1 Samuel 1 Explained

1 Samuel 1 is the first chapter of the First Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the first part of the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan,[1] but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE. Chapters 1 to 7 of 1 Samuel depict Samuel's life: this chapter focuses on his birth.

Text

This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 28 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with extant verses 28–31.[2] [3]

Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B;

ak{G}

B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A;

ak{G}

A; 5th century).

Old Testament references

113:1–9 9[4]

12:5–7 9 (annual pilgrimage)

6:1–21 9 (Nazirite vow)

30:10–15 9 (husband's approval of wife's vow)

15:9–10 9 (offerings of bull, flour and wine)

Period

Elkanah's family (1:1–8)

Elkanah came from a prestigious Levite family in Ramah (verse 1) in the land of Zuph (cf. 9:5–6 9). Elkanah's first wife, Hannah, was barren so he had decided to take a second wife, Peninnah (cf. 16:1–4 9). When Peninnah had children, tension and rivalry arose between the two women, with Hannah being constantly provoked and distressed. The inability of Elkanah to control the situation of his wives pushes Hannah to take the initiative, especially when her plight was made more obvious by receiving only one portion of the sacrifice (verse 5). The opportunity cames when Elkanah and his family attended annual worship feast in Shiloh (Judges 21:19–24), one of the most important sanctuaries and the home of the ark (1 Samuel 3:3), which was regulated by the high priest Eli and his two sons.

Verse 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:[5]

literally, "God is owner", from his genealogy is known to belong to the Kohathites (cf. 1 Chronicles 6:3–15), one of the three divisions of the Levites.[10]

Verse 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.[13]

Verse 3

Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phin'ehas, were priests of the Lord.[16] Targum

From the solemn appointed feast to the solemn appointed feast,[17] similarly translated by Robert Young as "from time to time",[18] although generally as "yearly" or "year to year" in other English translations.[19]

The birth of Samuel (1:9–28)

Hannah took the initiative to make a vow that the son she requested would be dedicated as a nazirite (verse 11). The Masoretic Text only mentions "a razor will not go up upon his head" (meaning "leaving the hair uncut") as one feature of the nazirite vow, but the longer text in the Greek version of Septuagint (supported in some parts by 4QSam among the Dead Sea Scrolls) mentions "wine and strong drink he will not drink" (cf. Numbers 6:1–21; Judges 13:5, 7) as another feature of a nazirite.[20] Hannah delayed her visit until Samuel had been weaned, then she brought the child to Shiloh to 'abide there forever' (4QSam clarifies that Hannah was dedicating Samuel as a nazirite), with the bull offerings as well as flour and wine (cf. Numbers 15:8–10).

A repeated wordplay on the Hebrew root word Hebrew: שָׁאַל sha'al (to ask, request) has been found in this passage: 'that thou hast asked of him' (verse 17), 'I have asked him of the Lord' (verse 20), 'which I asked of him' (verse 27), 'I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord' (verse 28). Verse 20 links the name of the child to this word: Hannah named the child Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from the Lord".[21]

Verse 21

And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.[22]

The Greek Septuagint has an addition "and all the tithes of his land" to this verse.[23]

Verse 24

Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young.[24]

See also

Sources

Commentaries on Samuel

General

. Joseph Fitzmyer . A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2008. 9780802862419. Grand Rapids, MI .

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hirsch . Emil G. . SAMUEL, BOOKS OF. www.jewishencyclopedia.com.
  2. https://thewaytoyahuweh.com/dead-sea-scrolls/general-info/#1_samuel Dead sea scrolls - 1 Samuel
  3. https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/6Q4-1 6Q4 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
  4. https://biblehub.com/bsb/1_Samuel/1.htm 1 Samuel 1
  5. 1:1 KJV KJV
  6. Web site: Prophet Samuel. oca.org. 14 February 2018.
  7. Note on 1 Samuel 1:1 in NET Bible
  8. [Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges]
  9. [Petrus Comestor|Comestor, Petrus]
  10. Exell, Joseph S.; Spence-Jones, Henry Donald Maurice (Editors). On "1 Samuel 1". In: The Pulpit Commentary. 23 volumes. First publication: 1890. Accessed 24 April 2019.
  11. Note [a] on 1 Samuel 1:1 in NKJV
  12. Note [b] on 1 Samuel 1:1 in NKJV
  13. 1:2 KJV KJV
  14. [Charles Ellicott|Ellicott, C. J.]
  15. [Albert Barnes (theologian)|Barnes, Albert]
  16. 1:3 RSV

    Revised Standard Version

  17. [John Gill (theologian)|Gill, J.]
  18. 1:3 YLT

    Young's Literal Translation

  19. BibleGateway.com, 1 Samuel 1:3, accessed 18 December 2022
  20. Note [e] on 1 Samuel 1:11 in NET Bible
  21. 1:21 NKJV

    NKJV

  22. 1:21 KJV KJV
  23. Note [b] on 1 Samuel 1:21 in NET Bible
  24. 2 1 Samuel NKJV
  25. Note on 1 Samuel 1:24 in NKJV
  26. Note [a] on 1 Samuel 1:24 in ESV
  27. Note [b] on 1 Samuel 1:24 in ESV

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