Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 7:16
And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places.
16. to Beth-el ] About 8 miles N. of Jerusalem the ruins of Beitn mark the site of the ancient city of Beth-el, formerly the royal Canaanite city Luz (Gen 28:19), at the head of the pass of Michmash and Ai. ( a) Near it Abraham built an altar (Gen 12:8). ( b) There Jacob saw the Vision of the Ladder set up to heaven (Gen 28:11 ff.), and received the confirmation of his new name Israel (Gen 35:10), and from these revelations called the place Beth-el or “The House of God.” ( c) There in the days of the Judges the Ark rested for a time and an altar was set up (Jdg 20:18; Jdg 20:26-28, where “the house of God” in the E. V. should be “Beth-el:” cp. 1Sa 10:3). ( d) There after the Disruption of the Kingdoms Jeroboam set up his idolatrous parody of the worship of Jehovah (1Ki 12:32-33), and Beth-el “the house of God” became in the language of the prophet Beth-aven “the house of naught,” i.e. of idols (Hos 4:15; Hos 10:5).
The name Beth-el appears to have been applied originally to the sanctuary in the neighbourhood of Luz, and not to have been given to the city till after its conquest by the tribe of Ephraim.
For a graphic description of Beth-el see Stanley’s Sinai and Palestine, pp. 217 333.
and Gilgal ] Gilgal (= “ the Rolling,” Jos 5:9) was the first station of the Israelites after the passage of the Jordan, where ( a) the men born in the wilderness were circumcised (Jos 5:2); ( b) the First Passover was celebrated (Jos 5:10); ( c) in all probability the Ark rested during the conquest of the land. Now it appears as the chief religious and political centre of the nation, where (1) sacrifices are offered (ch. 1Sa 10:8); (2) assizes held; (3) the national assembly convened (1Sa 11:14-15); (4) the army mustered (1Sa 13:4; 1Sa 13:7). It was probably selected for these purposes on account of its historical associations and its remoteness from the Philistines, whose invasions had pushed the centre of gravity of the kingdom back to the banks of the Jordan.
Lieut. Conder has fixed the site of Gilgal by the discovery of the name Jiljlieh a mile and a half E. of the village of Erha, between the ancient Jericho and the Jordan. Tent Work, 11. p. 7.
and Mizpeh ] See note on 1Sa 7:5.
in all places ] The Sept. has “ in all these sanctuaries.” This reading whether original or not expresses the fact that all these places were, like Ramah, places for sacrifice and worship. Even before the captivity of the Ark, Shiloh was not the sole religious centre; for instance there was a sanctuary at Shechem in Joshua’s time (Jos 24:6); and now that the Ark and Tabernacle had disappeared from view, no effort seems to have been made to preserve the religious unity of the nation.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gilgal – It is uncertain whether Gilgal in the valley of the Jordan, or the modern Jiljulieh, the Gilgal of 2Ki 2:1; 2Ki 4:38, be meant; but far more probably the former (see 1Sa 11:14 and note).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 16. He went from year to year in circuit] When he was at BETH-EL, the tribe of Ephraim, and all the northern parts of the country, could attend him; when at GILGAL, the tribe of Benjamin, and those beyond Jordan, might have easy access to him; and when at MIZPEH, he was within reach of Judah, Simeon, and Gad; but Ramah was the place of his ordinary abode; and there he held his court, for there he judged Israel; and, as it is probable that Shiloh was destroyed, it is said, 1Sa 7:17, that there (viz., at Ramah) he built an altar unto the Lord. This altar, being duly consecrated, the worship performed at it was strictly legal.
Ramah, which is said to be about six miles from Jerusalem, was the seat of prophecy during the life of Samuel; and there it is probable all Israel came to consult him on matters of a spiritual nature, as there was the only altar of God in the land of Israel.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Beth-el; either a place known by that name, or the house of God, to wit, Kirjath-jearim, where the ark was. Gilgal; in the eastern border.
Mizpeh; towards the west.
