I Shmuel 7: Pour One Out

“They assembled at Mizpah, and they drew water and poured it out before the LORD; they fasted that day, and there they confessed that they had sinned against the LORD. And Samuel acted as chieftain of the Israelites at Mizpah” (וַיִּקָּבְצוּ הַמִּצְפָּתָה וַיִּשְׁאֲבוּ־מַיִם וַיִּשְׁפְּכוּ לִפְנֵי ה׳ וַיָּצוּמוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וַיֹּאמְרוּ שָׁם חָטָאנוּ לַה׳ וַיִּשְׁפֹּט שְׁמוּאֵל אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמִּצְפָּה) (verse 6). Why did the people pour out water? The Targum Yonatan explains that the people did not literally pour out water. Instead, they poured out their hearts in prayer. This symbol is used later on by Jeremiah in Lamentations: “Pour out your heart like water/ In the presence of the Lord!” (שִׁפְכִי כַמַּיִם לִבֵּךְ נֹכַח פְּנֵי אֲדֹנָי) (Lamentations 2:20). Radak has the same message, but he believes that the people did pour out water to show that they wanted to pour out their sins before God. Pouring water as a korban would happen during Sukkot as part of the simchat beit hashoeva celebration. It is the time of year where one prays for rains and prosperity during the winter months ahead. The rainy season is when the nation is most reliant on God. By pouring a water libation the people are signaling that they are truly reliant on God and at the same time trust that God will help save them. Water is an essential part of survival in the Near East and the fact is repeated often in the book of Devarim. The people were just trying to go back to basics and show God that they realized that God was the source of their very existence. The rest of the chapter is set up to parallel chapter 4. “And the Philistines heard” (וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים) (4:6) and “and the Israelites heard” (וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל) (verse 7); “the Philistines were afraid” (וַיִּרְאוּ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים) (4:7) and “They were afraid of the Philistines” (וַיִּירְאוּ מִפְּנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים) (verse 7); “And he will save us from our enemies” (וְיֹשִׁעֵנוּ מִיַּד אֹיְבֵינוּ) (4:3) and “He will save us from the Philistines” (וְיֹשִׁעֵנוּ מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים) (verse 8); “And Israel blew a loud blast and the earth shook” (וַיָּרִעוּ כָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּרוּעָה גְדוֹלָה וַתֵּהֹם הָאָרֶץ) (4:5) and “God thundered loudly against the Philistines and he shook them greatly” (וַיַּרְעֵם ה׳ בְּקוֹל־גָּדוֹל בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא עַל־פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיְהֻמֵּם) (verse 10); “And it was a great defeat” (וַתְּהִי הַמַּכָּה גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד) (4:10) and “And he defeated them until Bet Car” (וַיַּכּוּם עַד־מִתַּחַת לְבֵית כָּר) (verse 11). In chapter 4, the Philistines were afraid and the Israelites overconfident. This time the roles reversed. The only difference was this time Shmuel and God were part of the equation. The people had repented and asked Shmuel to pray and their behalf. With God and Shmuel on their side the Philistines were defeated.