1 Samuel 7 · Verse 3

1 Samuel 7:3

And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and 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.
1 Samuel 7:3, King James Version

1 Samuel 7:3 in other translations

BSBThen Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
WEBSamuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “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 hearts to the LORD, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
ASVAnd Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto Jehovah with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts unto Jehovah, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
YLTAnd Samuel speaketh unto all the house of Israel, saying, ‘If with all your heart ye are turning back unto Jehovah--turn aside the gods of the stranger from your midst, and Ashtaroth; and prepare your heart unto Jehovah, and serve Him only, and He doth deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.'
DARBYAnd Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If ye return to Jehovah with all your heart, put away the strangegods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and apply your hearts unto Jehovah, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
BBEThen Samuel said to all Israel, If with all your hearts you would come back to the Lord, then put away all the strange gods and the Astartes from among you, and let your hearts be turned to the Lord, and be servants to him only: and he will make you safe from the hands of the Philistines.
WebsterAnd 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.

What does 1 Samuel 7:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 7:3-6
3-6. Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel--A great national reformation was effected through the influence of Samuel. Disgusted with their foreign servitude, and panting for the restoration of liberty and independence, they were open to salutary impressions; and convinced of their errors, they renounced idolatry. The re-establishment of the faith of their fathers was inaugurated at a great public meeting, held at Mizpeh in Judah, and hallowed by the observance of impressive religious solemnities. The drawing water, and pouring it out before the Lord, seems to have been a symbolical act by which, in the people's name, Samuel testified their sense of national corruption, their need of that moral purification of which water is the emblem, and their sincere desire to pour out their hearts in repentance before God.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 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.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 7:1-4

Chapter Outline The ark removed to Kirjath-jearim. (1-4) The Israelites solemnly repent. (5-6) The Lord discomfits the Philistines. (7-12) They are subdued, Samuel judges Israel. (13-17) Verses 1-4 God will find a resting-place for his ark; if some thrust it from them, the hearts of others shall be inclined to receive it. It is no new thing for God's ark to be in a private house. Christ and his apostles preached…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 7:1-4 →

1 Samuel 7:3 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
שְׁמוּאֵ֗לshe.mu.'ElSamuelH8050
אֶל\־'el-toH413
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
בֵּ֣יתbeit[the] house ofH1004
יִשְׂרָאֵל֮Yis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
לֵאמֹר֒le.Mor<to> sayingH559
אִם\־'im-ifH518
בְּכָל\־be.kholwith allH3605
לְבַבְכֶ֗םle.vav.Khemheart yourH3824
אַתֶּ֤ם'a.TemyouH859
שָׁבִים֙sha.Vim[are] turning backH7725
אֶל\־'el-toH413
יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
הָסִ֜ירוּha.Si.ruremoveH5493
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
אֱלֹהֵ֧י'e.lo.Hei[the] gods ofH430
הַנֵּכָ֛רha.ne.Khar<the> foreignnessH5236
מִתּוֹכְכֶ֖םmi.tokh.Khemfrom among youH8432
וְהָעַשְׁתָּר֑וֹתve.ha.'ash.ta.Rotand the AshtarothH6252
וְהָכִ֨ינוּve.ha.Khi.nuand directH3559
לְבַבְכֶ֤םle.vav.Khemheart yourH3824
אֶל\־'el-toH413
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
וְעִבְדֻ֣הוּve.'iv.Du.huand serve himH5647
לְבַדּ֔וֹle.va.Doto only himH905
וְיַצֵּ֥לve.ya.Tzelso may he deliverH5337
אֶתְכֶ֖ם'et.Khem<obj.> youH853
מִיַּ֥דmi.Yadfrom [the] hand ofH3027
פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים\׃pe.lish.Tim[the] PhilistinesH6430

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 7:3

  • Luke 4:8

    And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

  • Deuteronomy 13:4

    Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

  • Matthew 4:10

    Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

  • Deuteronomy 6:13

    Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

  • Isaiah 55:7

    Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

  • Joshua 24:14

    Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

  • John 4:24

    God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

  • Deuteronomy 10:20

    Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

  • Joshua 24:23

    Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.

  • Joel 2:12-13

    Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

  • 1 Kings 8:48

    And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:

  • Hosea 6:1-2

    Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
A.M. 2884. B.C. 1120. An. Ex. Is. 371. return.
De 30:2-10; 1Ki 8:48; Isa 55:7; Ho 6:1,2; 14:1; Joe 2:12,13
put away.
Ge 35:2; Jos 24:14,23; Jud 2:13; 10:6
prepare.
De 30:6; 1Ch 22:19; 28:9; 2Ch 30:19; Job 11:13,14; Pr 16:1
Jer 4:3,4; Eze 18:31; Mt 15:8; Joh 4:24
serve him.
De 6:13; 10:20; 13:4; Mt 4:10; 6:24; Lu 4:8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 7:2

    And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath–jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.

  • 1 Samuel 7:3

    And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and 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.

  • 1 Samuel 7:4

    Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only.

Read all of 1 Samuel 7

1 Samuel 7:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y habló Samuel á toda la casa de Israel, diciendo: Si de todo vuestro corazón os volvéis á Jehová, quitad los dioses ajenos y á Astaroth de entre vosotros, y preparad vuestro corazón á Jehová, y á sólo él servid, y os librará de mano de los Filisteos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Samuel parla à toute la maison d’Israël, disant: Si de tout votre cœur vous retournez à l’ Éternel, ôtez du milieu de vous les dieux étrangers, et les Ashtoreths, et attachez fermement votre cœur à l’ Éternel, et servez-le lui seul; et il vous délivrera de la main des Philistins.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da sprach Samuel zu dem ganzen Hause Israel und sagte: Wenn ihr mit eurem ganzen Herzen zu Jehova umkehret, so tut die fremden Götter und die Astaroth aus eurer Mitte hinweg, und richtet euer Herz auf Jehova und dienet ihm allein; und er wird euch aus der Hand der Philister erretten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ait autem Samuel ad universam domum Israël, dicens: Si in toto corde vestro revertimini ad Dominum, auferte deos alienos de medio vestri, Baalim et Astaroth: et præparate corda vestra Domino, et servite ei soli, et eruet vos de manu Philisthiim.