Introduction: A Chapter of Repentance and Salvation
Chapter 7 of Shmuel A is a chapter of reversal. The Aron, which brought severe plagues upon the Philistines and returned on its own to Beit Shemesh, comes to rest in Kiryat Yearim, and the people of Israel, who witnessed these tremendous miracles, awaken to repentance. Shmuel seizes upon this awakening, gathers the people at Mitzpah, and from there a complete salvation goes forth: the Philistines are subdued, the cities are restored, and Shmuel judges Israel all the days of his life. Let us follow the order of the pesukim.
The Aron in the House of Avinadav on the Hill
וַיָּבֹאוּ אַנְשֵׁי קִרְיַת יְעָרִים וַיַּעֲלוּ אֶת־אֲרוֹן יְהוָה וַיָּבִאוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל־בֵּית אֲבִינָדָב בַּגִּבְעָה וְאֶת־אֶלְעָזָר בְּנוֹ קִדְּשׁוּ לִשְׁמֹר אֶת־אֲרוֹן יְהוָה׃ - And the men of Kiryat Yearim came and brought up the Aron of Hashem, and they brought it into the house of Avinadav on the hill, and they consecrated Elazar his son to guard the Aron of Hashem.
Seemingly it would have been enough to say "to the house of Avinadav," so why did the verse need to specify the location? Chazal say that there were two men named Avinadav, and therefore it had to clarify that this was the Avinadav who lived on the hill. The Malbim adds another possibility: it may be that this same Avinadav had two houses, and the verse is precise in stating that the Aron was brought to the house of his that was on the hill.
"And they consecrated Elazar his son" - how does one consecrate a person to guard the Aron? The meaning of "to consecrate" is to designate and set apart. When a man says to a woman "Behold you are consecrated to me," his intent is that she is designated and set apart for him alone and for no other man. Likewise "there shall be no kadesh nor kedeshah" - a harlot is called a kedeshah because she is set aside and designated for the matter of transgression. There is, then, a consecration by way of purity and a designation by way of impurity. Here the meaning is by way of purity: they set Elazar apart, that he should not occupy himself with any other matters at all but only with the Aron and its honor.
Twenty Years of the Aron and the Drawing of the Heart
וַיְהִי מִיּוֹם שֶׁבֶת הָאָרוֹן בְּקִרְיַת יְעָרִים וַיִּרְבּוּ הַיָּמִים וַיִּהְיוּ עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וַיִּנָּהוּ כָּל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרֵי יְהוָה׃ - And it came to pass, from the day that the Aron dwelt in Kiryat Yearim, that the days grew many and were twenty years, and all the house of Israel was drawn after Hashem.
In all, the Aron dwelt in Kiryat Yearim for twenty years: eleven years in the days of Shmuel, two years of Shaul, and seven years during which David reigned in Chevron - until he reigned in Yerushalayim and brought the Aron to him. And despite all these changes of rule, the Aron did not move from its place.
"Vayinahu" - from the expression of being drawn, being pulled along. Who could remain indifferent in the face of such miracles? The severe plagues with which the Philistines were struck because of the Aron, and the way in which the Aron returned on its own to Beit Shemesh - when the people of Israel see such a mighty and awesome thing, the hearts are drawn after Hashem and begin to return in repentance.
Shmuel's Call: Repentance in Heart and in Deed
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־כָּל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר אִם־בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶם אַתֶּם שָׁבִים אֶל־יְהוָה הָסִירוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵי הַנֵּכָר מִתּוֹכְכֶם וְהָעַשְׁתָּרוֹת וְהָכִינוּ לְבַבְכֶם אֶל־יְהוָה וְעִבְדֻהוּ לְבַדּוֹ וְיַצֵּל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים׃ - And Shmuel said to all the house of Israel, saying: If with all your heart you are returning to Hashem, remove the foreign gods from among you and the Ashtarot, and direct your heart to Hashem and serve Him alone, and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.
Shmuel makes the most of the awakening that has taken hold among the people. "If with all your heart" means complete repentance, repentance from the whole heart. And repentance from the whole heart means that a person will fully regret his deeds. Rabbeinu Yonah says: the greater the regret, the greater the cleansing and purification. To what extent will a person be purified through his repentance? According to the pain and regret he felt over the sin he committed.
