1Sa 1:1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, 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:
Now there was a man of Ramathaimzophim - Ramathaim is a word of the dual number, and signifies two Ramahs; the city consisted of two parts, being built perhaps on two hills, and were called Zophim; because, as the Rabbins say, they looked one to another; or rather, because situated on eminences, there were watchtowers in them, where watchmen were placed; or because they were inhabited by prophets, who were sometimes called watchmen, Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word of My mouth, and give them warning from Me and here is thought to be a school of the prophets.1Samuel 19:19 And it was told to Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah and which seems to be countenanced by the Targum, in which the words are paraphrased thus, "and there was one" man of Ramatha, of the disciples of the prophets; or, as others think, the sense is this, this man was one of the Ramathites, the inhabitants of Ramah, and of the family of Zuph, or the Zuphites, which gave the name to the land of Zuph, and the grand ancestor of Elkanah is in this verse called Zuph.
a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim--The first word being in the dual number, signifies the double city--the old and new town of Ramah 1Samuel 1:19 And they rose up in the morning early, and worshiped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. There were five cities of this name, all on high ground. This city had the addition of Zophim attached to it, because it was founded by Zuph, "an Ephrathite," that is a native of Ephratha. Beth-lehem, and the expression "of Ramathaim-zophim" must, therefore, be understood as Ramah in the
Ramathaim-Zophim - which is only mentioned here, is the same place, according to 1Samuel 1:3 And this man went up out of his city from year to year, to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in
of Mount Ephraim - which is added to distinguish it from other Ramahs in several tribes, as in Benjamin, Naphtali, &c. though this may refer not to the situation of Ramathaim, but to the country of this man, who was originally of Mount Ephraim, as was the Levite in Judges 19:1 And it happened in those days, no king being in Israel, there was a certain Levite residing on the far side of Mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem-judah who was the cause of much evil to Israel.
and his name was Elkanah - which signifies "God hath possessed"; that is, possessed him, or he was in possession of God; he had an ancestor of the same name, 1 Chronicles
the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph - the three last of these names are somewhat differently read in 1 Chronicles 6:26, 26 Elkanah; the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, and Nahath his son, where they are Eliab, Nahath, Zophai; and in 1 Chronicles 6:34. 34 the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, Eliel, Toah, Zuph:
an Ephrathite - these were Levites, the descendants of Kohath, in the line of Korah; but because they sojourned in
Eparathite - That is, one of Bethlehem-judah, by his birth and habitation, though by his original a Levite. From the genealogies in the Chronicles, we learn that Samuel was descended from Kohath, the son of Levi, and therefore was a Levite. It is no valid objection to the correctness of this view, that his Levitical descent is never mentioned, or that Elkanah is called an Ephrathite.
Zophim - The connection between Zophim and Zuph is confirmed by the fact that Elkanah's ancestor, Zuph, is called Zophai in 1Chronicles 6:26 Elkanah; the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, and Nahath his son, and Zuph or Ziph in 1Chronicles 6:35 the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai. Zophim therefore signifies the descendants of Zuph or Zophai, from which the name “land of Zuph,” in 1Samuel 9:5 And they came to the land of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant who was with him, Come and let us return lest my father quit caring for the asses, and be anxious about us, was also derived. The tracing back of Elkanah's family through four generations to Zuph agrees with the family registers in 1 Chron 6, where the ancestors of Elkanah are mentioned twice, - first of all in the genealogy of the Kohathites (1Ch_6:26), and then in that of Heman, the leader of the singers, a grandson of Samuel (1Ch_6:33).
1Sa 1:2 And 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.
He had two wives - The custom of those times permitted polygamy; but wherever there was more than one wife, we find the peace of the family greatly disturbed by it. Which was contrary to the original law of marriage. Very likely Hannah was his first wife, and having no children by her, he took Peninnah.
He had two wives - This was permitted by the law Deuteronomy 21:15-17 If a man has two wives, one beloved and another hated, and they have borne him sons, the beloved and the hated; and if the first-born son was of her that was hated, then it shall be in the day when he makes his sons to inherit what he has, he may not cause to inherit the son of the beloved first-born before the son of the hated one, he who is truly the first-born. But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated as the first-born by giving him a double portion of all that he has. For he is the beginning of his strength. The right of the first-born is his, and sanctioned by the practice of Jacob Gen. 29, Ashur 1Ch_4:5, Shaharaim 1Ch_8:8, David 1Sa_25:43, Joash 2Ch_24:3, and others.
The name of the one was Hannah - Channah, which signifies fixed or settled. The name signifies "grace" or "gracious," and she was a woman who had the grace of God.
the other Peninnah - which signifies a jewel or pearl.
