Ebenezer

Biblical Text

Ebenezer appears three times in 1 Samuel.

• 1 Samuel 4:1; 5:1: The name of the place where Israel encamped to fight the Philistines. Israel suffered a heavy defeat in this battle, and the Ark of the Covenant, which had been brought from Shiloh, was captured. The Philistines carried the ark from Ebenezer to Ashdod (1 Samuel 5:1). When he heard the news of this defeat, the priest Eli died.
• 1 Samuel 7:12: After defeating the Philistines at Mizpah, Samuel set up a stone between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Hitherto hath the LORD helped us."

The background of chapter 7 is as follows. Twenty years after the ark had come to rest at Kirjath-jearim, Samuel urged Israel to put away foreign gods such as Baal and Ashtaroth. The people gathered at Mizpah, where they fasted and repented, and Samuel offered a burnt offering. The Philistines then attacked, but according to the text the LORD thundered with a great thunder and threw them into confusion (1 Samuel 7:10).

Meaning and Background of the Word

Ebenezer combines the Hebrew words eben ("stone") and ezer ("help") and means "stone of help." The stone in chapter 7 is a memorial erected to commemorate an event. Israel had a custom of setting up stones in this way to remember what God had done. Similar examples include Jacob's setting up a stone pillar at Bethel (Genesis 28) and the setting up of twelve stones after the crossing of the Jordan River (Joshua 4).

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The word Ebenezer does not appear in the New Testament. However, the theme of confessing God as "helper" runs through both the Old and New Testaments. Hebrews 13:5–6 quotes the Psalms in confessing, "The Lord is my helper." Christians have read such passages in connection with the confession of Ebenezer. This, however, is an interpretive connection; the New Testament does not refer to Ebenezer directly.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Relationship between the two places: Interpreters differ on whether the Ebenezer of chapter 4 and the stone of chapter 7 refer to the same location. Some hold that chapter 4 uses, by anticipation, a name given later; others regard them as different places. Scholars also disagree about the exact location. The place name "Shen" in chapter 7 is read differently in ancient versions such as the Septuagint.
• Meaning of "hitherto": Some interpret the word spatially ("to this place"), while others read it temporally ("until now"). Sermons often extend it into a confession that God "will continue to help in the future," but what the text directly expresses is a confession of help already received.
• Scope of the text: The passage deals with a historical event experienced by the community of Israel. Applying it to an individual's confession of faith is an application made in preaching and devotional life. Moreover, nothing in the text suggests that the stone itself was regarded as sacred.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Ebenezer is widely used as an expression confessing "God's grace that has kept us until now." First Samuel 7:12 is frequently used as a sermon text for New Year's Eve watch night services, year-end thanksgiving services, and church anniversary services. The word is also commonly used in the names of churches, prayer retreat centers, and Christian organizations. The original English lyrics of "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," a hymn written by the eighteenth-century Englishman Robert Robinson, contain the word "Ebenezer." This hymn appears in translation in the Korean hymnal under the title "Bok-ui Geunwon Gangnimhasa."