Bible Strands
1 Samuel 7:2
And from that day a long time passed, twenty years in all, as the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim. And all the house of Israel mournfully sought the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the interval after the ark was placed in Abinadab’s house at Kiriath-jearim, noting that the entire house of Israel was actively seeking the LORD. This statement bridges Eleazar’s consecration to guard the ark and Samuel’s subsequent call for national repentance.
The words — The Hebrew שֶׁבֶת (Shevet) literally means “dwelt” or “remained,” denoting the ark’s stationary location. The verb וַ/יִּרְבּוּ (va/i.yir.Bu) translates as “they increased,” quantifying the passage of the twenty years.
The thread — The narrative pattern of prolonged waiting and collective seeking aligns with the weeping recorded in Judges 2:4 and the prophetic summons to acknowledge guilt and return found in Jeremiah 3:13 and Jeremiah 3:22. Scripture consistently links extended periods of divine concealment with subsequent calls for covenant faithfulness.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to acknowledge that extended silence does not equate to divine absence, but rather frames a period where the community must earnestly pursue God. It demands a clear recognition that national restoration follows sustained, collective turning toward the LORD.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Judges 2:4 When the angel of the LORD had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people lifted up their voices and wept.
- Jeremiah 3:13 Only acknowledge your guilt, that you have rebelled against the LORD your God. You have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every green tree and have not obeyed My voice,’” declares the LORD.
- Jeremiah 3:22 “Return, O faithless children, and I will heal your faithlessness.” “Here we are. We come to You, for You are the LORD our God.
- Jeremiah 31:9 They will come with weeping, and by their supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk beside streams of waters, on a level path where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s Father, and Ephraim is My firstborn.”
- Zechariah 12:10 Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
- Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
- 2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.