7:6 drew water and poured it out before the Lord. Although this action is not paralleled elsewhere in Scripture, it seems to signify sorrow and, along with fasting, a desire to seek God earnestly (cf. 1:15; Ps. 62:8; Lam. 2:19). David’s action in 2 Sam. 23:16 occurs in a different context and has a different meaning.

We have sinned against the Lord. The words and actions (v. 4) of the Israelites give evidence of true repentance. The time is ripe for the Lord to deliver His people from their Philistine oppressors. The response of the Philistines to the convocation at Mizpah (v. 7) provides an opportunity for this deliverance.