1 Samuel 7:3

Contextual Overview

³ And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If you are returning to Yahweh with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to Yahweh, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. ³ Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, "If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines." ³ And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your heart, then put away the strange gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. ³ Samuel spoke to the whole group of Israel, saying, "If you're turning back to the Lord with all your hearts, you must remove your foreign gods and your idols of Ashtoreth. You must give yourselves fully to the Lord and serve only him. Then he will save you from the Philistines." ³ Samuel said to all the people of Israel, "If you are really turning to the Lord with all your hearts, remove from among you the foreign gods and the images of Ashtoreth. Give your hearts to the Lord and serve only him. Then he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." ³ And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return to the LORD with all your hearts, [then] put away the strange gods, and Ashtaroth, from among you, and prepare your hearts to the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. ³ Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If you do return to Yahweh with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to Yahweh, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. ³Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, "If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth (pagan goddesses) from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him only; and He will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines."³ And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, "If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." ³ Forsothe Samuel spak to al the hows of Israel, and seide, If in al youre herte ye turnen ayen to the Lord, do ye awei alien goddis, Balym and Astaroth, fro the myddis of you; and make ye redi youre hertis to the Lord, and serue ye hym aloone; and he schal delyuere you fro the hond of Filisteis.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 2884, bc 1120, An, Ex, Is, 371

return: Deuteronomy 30:2-10, 1 Kings 8:48, Isaiah 55:7, Hosea 6:1, Hosea 6:2, Hosea 14:1, Joel 2:12, Joel 2:13

put away: Genesis 35:2, Joshua 24:14, Joshua 24:23, Judges 2:13, Judges 10:6

prepare: Deuteronomy 30:6, 1 Chronicles 22:19, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 2 Chronicles 30:19, Job 11:13, Job 11:14, Proverbs 16:1, Jeremiah 4:3, Jeremiah 4:4, Ezekiel 18:31, Matthew 15:8, John 4:24

serve him: Deuteronomy 6:13, Deuteronomy 10:20, Deuteronomy 13:4, Matthew 4:10, Matthew 6:24, Luke 4:8

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:25 - And ye Deuteronomy 28:7 - flee before Joshua 22:5 - serve 1 Kings 11:5 - Ashtoreth 1 Kings 18:21 - if the Lord 2 Chronicles 11:16 - set 2 Chronicles 12:14 - he prepared 2 Chronicles 19:4 - brought 2 Chronicles 20:33 - had not Ezra 7:10 - prepared Psalms 119:10 - my whole Ecclesiastes 9:17 - General Jeremiah 4:1 - put away Jeremiah 24:7 - for they Jeremiah 36:3 - they may Ezekiel 14:6 - Repent Ezekiel 18:28 - turneth 2 Corinthians 6:16 - what

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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:

[then] put away the strange gods; as all but the true God are; or the gods of another people, as the Philistines, Canaanites, c. Baalim seem chiefly intended, as appears from the following verse:

and Ashtaroth from among you female deities, such as with other nations went by the name of Juno, Venus, c. so the Arabic version,

"the idols of the women ye secretly worship.''

Aquila renders it, "the images of Astarte" so they call Venus as Procopius Gazaeus observes, from "aster", a star; but the word signifies flocks of sheep, and these deities are supposed by some to be in the form of them; but be they what they may, they were to be put away out of their houses, and out of their hearts:

and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only; that is, direct your hearts to him while in his service; let it proceed from the heart, and let it be done to him only, and not to another with him; or to him in and by another, as may be pretended, and commonly is by idolaters:

and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines; under whose dominion they had been for many years; for though their power over them was weakened by Samson, yet they were not completely delivered by him; so all the time of Eli they were not wholly free from them; and especially since their last defeat by them; when the ark was taken, they had been under oppression by them; now Samuel promises them deliverance from it, in case they relinquish their idols, and served the Lord solely and heartily.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare the marginal references. Twenty years of Samuel’s life had passed away since the last mention of him 1 Samuel 4:1. Now he appears in the threefold character of prophet, Judge, and the acknowledged leader of the whole people. His words were an answer to a profession of repentance on the part of Israel, the practical proof of which would be the putting away all their false gods. (Compare Judges 6:10 note.)

Will pray for you ... - So Moses prayed for the people at Rephidim Exodus 17:11-12; and for Miriam Numbers 12:13; so Elijah prayed at Carmel 1 Kings 18:36, 1 Kings 18:42; so Ezra prayed at the evening sacrifice Ezra 9:5; so the High Priest prayed for the house of Israel on the Day of Atonement; and so does our Lord Jesus Christ ever live at God’s right hand to make intercession for us.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 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 hearts — Let your hearts be straight and steady.

And serve him only — Have no other religious service but his, and obey his laws.

He will deliver you — Vain are your own exertions; he will deliver you in such a way as to show that the excellence of the power is of himself alone.