1 Samuel 1
1
The Birth of Samuel
1There was a certain man of #[ver. 19] Ramathaim-zophim of #See Josh. 24:33 the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, #[1 Kgs. 11:26]an Ephrathite. 2He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3Now this man used to go up #ver. 21; Ex. 23:14; Deut. 16:16; [Luke 2:41] year by year from his city #See Deut. 12:5-7 to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts #[Josh. 18:1]at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. 4On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, #Deut. 12:17, 18; 16:11; [Neh. 8:10, 12]he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.#1:5 Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. Septuagint And, although he loved Hannah, he would give Hannah only one portion, because the Lord had closed her womb 6And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? #Ruth 4:15Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
9After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of #ch. 3:3the temple of the Lord. 10She was #Job 7:11; 10:1deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11And she #Gen. 28:20; Judg. 11:30 vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed #Gen. 29:32 look on the affliction of your servant and #ver. 19; [Gen. 30:22] remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, #Judg. 13:5; [Num. 6:5]and no razor shall touch his head.”
12As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 15But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but #Job 30:16; Ps. 42:4; Lam. 2:19; [Ps. 62:8]I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16Do not regard your servant as #ch. 2:12; Judg. 19:22a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17Then Eli answered, #ch. 20:42; Judg. 18:6; 2 Kgs. 5:19; Mark 5:34 “Go in peace, and the God of Israel #Ps. 20:4, 5grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18And she said, #Gen. 33:15; Ruth 2:13 “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman #[Eccles. 9:7]went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
19They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at #ch. 2:11; [ver. 1] Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord #ver. 11remembered her. 20And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”#1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard of God
Samuel Given to the Lord
21The man Elkanah and all his house #ver. 3went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord #ver. 11, 28; [ch. 2:11, 18; 3:1]and dwell there forever.” 23#[Num. 30:7] Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; #2 Sam. 7:25only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24And when she had weaned him, #Deut. 12:5, 6, 11 she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull,#1:24 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text three bulls an ephah#1:24 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to #ver. 3, 9; [Josh. 18:1]the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26And she said, “Oh, my lord! #ch. 17:55; 20:3; 2 Sam. 11:11; 2 Kgs. 2:2, 4, 6; 4:30As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27For this child I prayed, #ver. 17; [Ps. 6:9]and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”
#
Gen. 24:26, 52 And he worshiped the Lord there.
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1 Samuel 1
1
The Family of Elkanah
1There was a certain man from Ramathaim Zophim, from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.#Or “Ephrathite” 2He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah, and the name of the second was Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3Now this man used to go up from his town year by year#Literally “from days to days” to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of hosts in Shiloh, where#Literally “and there” the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to Yahweh. 4On#Literally “And it happened on” the day Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5But to Hannah he would give a double portion,#Literally “a portion of two faces” because he loved Hannah, though Yahweh had closed her womb. 6(Now her rival wife would provoke her severely in order to upset her because Yahweh had closed her womb.) 7And so he used to do#So Hebrew; because of the abrupt change of subject some revocalize the verb to read “it used to be” year after year; whenever#Or “as often as”; literally “from enough” she went up to the house of Yahweh, she#That is, Penninah would provoke her so that she#That is, Hannah would weep and would not eat. 8So Elkanah her husband would say to her: “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat? And why are you heartsick?#Literally “why is your heart evil” Am I not better to you than ten sons?” 9Then Hannah got up after eating and drinking at Shiloh. (Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the temple#This is not the temple of Solomon (ca. 966 bc), but rather the tabernacle that first resided at Shiloh after the conquest of Joshua. of Yahweh.) 10She was deeply troubled,#Literally “bitter of soul” so she prayed to Yahweh and wept bitterly. 11She made a vow#Literally “vowed a vow” and said: “O Yahweh of hosts, if you will look with compassion on the misery of your female servant, and will remember me, and not forget your female servant, and will give to your female servant a male child#Literally “an offspring of men” then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and a razor will never pass over his head.”#“A razor will never pass over his head” indicates that Hannah promised to dedicate her son to Yahweh as a Nazirite, according to the terms of Num 6:1–21 12While#Literally “And it happened that when” she continued to pray before Yahweh, Eli was observing her mouth. 13Now Hannah had been speaking in her heart; her lips were moving, but her voice could not be heard, so Eli considered her to be drunk. 14Then Eli said to her, “How long will you behave like someone who is drunk? Put away your wine!” 15But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord. I am a woman deeply distressed,#Literally “difficult of spirit” but I have not drunk wine or strong drink. Rather, I have poured out my soul before Yahweh. 16Do not regard your female servant as worthless,#Literally “as a daughter of Belial/daughter of worthlessness” but because of the extent of my worries and my provocation I have spoken all of this.” 17Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your request that you have asked of him.” 18And she said, “May your female slave find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went on her way and ate something, and her face did not look sad any longer.#Literally “her faces were not for her any longer”
The Birth of Samuel
19Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before Yahweh and returned#Literally “and they returned and went” to their house at Ramah. Then Elkanah had sexual relations with#Literally “knew” Hannah his wife, and Yahweh remembered her. 20In due time,#Literally “At the turning of the days” Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She called his name Samuel, for she said, “I requested him from Yahweh.”
21So the man Elkanah went up with all his household to make the annual sacrifice#Literally “to sacrifice the sacrifice of days” to Yahweh and to pay his vow. 22But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Once the boy is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear before Yahweh; and he will remain there forever.” 23So her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what seems right to you;#Literally “do what is good in your eyes” stay until you wean him. Only may Yahweh fulfill his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24Then she brought him up with her when she had weaned him, along with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin#Or “a clay jar” of wine. She brought him to the house of Yahweh at Shiloh while the boy was still young. 25They slaughtered the bull, and they brought the boy to Eli. 26She said, “Excuse me, my lord. As you live,#Literally “your soul lives” my lord, I am the woman who stood with you in this place to pray to Yahweh. 27I prayed for this boy, and Yahweh has given me my request that I asked from him. 28I in turn have lent him to Yahweh. As long as he lives#Literally “All the days that he lives” he is lent to Yahweh.” Then they worshiped Yahweh there.
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