Shmuel demands two components: repentance in thought and repentance in deed. "Remove the foreign gods from among you" is the repentance of the heart, over evil thoughts and the desire for evil. "And the Ashtarot" is the abandonment of the sin in practice. The Ashtarot are a type of idolatry that had the form of sheep and cattle, and from this the animals too were called "the Ashtarot of your flock," since the animals enrich a person.
וַיָּסִירוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַבְּעָלִים וְאֶת־הָעַשְׁתָּרֹת וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֶת־יְהוָה לְבַדּוֹ׃ - And the children of Israel removed the Baalim and the Ashtarot, and served the Lord alone.
The people of Israel listen to the words of Shmuel the prophet and remove the Baalim and the Ashtarot. Notice: nothing is said here about the repentance in their heart. Why? Because who can know what is in the recesses of the heart? No person can know what goes on in his fellow's heart. Shmuel, who wrote his book, can describe what he saw them actually do, but as for "with all your heart," only Hashem can testify to that.
The Assembly at Mitzpah
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל קִבְצוּ אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמִּצְפָּתָה וְאֶתְפַּלֵּל בַּעַדְכֶם אֶל־יְהוָה׃ - And Shmuel said: Gather all Israel to Mitzpah, and I will pray to the Lord on your behalf.
Why specifically at Mitzpah? Mitzpah was a general gathering place, and above all a place of gathering to strengthen the people. At Mitzpah a miracle had occurred, the miracle that took place with Yehoshua and the kings, when he pursued them until they reached Mitzpah. This miracle set the place apart as a gathering place for all sorts of important matters for which the people would be assembled there.
וַיִּקָּבְצוּ הַמִּצְפָּתָה וַיִּשְׁאֲבוּ־מַיִם וַיִּשְׁפְּכוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וַיָּצוּמוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וַיֹּאמְרוּ שָׁם חָטָאנוּ לַיהוָה וַיִּשְׁפֹּט שְׁמוּאֵל אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמִּצְפָּה׃ - And they gathered to Mitzpah, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there: We have sinned against the Lord. And Shmuel judged the children of Israel at Mitzpah.
"And they drew water and poured it out before the Lord" - the Radak explains, and so the Targum translates, that the meaning is that they poured out their heart in repentance. And presumably there is also in this something that was accepted in their time as a way of repentance. And as is known, when a person repents with all his heart he also weeps, in the language of "every night I make my bed swim, I drench my couch with my tears," and it is in the sense of "pour out your heart like water."
What is a "Tzom"
"And they fasted on that day" - they held a fast, they proclaimed a tzom, they set an assembly. The Radak brings in the name of his father elsewhere that tzom in its origin is not a term for fasting at all, but rather a term for gathering and assembling. And the proof: tzomet ha-gidin (the junction of the sinews), a collection of sinews gathered in one place. It is just that usually, when they would gather everyone together, they would also set a fast day, and following this the day of gathering was called "tzom."
"We Have Sinned" - the Power of Confession
"And they said there, We have sinned against Hashem" - this is the confession, which is part of teshuvah. The very first step of teshuvah is that a person recognizes that he has sinned. "Behold, I will enter into judgment with you, because you say, I have not sinned" - for the very statement "I have not sinned" the Holy One, blessed be He, brings a person to judgment, because "I have not sinned" is the worst of all: if I do not know that something within me is wrong, how can I fix it?
How often people come to make peace between a husband and wife, and one of the parties, usually specifically the more problematic one, does not want to come. Why? Because he is "just fine." "I have long thought that my wife needs marital counseling, I have no problems." And why does a person say this? Because deep down he knows that he is the problematic one, and if he goes to a counselor or a third party he will get a scolding, and it is also uncomfortable for him that the stories his wife has to tell will be heard. On the contrary, the very fact that he does not come shows that something within him is wrong, and that is why he shouts "I am fine," because if he admits that he is not fine he will have to start fixing things, and that is effort, work and resources. So he says "Thank God, everything is fine" and buries his head in the sand.
