CHAPTER 1

(1171 B.C.)

SAMUELS PARENTS

¹Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite (Elkanah, the father of Samuel, was a Levite, and of the order of the Kohathites, who were responsible for the Vessels of the Sanctuary [Num. 3:27-31]):

²And he 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. (We find that Elkanah was not untouched by the corruption of his day, for he had two wives. Domestic misery was the result. Hannah had no children, and, in those days, to be barren was a disgrace.)

³And this man (Elkanah) went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of Hosts in Shiloh. (The Tabernacle was then at Shiloh.) And the two sons of Eli (the High Priest), Hophni and Phinehas, the Priests of the LORD, were there. (The latter two were evil men, and yet occupied, officially, a certain relationship to God. Under the Covenant of Law, and its Divinely appointed Priesthood, such a position was possible; but under the Covenant of Grace, where there is no Earthly Priesthood, it is impossible. But men, not recognizing the distinction between the two Covenants, have invented an order of priests and clothed them with the sacramental powers of the sons of Aaron!)

⁴And when the time was that Elkanah offered (offered Sacrifices), he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

⁵But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. (The Lord did this for a particular purpose, as He does everything for a particular purpose. It was a test of Hannahs faith, as everything is a test of our faith, all meant to do us good.)

⁶And her adversary (Peninnah, the other wife of Elkanah) also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb (made fun of her!).

⁷And as he (Elkanah) did so year by year, when she (Hannah) went up to the House of the LORD, so she (Peninnah) provoked her; therefore she (Hannah) wept, and did not eat. (This test went on for several years. Evidently, Peninnah was provoking Hannah by telling her that she was cursed by God, hence, the failure to bear children. This hurt her much, as would be obvious, and the Lord allowed it to happen. So, this test was not only for Hannah, but Peninnah, as well, with the latter failing miserably!)

⁸Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why do you weep? and why do you not eat? and why is your heart grieved? am I not better to you than ten sons?

HANNAHS PRAYER AND VOW

⁹So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk (the Peace Offering). Now Eli the Priest (High Priest) sat upon a seat by a post of the Temple of the LORD (the first time the Tabernacle is referred to as a Temple).

¹⁰And she (Hannah) was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore (this is the type of praying that the Lord always hears and answers, that is, if such is in His Perfect Will).

¹¹And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts (Jehovah Sabaioth; could be translated Lord of armies), if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your handmaid (the word handmaid denotes humility), and remember me, and not forget Your handmaid, but will give unto Your handmaid a man child (she wanted a little boy), then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head (in other words, she would dedicate him as a Nazarite, even from birth, which he would be all of his life; this was her vow).

¹²And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth (evidently, where she was praying, she could be seen by Eli).

¹³Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard (she was praying silently): therefore Eli thought she had been drunk. (Two things are said here: 1. Eli thinking that Hannah was drunk portrays that such must have been common at the time; and, 2. The spirituality of the High Priest evidently was not what it should have been, or he would have detected the Godly spirit of this woman.)

¹⁴And Eli said unto her, How long will you be drunk? put away your wine from you (this must have stung Hannah).

¹⁵And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD (evidently, Eli had not seen very much of such a prayerful attitude around the Tabernacle; regrettably, much of the modern Church falls into the same category).

¹⁶Count not your handmaid for a daughter of Belial (worthless): for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

¹⁷Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant you your petition that you have asked of Him. (Whatever spiritual condition which characterized Eli, still, God used him to give Hannah this great word of prophecy. Her prayer had been heard after all these years.)

¹⁸And she said, Let your handmaid find grace in your sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. (She knew the Lord had heard, and she knew the answer was on the way. Its a wonderful thing when one knows that the Lord has heard our petition, and the answer is positive.)

¹⁹And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife (Biblical terminology for sexual relations); and the LORD remembered her (she became pregnant).

THE BIRTH OF SAMUEL

²⁰Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD. (Samuel would be the last Judge of Israel, and the first man to stand in the office of the Prophet [Acts 3:24]. In fact, he was one of the greatest men of God who ever lived. He will anoint David to be king, through whose family the Messiah would ultimately come [I Sam. 16:1, 11-13; II Sam. 7:11-13].)

²¹And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow (his vow shows that Elkanah had ratified Hannahs words by adding thereto a Thank Offering from himself).

²²But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned (probably 3-5 years old; weaning was delayed much longer in that culture than with us presently), and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.

²³And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seems thee good; tarry until you have weaned him; only the LORD establish His Word. So the woman abode (stayed home), and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

THE VOW

²⁴And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her (to the Tabernacle), with three bullocks (for Sacrifice), and one ephah of flour (a Thank Offering), and a bottle of wine (a Drink Offering), and brought him unto the House of the LORD in Shiloh (where the Tabernacle was located): and the child was young (probably close to 5 years old).

²⁵And they killed a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.

²⁶And she said, Oh my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying unto the LORD.

²⁷For this child I prayed; and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him:

²⁸Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD (the word lent is not the best translation; actually, Hannah is saying, I have given him to the LORD); as long as he lives he shall be lent (given) to the LORD (and he was). And he (should have been translated they) worshipped the LORD there.