C5 n 1. Samuel, and the word of Yahaveh.
o p¹ 2-5. His first call.
p² 6. His second call.
n 7. Samuel, and the word of Yahaveh.
o p³ 8,9. His third call.
p4 10. His fourth call.1040 B.C.
1 Samuel 3)
1: And the youth Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord had come to be precious in those days; there was no open vision. (Heb. yakar = heavy [in price], rare. See Amos 8:11. Note the 5 precious things in O.T.: the word of God; redemption [Ps. 49:8]; the death of His saints [Ps. 72:14; 116:15]; the lips of knowledge [Prov.20:15]; the thoughts of God [Ps. 139:17]. See note on the 5 in the N.T. [Matt. 26:7] )
1044 to 1040 B.C.
2: And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see clearly;
3: And before the lamp of God (the seven-branched candlestick) went out in the temple (i.e. the tabernacle. See 1:9) of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
4: That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, “Here am I.” (= Behold me)
5: And he ran to Eli, and said, “Here am I; for you called me.” And he said, “I called not; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.
6: And the Lord called yet again, “Samuel.” And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here am I; for you did call me.” And he answered, “I called not, my son; lie down again.”
7: Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.
8: And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here am I; for you did call me.” And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.
9: Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down: and it shall be, if He call you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord; for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10: And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, “Samuel, Samuel.” (for the 10 reduplication's see Gen.22:11) Then Samuel answered, “Speak; for Your servant hears.”
D5 q¹ 11-14. Eli. Threatening.
r¹ 15. Samuel's fear.
q² 16,17. El. Demand.
r² 18-. Samuel. Compliance.
q³ -18. Eli. Submission.
11: And the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that hears it shall tingle (= be in astonishment. Cp. 2 Kings 21:12. Jer. 19:3).
12: In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
13: For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knows; because his sons made themselves vile (this is one of the 18 emendations of the Sõpherim, on their own confession. By omitting one letter they changed this, from a mistaken sense of reverence. The primitive text, preserved in the Sept., stood, "his sons cursed God"), and he restrained them not (Eli didn't discipline his sons).
14: And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.” (He, Eli, can't cover it up.)
15: And Samuel lay until the morning (the copyist's eye, in going back to this word, went to the word at the end of the next sentence, and thus omitted “and rose up early in the morning”. These words are preserved in the Sept.), and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.
16: Then Eli called Samuel, and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he answered, “Here am I.”
17: And he said, “What is the word that the Lord has said to you? I pray you hide it not from me: God do so to you, and more also, if you hide any thing from me of all the things that He said to you.”
18: And Samuel told him every particle (every bit. Heb. "all the words"), and hid nothing from him.
And he said, “It is the Lord: let Him do what seem to Him good.”
C6 s 3:19. Samuel. Yahaveh with him.
t 3:20. Israel. Acknowledgment.
s 3:21. Samuel. Yahaveh's revelation to him.
t 4:1-. Israel. Submission.
19: And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground (God's Word was held priceless).
20: And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba (= oath of the seven. See 2:5) knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord (Samuel was the first of "the prophets" and the last of the judges/rulers, preparing the way for the change of government).
21: And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by (or, according to) the word of the Lord.