally understood, no particular reference to that fact was here necessary. Samuel stood by and blessed the sacrifice. Compare 1Sa_9:13, and note.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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, (Lev_22:27) but probably not much older; for the word, a rare one, occurring elsewhere only in Isa_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 feminine; but chalil had in course of time come to be used as a substantive (Lev_6:23; Deu_13:16 Deu_33:10) and is really here in opposition to "olah, and so the two together signify "a whole burnt offering," and clearly indicate that the lamb was entirely consumed by fire. "Olah means that which ascends, and symbolised devotion and consecration to God. Chalil intensified this signification, and showed that all was God"s, and no part whatsoever reserved for the priest or the offerer. And thus then Samuel"s burnt offering implied that the people gave themselves unreservedly to Jehovah. And Jehovah heard him . Really, "Jehovah answered him," by the thunder mentioned in ver. 10. For thunder was regarded as God"s voice, (1Sa_2:10) and in Ps 29. we have a poetic description of its majesty and power. Express mention is also made in Psa_99:6 of Jehovah having thus answered the prayers of, (Exo_19:19) and of Samuel.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Cried - And he cried unto the Lord. He made intercession with the sacrifice. So Christ intercedes in virtue of his satisfaction. And in all our prayers we must have an eye to his great oblation, depending on him for audience and acceptance.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The Philistines Overthrown

v. 9. And Samuel took a sucking lamb, one having been about seven days with its mother, Lev 22:27, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord, without having divided it according to the usual form of burnt offerings. And Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him, gave him an answer in the defeat of their enemies, as now related.

v. 10. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, while this act of worship was still going on, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but the Lord thundered with a great thunder, with terrific peals, which followed one after another, on that day upon the Philistines and discomfited them, so that they were terrified, confused, and confounded; and they were smitten before Israel, literally, "before the face of Israel," while the Israelites were looking on in wonder.

v. 11. And the men of Israel, while the enemies turned away in confusion, went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them until they came under Bethcar, below a city at some distance from the field of battle.

v. 12. Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, at the place where the two former battles with the Philistines had also been fought, and called the name of it Ebenezer (stone of help), saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. Although the victory did not complete the deliverance from the oppression of the Philistines, yet it pointed to the fact that Jehovah was once more with the army of Israel, and therefore this token of thanksgiving in the name of the whole people properly expressed the sentiments which were stirring their hearts.

v. 13. So the Philistines were subdued, in consequence of this victory, and they came no more into the coast of Israel, all attempts made by them with this object in view were promptly frustrated; and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel; while he lived, they did not regain the supremacy over Israel which they once held.

v. 14. And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath, these cities being on the Philistine frontier. These cities themselves were clearly not included in the territory which they yielded, the text merely stating that Israel recovered the land on the Philistine borders between Ekron and Gath, which had originally been subdued by the armies of Judah and Simeon, Jdg 1:18. And the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites; the other Canaanitish nations, among whom the Amorites were the strongest, thought it the best policy not to undertake any campaigns against the children of Israel.

v. 15. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life, rendering decisions in difficult matters and proposing measures for the benefit of the people even when Saul had been made king.

v. 16. And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, toward the north, and Gilgal, in the valley of Jordan near Jericho, and Mizpeh, toward the southwest, and judged Israel in all those places.

v. 17. And his return was to Ramah, to this city he always came back; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel, when not absent on one of his circuit-court trips; and there he built an altar unto the Lord. Although the Tabernacle remained at Shiloh for the time being, public worship was, for a number of years, carried on in other places as well. Thus Samuel, as judge, prophet, and priest, performed the work of his office and taught Israel the ways of the Lord. Herein he is a type of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is Priest, Prophet, and King in one person, who sacrificed Himself for the sins of all men, gives knowledge of the salvation gained by Him through the Gospel, and lives and reigns throughout eternity.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

nursing lamb

a lamb that is still drinking its mother's milk

cried out

"cried out for help"

Yahweh answered him

"Yahweh did what Samuel asked him to do"

translationWords

Samuel

lamb

burnt offering

Yahweh

cry

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

And offered it all as a burnt offering. The כְּתִיב is 'וַיַעֲלֶהָ' because it was a female. From here our Rabbis deduced that a female animal is acceptable as a burnt offering on a private altar.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.