1 Samuel 2
2
Hannah’s Prayer
1And Hannah prayed and said,
# For ver. 1-10, see Luke 1:46-53 “My heart exults in the Lord;
# ver. 10; Ps. 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; 112:9; 148:14 my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because #Ps. 9:14; 13:5; 20:5; 35:9I rejoice in your salvation.
2 #
Ex. 15:11; Ps. 86:8; 89:6, 8 “There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is #Deut. 32:30, 31no rock like our God.
3Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 #
Ps. 37:15; 46:9; 76:3 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
#
Ps. 113:9; Isa. 54:1 The barren has borne seven,
#
Jer. 15:9
but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 #
Deut. 32:39
The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 # [Job 1:21] The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
#
Job 5:11; Ps. 75:7 he brings low and he exalts.
8 #
Ps. 113:7, 8; [Dan. 4:17; Luke 1:52] He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
#
Job 36:7 to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
# [Job 38:4-6; Ps. 24:2; 102:25; 104:5] For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.
9 #
Ps. 121:3; Prov. 3:26; [Ps. 91:11] “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 #
Ps. 2:9 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
# ch. 7:10; Ps. 18:13; [2 Sam. 22:14] against them he will thunder in heaven.
#
Ps. 96:10, 13; 98:9 The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
# ver. 1; [Ps. 89:24] and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
11Then Elkanah went home #ch. 1:19 to Ramah. #ver. 18; ch. 3:1And the boy#2:11 Hebrew na‘ar can be rendered boy (2:11, 18, 21, 26; 3:1, 8), servant (2:13, 15), or young man (2:17), depending on the context was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.
Eli’s Worthless Sons
12Now the sons of Eli were #See ch. 1:16 worthless men. #Judg. 2:10They did not know the Lord. 13The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15Moreover, #Lev. 3:5, 16; 7:23, 25, 31before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17Thus the sin of the young men was very great #[Gen. 6:11] in the sight of the Lord, #[Mal. 2:8]for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.
18 # ver. 11; ch. 3:1 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy #Ex. 28:4; 2 Sam. 6:14; 1 Chr. 15:27clothed with a linen ephod. 19And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year #ch. 1:3when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman #ch. 1:28for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.
21 #
Gen. 21:1 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. #ver. 26; ch. 3:19; [Judg. 13:24; Luke 1:80; 2:40]And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.
Eli Rebukes His Sons
22Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who #Ex. 38:8were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, #[Josh. 11:20]for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.
26Now the boy Samuel #Luke 2:52continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.
The Lord Rejects Eli’s Household
27And there came #1 Kgs. 13:1 a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, #[Ex. 3–12]‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28#Ex. 28:1; Num. 18:1, 7 Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, #[ch. 14:3; 22:18] to wear an ephod before me? #Lev. 2:3, 10; 6:16; 7:7, 8, 34; 10:14, 15; Num. 5:9, 10; See Num. 18:8-19I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29Why then do you #Deut. 32:15scorn#2:29 Hebrew kick at my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ 30Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: #Ex. 27:21; 29:9 ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ #[Jer. 18:9, 10]but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31Behold, #1 Kgs. 2:27; [ch. 4:11, 18, 20; 22:18, 19]the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32Then #ch. 4:11; [Judg. 18:30]; See Ps. 78:59-64 in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, #[Zech. 8:4]and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his#2:33 Septuagint; Hebrew your; twice in this verse eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants#2:33 Hebrew increase of your house shall die by the sword of men.#2:33 Septuagint; Hebrew die as men 34#1 Kgs. 13:3 And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die #ch. 4:11on the same day. 35#1 Kgs. 2:35; 1 Chr. 29:22 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. #ch. 25:28; 1 Kgs. 11:38; [2 Sam. 7:11, 27] And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before #2 Sam. 22:51; Ps. 18:50; [Ps. 89:20]my anointed forever. 36And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests’ places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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1 Samuel 2
2
1And Hannah prayed:#Hannah appeals to a God who maintains order by keeping human affairs in balance, reversing the fortunes of the arrogant, who, like Peninnah, boast of their good fortune (vv. 1, 3, 9) at the expense of those like Hannah who receive less from the Lord. Hannah’s admission places her among the faithful who trust that God will execute justice on their behalf. The reference “his king…his anointed” (v. 10) recalls the final sentence of the Book of Judges and introduces the kingship theme that dominates the Books of Samuel.
“My heart exults in the Lord,
my horn is exalted by my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in your victory.#Dt 33:17; 2 Sm 22:3; Ps 18:2; 89:18; Is 61:10; Lk 1:47, 69.
2There is no Holy One like the Lord;
there is no Rock like our God.#2 Sm 22:3; Ps 18:2.
3Speak boastfully no longer,
Do not let arrogance issue from your mouths.#Speak…mouths: addressed to the enemies mentioned in v. 1.
For an all-knowing God is the Lord,
a God who weighs actions.#Ps 75:5–6.
4“The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.#Is 40:29.
5The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry no longer have to toil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes.#Ru 4:15; Jer 15:9.
6“The Lord puts to death and gives life,
casts down to Sheol and brings up again.#Dt 32:39; Tb 4:19; Jb 5:11; Ps 30:4; Wis 16:13; Lk 1:52.
7The Lord makes poor and makes rich,
humbles, and also exalts.
