1 Samuel 7:4 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

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

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

Then the people of Israel got rid of their idols of Baal and Ashtaroth, and they worshiped only the LORD.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

The Israelites abandoned their false gods and committed to serving only the true God.

📚 Historical Context

This verse comes after Samuel called Israel to repent and return to God after twenty years of Philistine oppression. Baal was a Canaanite fertility god, and Ashtaroth (or Asherah) was a goddess associated with love and war. The Israelites had adopted these pagan deities from the surrounding nations, which led to God's judgment through foreign domination.

Explore Similar Verses

Judges 10:6

The people of Israel did what was wrong in God's eyes again. They worshiped Baal and Ashtaroth, along with the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. They abandoned the LORD and stopped serving him.

1 Samuel 7:3

Samuel spoke to all the people of Israel, saying, 'If you truly want to return to the LORD with your whole hearts, then get rid of the foreign gods and idols of Ashtaroth from among you. Prepare your hearts for the LORD and serve only him, and he will rescue you from the power of the Philistines.'

1 Samuel 12:10

And they cried out to the LORD, saying, 'We have sinned because we have abandoned the LORD and worshiped the false gods Baal and Ashtaroth. But now rescue us from our enemies, and we will serve you.'

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