Discovery Box1 Samuel 7:9-17 
Context7:9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb 1 and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Samuel cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.
7:10 As Samuel was offering burnt offerings, the Philistines approached to do battle with Israel. 2 But on that day the Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines. He caused them to panic, and they were defeated by 3 Israel. 7:11 Then the men of Israel left Mizpah and chased the Philistines, striking them down all the way to an area below Beth Car.
7:12 Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen. 4 He named it Ebenezer, 5 saying, “Up to here the Lord has helped us.” 7:13 So the Philistines were defeated; they did not invade Israel again. The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
7:14 The cities that the Philistines had captured from Israel were returned to Israel, from Ekron to Gath. Israel also delivered their territory from the control 6 of the Philistines. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites. 7:15 So Samuel led 7 Israel all the days of his life. 7:16 Year after year he used to travel the circuit of Bethel, 8 Gilgal, and Mizpah; he used to judge Israel in all of these places. 7:17 Then he would return to Ramah, because his home was there. He also judged 9 Israel there and built an altar to the Lord there.
1 tn Heb “a lamb of milk”; NAB “an unweaned lamb”; NIV “a suckling lamb”; NCV “a baby lamb.”
2 tn Heb “approached for battle against Israel.”
3 tn Heb “before.”
4 tn Cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT “Jeshanah.”
5 sn The name Ebenezer (אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר) means “stone of help” in Hebrew (cf. TEV); NLT adds the meaning parenthetically after the name.
6 tn Heb “hand.”
7 tn Heb “judged” (also in v. 17).
8 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
9 tn Or perhaps “settled disputes for” (cf. NLT “would hear cases there”; NRSV “administered justice there”).
