I'm Chilean and I want to know the meaning and origin of the name Eben Ezer because in my country is a custom to put that name to trade places, specially small grocery stores. I have consulted many times owners, but usually they tells me that it "is a biblical name". It's also a way of knowing that shop owners are Protestants (my country is mostly Catholic).
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@Andrew Yes , you're right . However I will not delete the question (by myself) because the answer seems to me correct and useful.– RodrigoMay 31, 2016 at 22:35
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@Rodrigo it is correct and useful! I'm glad you got a good answer.– AndrewJun 1, 2016 at 0:28
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1 Answer
n 1 Samuel 7, the prophet Samuel and the Israelites found themselves under attack by the Philistines. Fearing for their lives, the Israelites begged Samuel to pray for them in their impending battle against the Philistines. Samuel offered a sacrifice to God and prayed for His protection. God listened to Samuel, causing the Philistines to lose the battle and retreat back to their own territory. After the Israelite victory, the Bible records: “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us’ ” (1 Samuel 7:12).
The word Ebenezer comes from the Hebrew words ’Eben hà-ezer (eh’-ben haw-e’-zer), which simply mean “stone of help” (see Enhanced…, 1995). When Robinson wrote his lyrics, he followed the word Ebenezer with the phrase, “Here by Thy great help I’ve come.” An Ebenezer, then, is simply a monumental stone set up to signify the great help that God granted the one raising the stone. In Robinson’s poem, it figuratively meant that the writer—and all who subsequently sing the song—acknowledge God’s bountiful blessings and help in their lives.
