Verse Lens · Concise explanation
1 Samuel 7:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16And he went from year to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Maps his yearly judging circuit through Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpeh.
Philistine pressure recedes, and towns come back
This verse is one part of that explanation in 1 Samuel 7:13–7:17. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 1 Samuel 7:13–7:17
Read 1 Samuel 7:16 as one step in 1 Samuel 7:13–7:17: it maps his yearly judging circuit through Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpeh. The complete scene shows that Philistine pressure recedes, towns return, peace with Amorites is noted, and Samuel judges Israel on an annual circuit before returning to his Ramah home and altar.
Why This Verse Appears Here
At verse 7:16, the scene maps his yearly judging circuit through Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpeh. That movement matters to “Restored towns and Samuel's circuit summarize stability” while the unit's uncertainty and ethical boundary continue to govern application.
What Remains True
Maps his yearly judging circuit through Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpeh. Within 1 Samuel 7:13–7:17, this contribution supports the unit's enduring claim: The enduring claim is contextual rather than triumphal: Philistine pressure recedes, towns return, peace with Amorites is noted, and Samuel judges Israel on an annual circuit before returning to his Ramah home and altar. The summary does not make one leader's rule beyond scrutiny, authorize territorial claims today, or transfer ancient peace and boundaries to modern peoples.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Samuel 7:13–7:17 — Restored towns and Samuel's circuit summarize stabilitySources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV words, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete unit coverage.
Exact location: 1 Samuel 7:13–7:17, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Samuel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology, with the two KJV-Hebrew versification shifts stated rather than silently offset.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Sam.xml, OSIS 7:13–7:17; KJV 20:42 spans Hebrew 20:42–21:1, KJV 21:1–15 maps to Hebrew 21:2–16, KJV 23:29 maps to Hebrew 24:1, and KJV 24:1–22 maps to Hebrew 24:2–23
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible First Edition Notes: 1 Samuel
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Only the translator notes actually printed for these verses, used for lexical, grammatical, textual, historical, and older-English controls.
Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Notes, 1 Samuel PDF, printed pp. 504–543, exact tc/tn/sn entries attached to 7:13–7:17
Open source ↗