Why did the people pour out water before the LORD?
1 Samuel 7:6 (ESV)
6So they gathered at Mizpah 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 Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.
The exact purpose of pouring out water is unclear.1 It is possibly linked with the fasting in some way as an action which demonstrates sorrow for sin.2 Other suggestions include the washing away of communal guilt,3 or a sign of complete devotion/dedication to the Lord (as in Lamentations 2:19).4
6 So they gathered at Mizpah 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 Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.