1Sa 1:3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in
Yearly - From year to year; there were three feasts in the year, at which all the males in Israel were to appear at the tabernacle; and being a Levite, this man was the more careful to observe this rule. Exodus 34:23 Three times in the year your men shall appear before the Lord God, the God of
To sacrifice - Not in his own person, which the Levites could not do, but by the priests.
Were there - Or, were the priests of the Lord there, under their father Eli, who is generally conceived to have been the high-priest, but being very old and infirm, his sons ministered in his stead.
Lord of hosts - This is the first time in scripture, that God is called the Lord of hosts or Armies.
The Lord of Hosts - This title of Yahweh which, with some variations, is found upward of 260 times in the Old Testament, occurs here for the first time. The meaning of the word “hosts” is doubtless the same as that of “army” Daniel 4:35 And all the people of the earth are counted as nothing; and He does according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the people of the earth. And none can strike His hand, or say to Him, What are You doing? and includes all the myriads of holy Angels who people the celestial spheres 1Kings 22:19 And he said, Hear therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left. It is probably with reference to the idolatrous worship of the Host of heaven that the title the “Lord of Hosts” was given to the true God, as asserting His universal supremacy Nehemiah 9:6 You, even You, are LORD alone. You have made the heavens, heaven of the heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things on it, the seas, and all in them, and You preserve them all. And the host of the heavens worships You. In the New Testament the phrase only occurs once James 5:4 Behold, the hire of the laborers reaping your fields cry out, being kept back by you. And the cries of those who have reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts.
go up out of his city - which was Ramathaim or Ramah; for though it was built on an eminence, from whence it had its name, yet Shiloh was higher; that being on the highest mountain of all round about Jerusalem, and the highest of all the mountains of the holy land. So that as he first went down the hill from Ramah, he went up an high ascent to
to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in
and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas - Eli was the next judge of Israel after Samson, and who also was the high priest, as is generally supposed; but when and how the high priesthood came into his family is nowhere said. His two sons are mentioned as officiating as priests in Shiloh, at the time Elkanah used to go yearly thither to worship and sacrifice; who were very wicked men, as appears by an after account of them; and it is generally thought that this is observed here, to show that the wickedness of these priests did not hinder this good man from doing his duty; nor did he make use of it as an excuse for not attending the worship of the sanctuary.
1Sa 1:4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:
he gave portions--The offerer received back the greater part of the peace offerings, which he and his family or friends were accustomed to eat at a social feast before the Lord. (See on Le 3:3; De 12:12). Out of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings, the greatest part whereof fell to the offerer, and was eaten by him, and his friends or guests, before the Lord. And out of this he gave them all portions, as the master of the feast used to do to the guests. It was out of these consecrated viands Elkanah gave portions to all the members of his family; but "unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion"; that is, a larger choice, according to the Eastern fashion of showing regard to beloved or distinguished guests. Genesis 43:34 And one took portions to them from before him. But Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.
He gave portions - The sacrifices which were made were probably peace-offerings, of which the blood was poured out at the foot of the altar; the fat was burnt on the fire; the breast and right shoulder were the portion of the priest, and the rest belonged to him who made the offering; on it he and his family feasted, each receiving his portion; and to these feasts God commands them to invite the Levite, the poor, the widow, and the orphan, Deuteronomy 16:11 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your male servant, and your slave-girl, and the Levite inside your gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, those among you, in the place which the LORD your God has chosen to place His name there.
1Sa 1:5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.
But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion - Or, one choice portion, as the Targum; the best part or portion in the peace offering, of what the priest had not; he had the breast and the right shoulder, the next best piece he gave to Hannah; and the word being of the dual number, some render it a double portion;
Unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion - The Hebrew here is very obscure; he gave her one portion of two faces; which the Syriac renders, he gave her one Double Part; and the Chaldee, he gave her one
for he loved Hannah - loved her best, and therefore did everything to please her, and make her comfortable under her affliction for want of children, and to express his tender affection for her:
but the Lord had shut up her womb - restrained her from conception, and bearing children; Genesis
1Sa 1:6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.
Her adversary - Peninnah. The conduct of Peninnah was most unbecoming. But domestic broils in the houses of polygamists are of frequent occurrence, and the most fruitful cause of them has always been jealousy of the husband's superior affection, as in this case of Hannah.
Provoked her sore - Was constantly striving to irritate and vex her, to make her fret - to make her discontented with her lot, because the Lord had denied her children.
1Sa 1:7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
And as he did so year by year - As the whole family went up to
Therefore she wept - She was greatly distressed, because it was a great reproach to a woman among the Jews to be barren;
When she went-This circumstance is noted as the occasion of the contention, because at such times they were forced to more society with one another, by the way, and in their lodgings; whereas at home they had distinct apartments, where they might be asunder; and then her husband's extraordinary love and kindness was shewed to Hannah, whereby Peninnah was the more exasperated; then also Hannah prayed earnestly for a child, which hitherto she had done in vain; and this possibly she reproached her with.