And then they come to me, when? When his wife has already been to the rabbinate and says she does not want to continue. "Rabbi, marital peace, marital peace." I begin to deal with it and I tell him: my dear, you came too late. Your wife said she does not want to hear anything more, nothing at all. Had you woken up earlier, there are stages at which things can be fixed. When a person understands that he erred and caused damage, there is something to work with. But when a person is certain that he is fine, sometimes it comes to an explosion.
Five signs of genuine teshuvah
The Malbim says: here the people did several things that came to show that their teshuvah was genuine teshuvah. First, they gathered together, and gathering shows unity, and unity itself is a great thing. Second, "and they drew water," that they poured out their hearts like water. Third, "and they fasted," for fasting breaks a person's heart, and through fasting his fat and blood are diminished and he becomes a kind of offering. Fourth, "we have sinned," this is the confession. Fifth, "and Shmuel judged the children of Israel in Mitzpah," teshuvah between man and his fellow.
And what does a judge have to do with teshuvah between man and his fellow? If I wronged someone or robbed him, how can I know for what exactly I must repent? Perhaps I am the one in the right? Therefore there needs to be a judge who will determine the matter. And this is what they did: all the matters between a man and his fellow were brought before Shmuel for him to judge them.
The Philistines come up
וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים כִּי־הִתְקַבְּצוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמִּצְפָּתָה וַיַּעֲלוּ סַרְנֵי־פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּרְאוּ מִפְּנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים׃ - And the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered at Mitzpah, and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel, and the children of Israel heard, and they were afraid of the Philistines.
The Philistines' intelligence corps is working overtime. They hear that all of Israel has gathered at Mitzpah, and they say: there is no better opportunity than this. Everyone is assembled in one place, we will come upon them in a single moment and finish them off.
וַיֹּאמְרוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵל אַל־תַּחֲרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מִזְּעֹק אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְיֹשִׁעֵנוּ מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים׃ - And the children of Israel said to Shmuel, Do not cease to cry out to Hashem our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.
The people plead with Shmuel: now the Philistines are coming upon us, you must pray to Hashem that He save us.
A suckling lamb and Shmuel's cry
וַיִּקַּח שְׁמוּאֵל טְלֵה חָלָב אֶחָד וַיַּעֲלֵהוּ עוֹלָה כָּלִיל לַיהוָה וַיִּזְעַק שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־יְהוָה בְּעַד יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲנֵהוּ יְהוָה׃ - And Shmuel took one suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to Hashem, and Shmuel cried out to Hashem on behalf of Israel, and Hashem answered him.
"A suckling lamb" means a young lamb that still nurses on milk, and the intent is not that it has milk teeth. Shmuel offers it up as a whole burnt offering and prays, "and Hashem answered him."
What is meant by "and Hashem answered him"? One explanation: the voice of the Holy One, blessed be He, has its own pathways. To whomever it needs to reach, it reaches, and to whomever it need not reach, it does not reach. Where do we see this? "And Moshe heard the voice speaking to him." The Sages say: a mighty voice, a powerful voice, a voice that shatters mountains and splits rocks, and with all this it was speaking to him, and a person outside heard nothing of that voice. The voice arrived at a specific address alone. Even today it is known that there are certain frequencies that a person does not hear while dogs do hear. And a second explanation: "and Hashem answered him" refers to what is recounted in the next pasuk.
The Thunder upon the Philistines
וַיְהִי שְׁמוּאֵל מַעֲלֶה הָעוֹלָה וּפְלִשְׁתִּים נִגְּשׁוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּרְעֵם יְהוָה בְּקוֹל־גָּדוֹל בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא עַל־פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיְהֻמֵּם וַיִּנָּגְפוּ לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And it was, as Shmuel was offering up the burnt offering, that the Philistines drew near for battle against Israel, and Hashem thundered with a great voice on that day upon the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were struck down before Israel.
At the very moment that Shmuel is offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines draw near to begin the battle. "And Hashem thundered with a great voice" - the Sages say that He made for them sounds and thunder, like a kind of sonic boom. They heard it and began to flee, and then the people knew that "Hashem answered him": everyone saw the response. The Radak adds that fire came down from heaven upon the burnt offering, and in its wake all those great noises and thunders began.
