References (30)
And this man
[Elkanah] went up from his city year after year
(literally: "from day to day") [i.e., every appointed day of the Lord (Yahweh) – the three annual feasts of the Lord (Yahweh)], to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts
(Yahweh Sebaot) in Shiloh
[15 km north of Bethel, see ].
Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord
(Yahweh) there.
[This is the first time God's name, Lord of Hosts, is used. Yahweh is God's personal name. Sebaoth is the feminine form of the Hebrew word , which means army, battle, or war. The combination of these two names describes an almighty and all-powerful God.]Hannah rose after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. Now the priest Eli was sitting on his chair [seat; a sign of his office] by the doorpost of the Lord's (Yahweh's) building (palace, temple – Hebr. hechal).
And it came to pass, when she had made her prayer unto the Lord (Yahweh) long, that Eli observed (literally watched) her mouth.
But Hannah spoke in her heart, her lips moved, but her voice was not heard, so Eli thought she was drunk,
and he said to her, "How long will you be (acting like a) drunk? Get rid of your wine."
Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace (shalom). The God of Israel (Elohim) will give you what you have asked (prayed) of him."
They slaughtered the bull [which could also refer to several bulls if there were three] and then brought the boy to Eli.
And Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. And the child served the Lord (Yahweh) under the priest Hos.
But Eli's sons were sons of wickedness (sons of Balial), they did not know (lacked an intimate relationship with) the Lord (Yahweh).
And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, saying, "The Lord (Yahweh) will give you children by this woman for the loan that was lent to the Lord (Yahweh)." And they went to their own home.
Eli was very old, and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel and how they had sexual relations with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
And there came a man of God [unnamed; the term "man of God" is common, see ; ] to Eli and said to him,
"Thus says the Lord (Yahweh): Did I reveal myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt, slaves in Pharaoh's house?
And the young man (Hebr. naar) Samuel ministered before the Lord (Yahweh) under Eli. [Samuel is now about twelve years old. His name literally means "God hears prayer" or "the one heard by God."]
And the word of the Lord (Yahweh) were rare at that time; prophetic visions (revelations) were not common.
Eli's eyes had grown dim and he could no longer see. He was lying asleep in his usual place,
And he ran to [the blind] Eli and said, "Here I am, you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call you. Go back and lie down." Samuel went back and lay down.
The Lord (Yahweh) called Samuel again [for the second time]. He got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, you called me." But Eli replied, "I did not call, my son. Go back to bed."
The Lord (Yahweh) called Samuel a third time. He got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, you called me." Then Eli understood that it was the Lord who was calling the boy.
Eli therefore said to Samuel, "Go back and lie down. When he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord (Yahweh), your servant is listening. Samuel went back and lay down in his place.
On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house from beginning to end.
And therefore I have sworn (made my vow) to Eli's house that the sins of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice, not by any sacrifice forever."
And Samuel lay down until morning and opened the doors of the house of the Lord (Yahweh). And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision.
Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son," and he answered, "Here I am." [Hebr. hineni, see .]
So the people sent [messengers] to Shiloh, and they brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord (Yahweh) of hosts, who sits above the cherubim, from there. And Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, accompanied the ark of God (Elohim). []
And the ark of God (Elohim) was taken, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.
And when he came, Eli was sitting on his chair by the roadside, watching [nervously], for his heart was troubled for the ark of the covenant of the Lord (Yahweh). And when the man came into the city and told the news, the whole city burst into lamentation.
And when Eli heard the sound of the crying, he said, "What does the sound of this tumult mean?"
And the man hurried and came to Eli and told him.
Now Eli was 98 years old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see.
And the man said to Eli, "I am the one who has come from the army, and I fled from the army today."
Then he said, "How did it go, my son?"
and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, the brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the Lord (Yahweh) in Shiloh [where the tabernacle was], who wore an ephod [the sacred priestly vest, see ]. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
And Solomon dismissed (expelled) Abiathar from being a priest of the Lord (Yahweh), so that the word of the Lord (Yahweh) might be fulfilled, as he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. []