1Sa 1:8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?
than ten children? - Ten is a found number for a large number. Ten, a certain for an uncertain number.
why weepest thou? - Since it was a time of rejoicing, as every festival was.
and why eatest thou not? - since they were at a feast, and she had the best part and portion of the provision:
am not I better to thee than ten sons? - his meaning is, that the share she had in his love and affections ought to have been esteemed by her more than if she had ten or many children by him; and it suggests that Peninnah would have been glad to have such a share in his affections as Hannah had; and it would have been more eligible to her, than to have borne him so many children as she had.
1Sa 1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple - Eli had a seat placed, on which he sat as an high priest and judge, give advice in difficult cases, and to try and judge all causes that were brought before him. 1 Samuel
1Sa 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
1Sa 1:11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
I will give him unto the Lord - Samuel, as a descendant of the house of Levi, was the Lord’s property from twenty-five years of age till fifty; but the vow here implies that he should be consecrated to the Lord from his infancy to his death, and that he should not only act as a Levite, but as a Nazarite, on whose head no razor should pass.
And she vowed a vow - vows are characteristic of this particular age of the Judges. Judges 11:30 And Jephthah vowed a vow to the LORD, and said, If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, Judges 21:5 And the sons of
And she vowed a vow - Which might be confirmed by her husband; otherwise the vow of a woman, if disapproved of by her husband, was not valid, Numbers 30:8 and Elkanah might make the same vow his wife did, and so it stood; for as this was a vow of Nazariteship, it is a tradition of the Jews, that a man may vow his son to be a Nazarite, but a woman may not; this instance contradicts the tradition.
and said, O Lord of hosts - this is properly the first time this title was used by any that we know of; for though it is expressed in 1 Samuel 1:3 there it is used as the words of the writer of this history, and so long after this prayer was put up;
then will I give him unto the Lord all the days of his life - to serve him, and minister unto him in the sanctuary; being born a Levite, it was incumbent on him to serve the Lord, and he had a right to his service; but then a common Levite did not enter on it until twenty five or thirty years of age, and was not always serving, but was dismissed from it at fifty Numbers 8:24-25 This is that which pertains to the Levites. From twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. And from the age of fifty years they shall stop waiting upon the service, and shall serve no more; but the child she vows, if the Lord would give her such an one, should be trained up in his service from his infancy, and continue it all the days of his life; and was to be also a perpetual Nazarite, as Samson was.
and there shall no razor come upon his head - as was not to come upon a Nazarite, during his Nazariteship, Numbers 6:5 All the days of his vow to separate, no razor shall come upon his head. Until all the days are fulfilled in which he separates to the LORD, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
1Sa 1:12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.
Eli marked her mouth - observed the motion of her lips, and no doubt her distorted countenance, and uplifted eyes and hands, but chiefly the former; not knowing what the woman was at, and what could be the meaning of such motions. Eli noticed her mouth, and, as she was praying inwardly, only saw her lips move, but did not hear her voice, he thought she was drunken.
1Sa 1:13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
Thought she had become drunken – Prayer in those times was audible prayer. Here Hannah is not speaking out loud. Therefore Eli thought she had been drunken by the motions she made, and gestures she used, as if she was muttering something to herself, and by her long continuance therein, and it being after a feast she had been at with her husband, and the rest of the family; from all which Eli concluded this must be her case.
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1Sa 1:15 And 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.
a woman of a sorrowful spirit - depressed with trouble and grief on account of afflictions; if she was drunk, then her spirit would have been hard. She does not have a hard spirit to come sinfully into the house of the Lord drunk, but has instead a sorrowful spirit.
poured out my soul - Neither wine nor inebriating drink has been poured out unto me; but I have poured out my soul unto the Lord.
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Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial - A yokeless, a lawless, impudent, and abandoned creature; one of the most wicked, vilest, and most profligate wretches;
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1Sa 1:19 And 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; and the LORD remembered her.
and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife - cohabited with her as a man with his wife; it is a modest expression of the conjugal act; Genesis 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife. And she conceived and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from Jehovah and is observed to show that the conception and birth of Samuel were not in a supernatural way, but in the ordinary way and manner of generation:
and the Lord remembered her - the prayer she had made to him, opened her womb, as he had before shut it, and gave her power to conceive. Manifested his remembrance of her by the effect.
1Sa 1:20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.
Samuel - That is, Asked of God.
called his name Samuel--doubtless with her husband's consent. The names of children were given sometimes by the fathers, and sometimes by the mothers (see Ge 4:1, 26;
1Sa 1:21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.
his vow-- By which it appears, though it was not expressed before, that he heard and consented to her vow, and that he added a vow of his own, if God answered his prayers. The solemn expression of his concurrence in Hannah's vow was necessary to make it obligatory. Numbers 30:2-16. For whatever vows men made at home, on any account, they paid them at the yearly festivals; and this vow might be on the account of the birth of his son, by way of thanksgiving for that.