וַיֵּצְאוּ אַנְשֵׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן־הַמִּצְפָּה וַיִּרְדְּפוּ אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּכּוּם עַד־מִתַּחַת לְבֵית כָּר׃ - And the men of Israel went out from Mitzpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them down until below Beit Kar.
The Malbim says: note that it does not say that they went out to fight the Philistines, but only to pursue them, for there was no battle at all. The Philistines heard the sounds and began to flee, and Israel went out only to pursue them and fell the slain.
Even HaEzer
וַיִּקַּח שְׁמוּאֵל אֶבֶן אַחַת וַיָּשֶׂם בֵּין־הַמִּצְפָּה וּבֵין הַשֵּׁן וַיִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמָהּ אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר וַיֹּאמַר עַד־הֵנָּה עֲזָרָנוּ יְהוָה׃ - And Shmuel took one stone and set it between Mitzpah and Shen, and he called its name Even HaEzer, and he said: until here Hashem has helped us.
Shmuel takes one stone and sets it up between two places that were known in their time - Mitzpah and a place called Shen or Beit HaShen. The stone was like a kind of monument, to testify: until here Hashem has helped us.
And it is interesting: the Shulchan Aruch is divided into four parts - Orach Chaim, Choshen Mishpat, Even HaEzer and Yoreh Deah. Orach Chaim symbolizes a person's way of life, what he must do day to day. Choshen Mishpat, as its name indicates, deals with matters of law and the halachot of judgments. Yoreh Deah deals with the forbidden and the permitted, as in the language "whom shall He teach knowledge, and whom shall He make understand the message." And Even HaEzer deals with matters of kiddushin, gittin, divorce and all that is connected to them, and it is called thus after "I will make him a helper corresponding to him" - the part that deals with matters of women and their marriages.
The Submission of the Pelishtim and the Peace with the Emori
וַיִּכָּנְעוּ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים וְלֹא־יָסְפוּ עוֹד לָבוֹא בִּגְבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וַתְּהִי יַד־יְהוָה בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים כֹּל יְמֵי שְׁמוּאֵל׃ - And the Pelishtim were subdued, and they came no more into the border of Israel, and the hand of Hashem was against the Pelishtim all the days of Shmuel.
The Pelishtim submit, and there is quiet from them for a long period. Until when? As long as Shmuel was in his strength, "until Shmuel grew old" and could no longer go out and come in, and then, as we shall see later, Shmuel was no longer able to act.
וַתָּשֹׁבְנָה הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר לָקְחוּ־פְלִשְׁתִּים מֵאֵת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעֶקְרוֹן וְעַד־גַּת וְאֶת־גְּבוּלָן הִצִּיל יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיְהִי שָׁלוֹם בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבֵין הָאֱמֹרִי׃ - And the cities which the Pelishtim had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gat, and Israel delivered their territory out of the hand of the Pelishtim, and there was peace between Israel and the Emori.
All the cities return to Israel, and not only that, but there was even peace between Israel and the Emori. This is a novelty, because usually when others fight us there are additional nations around who join the party and say: come, let us also take something. So we find with Titus as well, that when he came, people from all the nations gathered together with him. There is always against us a kind of "pile on" - come on, everyone together, in the language of the verse "they said, come, let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more."
In the year 5727 (1967) too, everyone was sure that Jordan would not get involved, and therefore they did not station battalions in Jerusalem; they relied on the king of Jordan being neutral. Until suddenly they received a serious attack, and they began to bring back forces from the south, to which everything had been transferred, and sent a brigade toward Jerusalem, and by the kindness of Hashem they still succeeded in liberating the Kotel and all the rest. Here, when the Pelishtim were struck, the Emori too understood that he had no interest in making war with us, and he made peace with us.
"All the Days of His Life"
וַיִּשְׁפֹּט שְׁמוּאֵל אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו׃ - And Shmuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
"All the days of his life" - this includes even after Shaul began to reign. Shmuel died three months before the death of Shaul, and Shaul reigned two years, so that for a year and nine months of Shaul's reign Shmuel was still a prophet, and afterward he died, and three months later Shaul died, when Shmuel was raised up before him through the ov (necromancy). The verse thus tells us that Shmuel judged Israel even in the days of Shaul: even though they had a king, in all matters of law Shmuel was the judge and the arbiter.