8He raises the needy from the dust;
from the ash heap lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and he has set the world upon them.#Jb 9:6; 38:6; Ps 75:4; 104:5; 113:8; 121:3.
9He guards the footsteps of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall perish in the darkness;
for not by strength does one prevail.
10The Lord’s foes shall be shattered;
the Most High in heaven thunders;
the Lord judges the ends of the earth.
May he give strength to his king,
and exalt the horn of his anointed!”#Ps 98:9.
11When Elkanah returned home to Ramah, the child remained in the service of the Lord under the priest Eli.
Wickedness of Eli’s Sons. 12Now the sons of Eli were wicked; they had respect neither for the Lord 13nor for the priests’ duties toward the people. When someone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork, while the meat was still boiling,#Ex 29:27–28; Lv 7:29–36; Dt 18:3. 14and would thrust it into the basin, kettle, caldron, or pot. Whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. They treated all the Israelites who came to the sanctuary at Shiloh in this way. 15In fact, even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the one offering the sacrifice, “Give me some meat to roast for the priest. He will not accept boiled meat from you, only raw meat.” 16And if this one protested, “Let the fat be burned first, then take whatever you wish,” he would reply, “No, give it to me now, or else I will take it by force.”#Lv 3:3–5; Nm 18:17. 17Thus the young men sinned grievously in the presence of the Lord, treating the offerings to the Lord with disdain.
The Lord Rewards Hannah. 18Meanwhile the boy Samuel, wearing a linen ephod,#Linen ephod: not the same as the high priest’s ephod (Ex 28:6–14) or the ephod used in divination (v. 28). Samuel wore the same kind of a ceremonial garment as the priests did (1 Sm 22:18). David also wore an ephod when he danced before the ark (2 Sm 6:14). was serving in the presence of the Lord. 19His mother used to make a little garment for him, which she would bring him each time she went up with her husband to offer the customary sacrifice. 20And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, as they were leaving for home. He would say, “May the Lord repay you with children from this woman for the gift she has made to the Lord!” 21The Lord favored Hannah so that she conceived and gave birth to three more sons and two daughters, while young Samuel grew up in the service of the Lord.#1 Sm 3:19.
Eli’s Futile Rebuke. 22When Eli was very old, he kept hearing how his sons were treating all Israel, and that they were behaving promiscuously#Behaving promiscuously: this part of the verse, which recalls Ex 38:8, is a gloss; it is lacking in the oldest Greek translation, and in 4QSama. with the women serving at the entry of the meeting tent. 23So he said to them: “Why are you doing such things? I hear from everyone that your behavior is depraved. 24Stop this, my sons! The report that I hear the Lord’s people spreading is not good. 25If someone sins against another, anyone can intercede for the sinner with the Lord; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who can intercede#Who can intercede: Eli’s sons fail to understand that their crime is directly against God and that God will punish them for it. Their behavior is set in sharp contrast to Samuel’s, which meets with God’s approval. for the sinner?” But they disregarded their father’s warning, since the Lord wanted them dead. 26Meanwhile, young Samuel was growing in stature and in worth in the estimation of the Lord and the people.#Lk 2:52.
The Fate of Eli’s House.#These verses describe the punishment of Eli from a point of view contemporary with the reform of Josiah (2 Kgs 23:9; cf. v. 36); they hint at the events recorded in 1 Sm 22:18–23 and 1 Kgs 2:27. The older story of this divine warning occurs in 1 Sm 3:11–14. A man of God: often an anonymous figure whose speech foreshadows events in the near future. Cf. 1 Sm 9:6; 1 Kgs 13:1; 2 Kgs 23:16–17. 27A man of God came to Eli and said to him: “Thus says the Lord: I went so far as to reveal myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt as slaves to the house of Pharaoh. 28I chose them out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priests, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the ephod#Ephod: a portable container, presumably of cloth, for the lots used in ritual consultation of God during the days of the Judges (Jgs 17:5; 18:14–15) and into the time of David (1 Sm 14:3; 23:6–9; 30:7–8). Attached to the ephod of the high priest described in Ex 28:6–8 is a “breastpiece of decision” which symbolized, but did not facilitate, such consultation. The Exodus text codifies a later form of the tradition. in my presence; and I assigned all the fire offerings of the Israelites to your father’s house.#1 Sm 23:9; 30:7–8; Jgs 17:5. 29Why do you stare greedily at my sacrifices and at the offerings that I have prescribed? Why do you honor your sons more than you honor me, fattening yourselves with the choicest part of every offering of my people Israel? 30#2 Sm 22:26; 1 Kgs 2:27; Ps 18:25. This, therefore, is the oracle of the Lord, the God of Israel: I said in the past that your family and your father’s house should minister in my presence forever. But now—oracle of the Lord: Far be it from me! I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me shall be cursed. 31Yes, the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in your family lives to old age. 32You shall witness, like a disappointed rival, all the benefits enjoyed by Israel, but no member of your household shall ever grow old. 33I will leave you one man at my altar to wear out his eyes and waste his strength, but the rest of your family shall die by the sword. 34This is a sign for you—what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Both of them will die on the same day.#1 Sm 4:11. 35I will choose a faithful priest who shall do what I have in heart and mind. I will establish a lasting house for him and he shall serve in the presence of my anointed forever. 36Then whoever is left of your family will grovel before him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, saying: Please assign me a priestly function, that I may have a crust of bread to eat.”#2 Kgs 23:9.
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