Judged Israel in all those places; he went to those several places, partly in compliance with the people, whose convenience and benefit he was willing to purchase with his own trouble, making himself an itinerant judge and preacher for their sakes; and partly that by his presence in several parts, he might the better observe and rectify all sorts of miscarriages against God or men.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he went from year to year in circuit,…. As judges do; or “from the year in the year” r from the time of the year in the year, as the Targum, from the middle of it, that is, every half year; and so Josephus says s, that he went twice a year in circuit: and the places he went to, and where he held his courts of judicature, were
Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh; by Bethel is not meant Shiloh, as Abarbinel, for that was now destroyed; nor Kirjathjearim, where the ark was, for it would have been called by its name; but the same Bethel that was near to Ai, and not far from Shiloh, and was in the tribe of Benjamin, as all those places were. Gilgal was where the tabernacle, ark, and camp of Israel were first pitched, when they came over Jordan, and Mizpeh where the people used to be assembled on occasion, see 1Sa 7:5,
and judged Israel in all those places; who came from all parts hither with their causes, and for advice and counsel in all cases, at the returning periods.
r “ex anno in anno”. s Antiqu. l. 6. c. 3. sect. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(16) To Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel.These centres, it is observable, were all situated in the southern part of the land, in the tribe of Benjamin. This leads us to the conclusion that the power of Samuel, if not exclusively, was chiefly exercised among the southern tribes. The whole subsequent story of the chosen people seems to tell us that the religion of the Eternal at an early date became corrupted m the north of the Promised Land, and that the restoration of faith and purification of lifethe result of the great work of Samuelwas so much less marked in the northern than in the southern tribes, that when the strong hand of Solomon was removed, a formal secession from the southern league at once took place. This was followed by a rapid deterioration both in faith and practice in the northern kingdom of Israel.
The places mentioned as the centres where Samuel judged were all holy sites, and at different periods of the year, no doubt, were crowded with pilgrims from distant parts of the land.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. Beth-el Gilgal Mizpeh These places, with Ramah, he seems to have designated as places where he might be found at certain stated seasons of each year, and where the people from the neighbouring districts might resort unto him for counsel or judgment. On Beth-el, see Gen 28:19, and Jos 7:2. There were three places that bore the name of Gilgal: one, in the western part of Central Palestine, was a royal city of the Canaanites, whose king had been overthrown by Joshua, (Jos 12:23😉 another was at the site of the modern Jiljilia, about halfway between Jerusalem and Shechem; and the third was in the plains of Jericho. This last is the Gilgal mentioned in this verse, and was the most celebrated of the three. Here the Israelites first pitched their camp when they entered the Land of Promise, and here the tabernacle probably remained during the wars of the Conquest, and until it was set up at Shiloh. It was ever regarded by Israel as a sacred place. See on Jos 4:19; Jos 9:6. So Samuel, leaving his house at Ramah, would pass northwards to Beth-el, thence southeasterly to Gilgal, and thence westwards to Mizpeh, from which place it would be an easy return to Ramah. On Mizpeh, see 1Sa 7:5.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Sa 7:16 And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places.
Ver. 16. And he went from year to year in circuit. ] For the people’s ease and conveniency; which the magistrate ought to provide for, as Jethro adviseth. Exo 18:17-23
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
he went: When he was at Bethel, the tribe of Ephraim and all the northern parts of the country could attend him; when at Gilgal, the tribe of Benjamin and those beyond Jordan could have easy access to him; and when at Mizpeh, he was within the reach of Judah, Simeon, and Gad, but at Ramah was the place of his ordinary abode; and there he held his court, for there he judged Israel, and as it is probable that Shiloh was destroyed, it is said – 1Sa 8:17 that there, i.e., at Ramah, “he built an altar to the Lord.”
in circuit: Heb. and he circuited, Jdg 5:10, Jdg 10:4, Jdg 12:14, Psa 75:2, Psa 82:3, Psa 82:4
Reciprocal: Gen 31:46 – an heap Jos 15:38 – Mizpeh 1Sa 7:5 – Mizpeh 1Sa 11:14 – let us go 2Ki 4:38 – Elisha 2Ch 16:6 – Mizpah Hos 9:15 – is in Rom 13:6 – attending
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 7:16. Judged Israel in all those places He went to those several places, in compliance with the peoples desire, whose convenience he was willing to purchase with his own trouble, as an itinerant judge and preacher; and by his presence in several parts, he could the better observe and rectify all sorts of miscarriages and abuses.