And presumably Shaul also judged, for in their times the king was a judge: cases were brought to David, and Shlomo judged Israel, and that was his request, "and give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your great people." And this already began with Moshe, that the leaders were judges. It is only that Shaul had additional help and support from Shmuel, who was the elder of the judges and arbiters.
And a lovely hint: from the age of two Shmuel was dedicated to Hashem, and all the years of his life were fifty. "All (kol) the days of his life" - "kol" in gematria is fifty.
The Circuit Year by Year
וְהָלַךְ מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה וְסָבַב בֵּית־אֵל וְהַגִּלְגָּל וְהַמִּצְפָּה וְשָׁפַט אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵת כָּל־הַמְּקוֹמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה׃ - And he went from year to year, circuiting Beit El and the Gilgal and the Mitzpah, and he judged Israel in all these places.
Shmuel would go and take the trouble to travel from place to place, so that the people would not have to trouble themselves to come to him. For if they had to come to him, there would be some who might not arrive at all, and so he went about and circuited from place to place. The verse emphasizes this here in order to set up, further on, the contrast between him and his sons, who failed precisely on this very point.
"For there was his house" - the tzaddik who benefits from no one
וּתְשֻׁבָתוֹ הָרָמָתָה כִּי־שָׁם בֵּיתוֹ וְשָׁם שָׁפַט אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּבֶן־שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהוָה׃ - And his return was to the Ramah, for there was his house, and there he judged Israel, and he built there an altar to Hashem.
"And his return was to the Ramah" - each time he finished the annual circuit he would return to the Ramah, for that was his home. And Chazal expound: what is meant by "for there was his house"? That in all the circuits he made, in all those places, his house was with him. That is, Shmuel did not benefit from any person. He would not arrive and begin lodging with people, but rather carried with him his portable tent and all his needs, and asked for nothing from anyone. He did not want favors from anyone, so that there would not be the slightest trace of bribery, and so that there would never be a situation in which he benefited from another person. This is a very great virtue, and there are special tzaddikim who make an effort not to benefit from anything at all. And from whom else did we see that he would not even ask a person to pass him his staff from place to place? From Shimshon.
And the Gemara relates that Rav, when he would go out to judge, would say: "May it be Your will that my return be like my coming." That is, just as I come to the court at a certain level, so may my departure be. For if a judge perverts justice - Hashem have mercy - as it says, "and He robs of life those who rob them," and Chazal say that whoever robs Israel, even by means of a perverted judgment, the Holy One robs him of his life. He thus enters into a matter of mortal danger, and so he would pray: just as I came to the court while wholly righteous and innocent, so may I return without being caught in any sin. And this too is hinted at regarding Shmuel in "and his return was to the Ramah": he would return home righteous just as he left his home, and he did not pervert justice nor cause anything to deviate from pure halachah, but judged everything according to the law.
"And there he judged Israel" - there is no prophet in his own city
And why is it said again, "and there he judged Israel"? I saw in this a novel insight. There is a rule, "there is no prophet in his own city": a person, however great he may be, is generally not accepted in his own place. Why? "We know him, come on, I have known him since he was little." And so what if you know him, today he is a great man? But people are not impressed by a person in his own place, whereas from other places they are more impressed by him.
And in truth there were giants among giants such that the closer you drew to them, the more you saw their greatness. With a mountain, when you are close to it, you do not sense its size; move away from it and you can be awed by its magnitude. Of the Chafetz Chaim, for example, they said that the closer you came to him, the more you were amazed by his greatness. But the Gemara says: a Torah scholar appears to an ignorant person like a golden vessel; once he speaks with him he appears like a silver vessel; once he eats with him he appears like a metal vessel; once he needs something from him he appears like an earthenware vessel. For if the scholar asks him for a favor, he immediately says: this scholar needs me, and his stature declines in his eyes. With Shmuel it was not so. With Shmuel there was tremendous admiration for him even in his own city, and from where do we know this? "And his return was to the Ramah, for there was his house, and there he judged Israel" - even in his own home and his own place they related to him as the greatest judge and the greatest sage.
