UTN uW Translation Notes:

1 Samuel 7 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter concludes the section of the book that is dedicated primarily to describing Samuel as a leader of Israel. It has three main parts.The first part continues a story that begins in 6:19. It includes 7:1–2. It tells the story of how the Box of Yahweh was moved from Beth Shemesh to Kiriath Jearim. (There is a chapter break in the middle of the story. However, the chapter divisions were added to the Bible many centuries after it was written, and they do not always correspond to the natural literary structure of its books. Be sure that it is clear in your translation that 6:19–7:2 is a single story.)The second part, 7:3–14, then tells the story of how Samuel led the Israelites to rededicate themselves to Yahweh so that they could defeat the Philistines and recover territory that the Philistines had captured from them.The third part, 7:15–17, then concludes the story of Samuel as the leader of Israel by giving a general summary of his activities.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Pouring out water on the ground

In 7:6, the Israelites draw water from a well and pour it onto the ground in the presence of Yahweh. This was a symbolic action, but its significance is not entirely clear, since this action occurs nowhere else in the Bible. It may have been symbolic of the Israelites pouring out their hearts to Yahweh in repentance. It may also have been a way in which the Israelites acknowledged their own weakness and powerlessness, portraying themselves as like “water spilled upon the ground, which cannot be gathered” up again (as the Bible says in 2 Samuel 14:14). Since the meaning is not clear, it would probably best not to suggest the significance of the action in the text of your translation. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could describe these possibilities in a footnote.

Sacrificing a young lamb

In 7:9, Samuel sacrifices a very young lamb as a whole burnt offering as he is praying and asking Yahweh to help the Israelites defeat the Philistines. The choice of this animal for a sacrifice seems to have been symbolic. Some interpreters have suggested that it represented the nation of Israel as if it were new-born as a result of its rededication to Yahweh. Other interpreters have suggested that a very young animal could represent a pure and innocent sacrifice. In this case as well, since the meaning is not clear, it would probably best not to suggest the significance of the action in the text of your translation. But if it would be helpful to your readers, you could describe these possibilities in a footnote.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

The significance of the name Beth Kar

In 7:11, the author says that the Israelites pursued and killed the fleeing Philistines “unto below Beth Kar.” This suggests that suggests that Beth Kar was the name of a settlement that was built on a hill. The fleeing Philistine soldiers were apparently able to find safety on this height, and so the Israelites soldiers ended their pursuit there. The word “Kar” means “lamb” in Hebrew, and one possibility is that the Israelites gave the name Beth Kar, “House of the Lamb,” to this place after the battle, alluding to the lamb that Samuel had sacrificed while asking Yahweh to help the Israelites defeat the Philistines. You could reflect this possibility in your translation by saying something like “as far as the bottom of the hill that the Israelites later called Beth Kar” and explaining the meaning of the name in a footnote. However, it is significant that while the author explains the meaning of the name Ebenezer in the next verse, he does not explain the meaning of the name Beth Kar here. Accordingly, you may wish simply to express the name Beth Kar in your translation, spelling it the way it sounds in your language, and not say anything about when the place got this name or what it means.