His house - He and the whole of his family, Hannah and her child excepted, who purposed not to go up to Shiloh till her son was old enough to be employed in the Divine service.
1Sa 1:22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.
Weaned - Weaning took place very late among the Israelites. According to apocryphal books, the Hebrew mothers were in the habit of suckling their children for three years. When the weaning had taken place, Hannah would bring her son up to the sanctuary, to appear before the face of the Lord, and remain there for ever, i.e., his whole life long.
But Hannah went not up--Men only were obliged to attend the solemn feasts Exodus
1Sa 1:23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
1Sa 1:24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young.
Three bullocks – According to some commentators, one for a burnt-offering, the second for a sin- offering, and the third for a peace offering; all these sorts being expedient for this work and time. 1 Samuel 1:24 And she went up with him to Selom with a calf of three years old, and loaves, and an ephah of fine flour, and a bottle of wine: and she entered into the house of the Lord in Selom, and the child with them. (Septuagint) The Septuagint renders it "a bullock of three years old"; which according to other commentators is probably the true rendering because we read, 1Sa_1:25, that they slew the bullock. We hear of no more, and we know that a bullock or heifer of three years old was ordinarily used, Genesis 15:9 And He said to him, Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. The striking circumstance that Samuel's parents brought three oxen with them to Shiloh, and yet in 1Sa_1:25 the ox alone is spoken of as being slain (or sacrificed), may be explained very simply on the supposition that in 1Sa_1:25 that particular sacrifice is referred to, which was associated with the presentation of the boy, that is to say, the burnt-offering by virtue of which the boy was consecrated to the Lord as a spiritual sacrifice for a lifelong service at His sanctuary, whereas the other two oxen served as the yearly festal offering, i.e., the burnt-offerings and thank-offerings which Elkanah presented year by year, and the presentation of which the writer did not think it needful to mention, simply because it followed partly from 1Sa_1:3 and partly from the Mosaic law. The presentation of an ephah of meal presupposes the offering of three oxen, and therefore shows that in 1Sa_1:24 the materials are mentioned for all the sacrifices that Elkanah was about to offer.
Three bullocks – to the tabernacle at Shiloh, at a yearly festival: with three bullocks; for three sorts of offerings, burnt offering, sin offering, and peace offering; or since one only is spoken of as slain, that is, for sacrifice, the other two might be for food to entertain her family and friends with while there; or as a present to the high priest, to whose care she committed her son:
One ephah of flour - Seven gallons and a half. If the bullocks were all sacrificed, for the meal-offerings belonging to the principal sacrifices, three tenth deals, or three tenth parts of the ephah, went for a meat offering to each bullock, which made nine parts out of ten, and the tenth part she had to dispose of at pleasure; see Numbers 15:9 then he shall bring with the bull, a food offering of three-tenth parts of flour mixed with half a hin of oil, though that seems to be restrained to a burnt offering only:
Wine - part of which might be for the drink offering which always attended a meat offering, and the rest for her own use, and that of her friends: Their bottles for wine and fluids in general were made out of skins of goats, stripped off without being cut up; the places whence the legs were extracted sewed up, as also the lower part; and the top tied. These three things, the ox, the flour, and the wine, probably constituted the consecration-offering.
1Sa 1:25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.
And they slew a bullock - One of the three Hannah brought, unless the singular is put for the plural, and so all three were slain, some for sacrifice, and some for food perhaps; or if only one was slain, it might be offered as a sacrifice previous to the presentation of Samuel; or else was made a present of to Eli, at the introduction of Samuel to him, as follows:
and brought the child to Eli - to be under his care, to he instructed and trained up by him in the service of the tabernacle; from hence it appears that Elkanah the husband of Hannah came along with her at this time.
1Sa 1:26 And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.
As thy soul liveth - This oath is unique to the Books of Samuel, in which it occurs six times, and to the Books of Kings, in which however, it is found only once.
as thy soul liveth - which could be a form of an oath, as if she swore to the truth of what follows by the life of the high priest; but as it was forbidden to swear by any but by the living God, by his life, it cannot be thought so good a woman as Hannah would be guilty of such a sinful practice; this rather is a wish or prayer for his life and health, and the continuance thereof, to bring up her son in the exercise of true religion:
And she said, O my lord - According to the Targum, it is a supplication or request, I beseech thee, my lord; that is, to look upon her son, and take him under his care as his disciple or scholar, to instruct him in the law of God, and enter him into his service; to which Eli might be very backward and indifferent, and even treat it with some degree of contempt, that such a young Levite should be brought to him, when the soonest the Levites were admitted was at twenty five years of age:
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He worshipped - Not Eli, but young Samuel.