They tell of a tremendous Torah scholar who lived in a certain city, and the local rabbi of the city passed away. Naturally they should have appointed him, but as is the way of the world, that people think what they have is not good enough, they brought in a rabbi from outside - a rabbi who was rather ignorant. After they installed him, that great Torah scholar said: now a difficulty of mine has been resolved. It is written regarding Moshe, "for this Moshe, the man, we do not know what has become of him," and therefore they said, "arise, make us a god," and they made the calf. And I did not understand: you had Aharon, and for taking you out of Egypt Moshe and Aharon are of equal weight; if you do not have Moshe, take Aharon. Rather, from here I learned: Aharon is from here, he is one of ours, he is from within. And people want to bring in from outside - even a calf, as long as it is from outside and not one of the people of our own place, whom we know.
I once said that reality proves this. There are large yeshivos of two hundred, three hundred, and four hundred young men. I studied in a yeshivah that in my time had six hundred young men, and today there are a thousand there. And it is very rare for a young man to take a groom for his sister from the yeshivah. You know six hundred young men here, and you cannot find among them one who is suitable for your sister? Instead they will take another groom, about whom they know nothing at all, while about the one here they say: I know him, I eat with him, I drink with him. His value always declines in my eyes, because he is from here. Whereas about the other one - at least I know nothing about him. And this is a mistake, for it is surely better to take a person whom you know and whose weaknesses you know, and you know in which area they lie and exactly what they are, than a person whom you do not know at all. But human nature prefers the new and unfamiliar over the familiar. And here the verse tells you that with Shmuel it was not so: even though he grew up among them and was with them, there too he judged Israel.
The altar at the Ramah and the matter of the bamot
"ויבן שם מזבח לה'" - in the place where a salvation had occurred, they would build an altar, and here was the place where he judged them and apparently also atoned for them, and therefore he built an altar there. This was before the bamot (high places) were forbidden, in the era when the bamot were still permitted, on which they would offer vows and freewill offerings. After the Temple was built the bamot were forbidden, but as long as it was not yet built they were permitted. A person who offers today outside the Temple is liable to karet (excision), and this is called shechutei chutz (slaughtered outside): "ואל אוהל מועד לא הביאו... ונכרת" - he did not bring it to the Tent of Meeting... and he shall be cut off, that soul shall be cut off.
Indeed, the bamot were among the hardest things to eradicate in Israel, because it was very difficult for the people themselves to detach from it. A person felt that he was offering a sacrifice to Hashem, and when he needed to bring a vow or a freewill offering he would say: What, shall I go up to Jerusalem for a week? Why should I drag myself along the roads? He lived in Kiryat Shemona, and he would have to haul himself with a donkey and a wagon, go up with the sacrifice, reach Jerusalem and offer it there, whereas here he offers it right next to his house and sacrifices on a bamah. Therefore you see that throughout the entire era of the kings they managed to eradicate idolatry, and yet "רק העם מזבחים ומקטרים בבמות" - only the people were sacrificing and burning incense on the bamot, a bamah to Hashem, and it was impossible to stop them from doing this.
In summary:
The chapter leads us from the Ark sitting for twenty years in Kiryat Yearim, through the awakening of "וינהו כל בית ישראל אחרי ה'" - and all the house of Israel yearned after Hashem, to the complete repentance that Shmuel demanded: removing the foreign gods from the heart and abandoning the Ashtarot in deed. At Mitzpah all the signs of true repentance came together: unity, pouring out the heart like water, fasting, the confession "חטאנו" - we have sinned, and repair between man and his fellow through justice and a judge. Immediately the salvation came: Hashem thundered upon the Philistines, who fled without any battle at all, and the Even HaEzer was set up as a memorial, "עד הנה עזרנו ה'" - until here Hashem has helped us. The chapter concludes with the figure of Shmuel the judge, who takes the trouble to travel around to the people rather than burden them, who takes nothing from anyone, who returns to his home as clean as he left, and merits tremendous esteem even in his own place: "כי שם ביתו ושם שפט את ישראל" - for there was his house, and there he judged Israel.