וַיָּבֹאוּ אַנְשֵׁי קִרְיַת יְעָרִים וַיַּעֲלוּ אֶת אֲרוֹן ה' וַיָּבִאוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל בֵּית אֲבִינָדָב בַּגִּבְעָה וְאֶת אֶלְעָזָר בְּנוֹ קִדְּשׁוּ לִשְׁמֹר אֶת אֲרוֹן ה'

The people of Kiryat Ye’arim came, and they brought up the Ark of the Lord, and they brought it into the house of Avinadav, apparently a Levite, who lived on the hill, in Kiryat Ye’arim; and they designated and sanctified Elazar his, Avinadav’s, son to watch over the Ark of the Lord. He was not required to do anything specific in caring for the ark, but merely to ensure that it was placed in a dignified spot and was not neglected.

וַיְהִי מִיּוֹם שֶׁבֶת הָאָרוֹן בְּקִרְיַת יְעָרִים וַיִּרְבּוּ הַיָּמִים וַיִּהְיוּ עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וַיִּנָּהוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרֵי ה'

It was from the day that the ark resided in Kiryat Ye’arim, the days accumulated, a long time passed; and became twenty years, and the entire house of Israel was drawn [vayyinnahu] after the Lord, which was undoubtedly largely due to Samuel’s guidance. Some associate vayyinnahu with nehi, bemoaning and misery, as Israel lamented its sins, or wept over the lack of a permanent resting place for the ark.

וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר אִם בְּכָל לְבַבְכֶם אַתֶּם שָׁבִים אֶל ה'הָסִירוּ אֶת אֱלֹהֵי הַנֵּכָר מִתּוֹכְכֶם והָעַשְׁתָּרוֹת וְהָכִינוּ לְבַבְכֶם אֶל ה' וְעִבְדֻהוּ לְבַדּוֹ וְיַצֵּל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים

Samuel said to the entire house of Israel, stating: If with your whole heart you are returning to the Lord, remove the foreign gods from your midst and these include the Ashtarot, and direct your hearts to the Lord, and worship Him alone, and not any other gods; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.

וַיָּסִירוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַבְּעָלִים וְאֶת הָעַשְׁתָּרֹת וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֶת ה' לְבַדּוֹ

The children of Israel removed the Be’alim and the Ashtarot and worshipped the Lord alone. Samuel was successful in this mission, as Israel indeed cleansed the land from idol worship.

וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל קִבְצוּ אֶת כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמִּצְפָּתָה וְאֶתְפַּלֵּל בַּעַדְכֶם אֶל ה'

Samuel said: Gather all Israel to the Mitzpa, and there I will pray on your behalf to the Lord. The Mitzpa was a notable ancient site for large, important gatherings of the people.

וַיִקָּבְצוּ הַמִּצְפָּתָה וַיִּשְׁאֲבוּ מַיִם וַיִּשְׁפְּכוּ לִפְנֵי ה' וַיָּצוּמוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וַיֹּאמְרוּ שָׁם חָטָאנוּ לַה' וַיִּשְׁפֹּט שְׁמוּאֵל אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמִּצְפָּה

They gathered together to the Mitzpa, drew water, and poured it before the Lord. This rite symbolized pouring out one’s heart like water, or it signified that the people had submitted themselves to God and wished to detach themselves from worldly concerns and accept the yoke of Heaven. And they fasted on that day, and they said there: We have sinned to the Lord. Here they publicly declared that which was stated above: We will return to worshipping God, and we regret our former deeds. Samuel judged, led, the children of Israel in the Mitzpa. He took charge and instructed them on how they could best return to God.

וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים כִּי הִתְקַבְּצוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמִּצְפָּתָה וַיַּעֲלוּ סַרְנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶל יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּרְאוּ מִפְּנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים

The Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered to the Mitzpa, and although the Israelites had assembled solely for a religious purpose, the Philistine governors ascended against Israel, as they considered this large gathering a military threat. The children of Israel heard, and they were afraid of the Philistines.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל שְׁמוּאֵל אַל תַּחֲרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מִזְּעֹק אֶל ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְיֹשִׁעֵנוּ מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים

The children of Israel said to Samuel: Do not be silent from calling on our behalf to the Lord our God, and He will save us from the hand of the Philistines.

