New King James Version
1 Samuel 7:6
6So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.
1 Samuel 7:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
- New International Version (NIV)When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, "We have sinned against the Lord." And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.
- New Living Translation (NLT)So they gathered at Mizpah and, in a great ceremony, drew water from a well and poured it out before the Lord. They also went without food all day and confessed that they had sinned against the Lord. (It was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel’s judge.)
Context of 1 Samuel 7:6
4So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. 5And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. 7Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
Read all of 1 Samuel 71 Samuel 7:6 word by word
וַיִּקָּבְצ֣וּ הַ֠מִּצְפָּתָה וַיִּֽשְׁאֲבוּ־מַ֜יִם וַֽיִּשְׁפְּכ֣וּ׀ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֗ה וַיָּצ֙וּמוּ֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ שָׁ֔ם חָטָ֖אנוּ לַיהוָ֑ה וַיִּשְׁפֹּ֧ט שְׁמוּאֵ֛ל אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בַּמִּצְפָּֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they gathered togetherקָבַץqâbats · to gatherH6908
- to Mizpehמִצְפָּהmitspâh · MizpahH4709
- and drewשָׁאַבshâ'ab · to drawH7579
- waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- outשָׁפַךְshâphak · to pour: pourH8210
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and fastedצוּםtsûm · to fastH6684
- on that dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- there, We have sinnedחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
- And Samuelשְׁמוּאֵלshemû'êl · SamuelH8050
- judgedשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
- the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- in Mizpehמִצְפֶּהmitspeh · MizpehH4708
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 7:6
- 1 Samuel 1:15But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.
- 2 Samuel 14:14For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.
- Job 16:20My friends scorn me; My eyes pour out tears to God.
- Psalms 6:6I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.
- Psalms 42:3My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
- Psalms 119:136Rivers of water run down from my eyes, Because men do not keep Your law.
- Jeremiah 9:1Oh, that my head were waters, And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people!
- Lamentations 2:11My eyes fail with tears, My heart is troubled; My bile is poured on the ground Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, Because the children and the infants Faint in the streets of the city.
- Lamentations 3:49My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption,
- 2 Chronicles 20:3And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
- Ezra 8:21Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.
- Nehemiah 9:1Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads.
- Daniel 9:3Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
- Joel 2:12“Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
- Jonah 3:1Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,
- Leviticus 26:40‘But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me,
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 7:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Drew water, and poured it out - It is not easy to know what is meant by this; it is true that pouring out water, in the way of libation, was a religious ordinance among the Hebrews, ( Isaiah 12:3;), and among most other nations, particularly the Greeks and Romans, who used, not only water, but wine, milk, honey, and blood, as we find by Homer, Virgil, Euripides, Sophocles, Porphyry, and Lucian. Our Lord seems to allude to this ceremony, John 7:37-38…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Two rites are brought together here which belong especially to the Feast of Tabernacles and the Day of Atonement, respectively, namely, drawing and pouring out water, and fasting. Hence, some think that Samuel chose the Feast of tabernacles, and the fast which preceded it, as the occasion for assembling the people. Others explain the pouring out water as the pouring out the heart in penitence as it were water; or, as a symbolic act expressing their ruin…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-6Verses 5-6 Israel drew water and poured it out before the Lord; signifying their humiliation and sorrow for sin. They pour out their hearts in repentance before the Lord. They were free and full in their confession, and fixed in their resolution to cast away from them all their wrong doings. They made a public confession, We have sinned against the Lord; thus giving glory to God, and taking shame to themselves. And if we thus confess our sins, we shall…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6drew water … poured it out: This ceremony is not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament. Sometimes, Israelites fasted (did not eat) to show grief or seek the Lord’s favor (2 Samuel 1:12; 12:22–23; 1 Kings 21:27; Ezra 8:21–23; Nehemiah 9:1; Esther 4:3, 16; Joel 2:12; compare Luke 2:37; Acts 13:2–3; 14:23). Having Samuel as Israel’s judge was refreshing compared to Eli’s poor leadership (see 1 Samuel 4:18 and 1 Samuel 4:18) and the leadership of some…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-63-6. Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel--A great national reformation was effected through the influence of Samuel. Disgusted with their foreign servitude, and panting for the restoration of liberty and independence, they were open to salutary impressions; and convinced of their errors, they renounced idolatry. The re-establishment of the faith of their fathers was inaugurated at a great public meeting, held at Mizpeh in Judah, and hallowed by the…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 7:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries