1 Samuel 7:2 Meaning and Explanation
“And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →For twenty long years the ark remains at Kirjath-jearim, and all Israel mourns and longs for the LORD.
What Does 1 Samuel 7:2 Mean?
The narrator marks the passage of time: twenty years go by with the ark resting at Kirjath-jearim. During this long stretch under Philistine pressure, the whole house of Israel begins to grieve and yearn after the LORD. A national ache awakens, a homesickness for the God they had drifted from.
This verse names the first movement of true repentance: a heart that misses God. Before deliverance comes the longing; before the rescue, the turning. The lament is not despair but desire, the soul reaching back toward its source. God lets the years do their patient work, drawing His people from distraction to devotion, teaching that the heart which mourns its distance from Him is already being drawn home.
1 Samuel 7:2 in the Original Language
nahah (נָהָה), 'lamented' -- to mourn or yearn, a longing cry after what is loved.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Samuel 7:2
What does 1 Samuel 7:2 mean?
For twenty long years the ark remains at Kirjath-jearim, and all Israel mourns and longs for the LORD.