וַיִּקַּח שְׁמוּאֵל טְלֵה חָלָב אֶחָד וַיַּעֲלֵה עוֹלָה כָּלִיל לַה' וַיִּזְעַק שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל ה' בְּעַד יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲנֵהוּ ה'

Samuel took one suckling lamb, and offered it up in its entirety as a burnt offering to the Lord, and Samuel called to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord answered him. God accepted his prayer.

וַיְהִי שְׁמוּאֵל מַעֲלֶה הָעוֹלָה וּפְלִשְׁתִּים נִגְּשׁוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּרְעֵם ה' בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא עַל פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיְהֻמֵּם וַיִּנָּגְפוּ לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

It was as Samuel was presenting the burnt offering that the Philistines approached to the battle with Israel. The Lord thundered with a great sound against the Philistines on that day and confounded them. The loud noises of the thunder frightened the Philistines and sowed confusion in their midst; and they were routed in the battle before Israel.

וַיֵּצְאוּ אַנְשֵׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הַמִּצְפָּה וַיִּרְדְּפוּ אֶת פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּכּוּם עַד מִתַּחַת לְבֵית כָּר

The men of Israel came forth from the Mitzpa and pursued the Philistines, and then smote them until below Beit Kar, which was in the direction of the land of the Philistines.

וַיִּקַּח שְׁמוּאֵל אֶבֶן אַחַת וַיָּשֶׂם בֵּין הַמִּצְפָּה וּבֵין הַשֵּׁן וַיִּקְרָא אֶת שְׁמָהּ אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר וַיֹּאמַר עַד הֵנָּה עֲזָרָנוּ ה'

Samuel took one stone and set it between the Mitzpa and Shen, the name of a specific rocky crag, shen sela, as shen means a cliff, and the place was named after a certain cliff in that place; and he called its name Even HaEzer, saying: This stone is a sign that the Lord has helped us [azaranu] until here.

וַיִּכָּנְעוּ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים וְלֹא יָסְפוּ עוֹד לָבוֹא בִּגְבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וַתְּהִי יַד ה' בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים כֹּל יְמֵי שְׁמוּאֵל

The Philistines were subdued and did not continue to come as large, organized raiding parties into the border of Israel any longer, and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

וַתָּשֹׁבְנָה הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר לָקְחוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים מֵאֵת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעֶקְרוֹן וְעַד גַּת וְאֶת גְּבוּלָן הִצִּיל יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיְהִי שָׁלוֹם בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבֵין הָאֱמֹרִי

The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel and which they ruled over, and where some Israelites remained, were restored to the sovereignty of Israel, from Ekron in the North to Gat in the South; and Israel delivered their boundaries, the area surrounding the cities, from the hand of the Philistines. Since Ekron and Gat were the easternmost Philistine cities, they effectively marked the border between Israel and the Philistines. There was peace between Israel and the Emorites. A certain number of Emorites remained in the land, and while they did not entirely submit to Israel’s rule, in this new order they did not dare to fight it. Alternatively, Emorites is a general term for all the local nations, including the Philistines. In rabbinic Hebrew, the word “Emorite” is a general term for gentile nations, for example in the expression “the ways of the Emorites,” which refers to all idolatrous peoples.

וַיִּשְׁפֹּט שְׁמוּאֵל אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו

The chapter provides a kind of interim summary of Samuel’s achievements in a different area of activity: Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

וְהָלַךְ מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה וְסָבַב בֵּית אֵל וְהַגִּלְגָּל וְהַמִּצְפָּה וְשָׁפַט אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵת כָּל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה

He would go each and every year and make the rounds of Beit El, Gilgal, and the Mitzpa, and he would judge Israel in all those places.

וּתְשֻׁבָתוֹ הָרָמָתָה כִּי שָׁם בֵּיתוֹ וְשָׁם שָׁפָט אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּבֶן שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ לַה'

The place to which he would return was always to Rama, as his home was there, and there he would judge Israel. This was Samuel’s main place of residence, and he built an altar there to the Lord.