Community leaders usually met for business at the town gates (see Ruth 4:1–2).
have a sacrifice on the high place: Samuel is one of the few people who combined prophetic and priestly roles (others include Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Jesus).
the high place: An open-air altar or platform on a hill near the city gate. High places often became sites for pagan idolatry (see Numbers 33:52; 1 Kings 15:14; 22:43; 2 Kings 12:3; 14:4; 15:4, 35).