1 Samuel 2

Hannah’s song

1 Then Hannah prayed: My heart rejoices in the LORD. My strength^[a] rises up in the LORD! My mouth mocks my enemies because I rejoice in your deliverance.

2 No one is holy like the LORD— no, no one except you! There is no rock like our God!

3 Don't go on and on, talking so proudly, spouting arrogance from your mouth, because the LORD is the God who knows, and he weighs every act.

4 The bows of mighty warriors are shattered, but those who were stumbling now dress themselves in power!

5 Those who were filled full now sell themselves for bread, but the ones who were starving are now fat from food! The woman who was barren has birthed seven children, but the mother with many sons has lost them all!

6 The LORD! He brings death, gives life, takes down to the grave,^[b] and raises up!

7 The LORD! He makes poor, gives wealth, brings low, but also lifts up high!

8 God raises the poor from the dust, lifts up the needy from the garbage pile. God sits them with officials, gives them the seat of honor! The pillars of the earth belong to the LORD; he set the world on top of them!

9 God guards the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked die in darkness because no one succeeds by strength alone.

10 The LORD! His enemies are terrified! God thunders against them from heaven! The LORD! He judges the far corners of the earth! May God give strength to his king and raise high the strength of his anointed one.

11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the LORD under Eli the priest.

Corruption of Eli’s sons

12 Now Eli's sons were despicable men who didn't know the LORD.

13 This was how the priest was supposed to act with the people: Whenever anyone made a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest's assistant would come with a three-pronged fork in hand.

14 He would thrust it into the cauldron or the pot. Whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. This is how it was done for all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.

15 But with Eli's sons, even before the fat was burned, the priest's assistant would come and say to the person offering the sacrifice, "Give the priest some meat to roast. He won't accept boiled meat from you."

16 If anyone said, "Let the fat be burned off first, as usual, then take whatever you like for yourself," the assistant would reply, "No, hand it over now. If not, I'll take it by force."

17 The sin of these priestly assistants was very serious in the LORD's sight because they were disrespecting the Lord's own offering.

18 Now Samuel was serving the LORD. He was a young boy, clothed in a linen priestly vest.

19 His mother would make a small robe for him and take it to him every year when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.

20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife: "May the LORD replace the child of this woman that you gave back to the LORD." Then they would return home.

21 The LORD paid attention to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the LORD's service.

22 Eli was very old, but he heard everything his sons were doing to the Israelites, and how they had sex with the women who served at the meeting tent's entrance.

23 Eli said to his sons, "Why are you doing these terrible things that I'm hearing about from everybody?

24 No, my sons. Don't do this. The report I hear spreading among God's people isn't good.

25 If someone sins against someone else, God can intercede; but if someone sins against the LORD, who will intercede then?" But they wouldn't obey their father because the LORD wanted to kill them.

26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel kept growing up and was more and more liked by both the LORD and the people.

27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said, "This is what the LORD says: I revealed myself very clearly to your father's household when they were slaves in Egypt to the house of Pharaoh.

28 I chose your father from all of Israel's tribes to be my priest, to go up onto my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest in my presence. I also gave all of the Israelites' food offerings to your father's household.

29 Why then do you kick my sacrifices and my offerings—the very ones I commanded for my dwelling place? Why do you respect your sons more than me, getting fat off the best parts of every offering from my people Israel?

30 Because of all that, this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: I had promised that your household and your father's household would serve me forever. But now—this is what the LORD declares: I'll do no such thing! No. I honor those who honor me, and whoever despises me will be cursed.

31 The days are coming soon when I will eliminate both your children and the children of your father's household. There won't be an old person left in your family tree.

32 You'll see trouble in my dwelling place, though all will go well for Israel. But there will never be an old person in your family tree.

33 One of your descendants whom I don't eliminate from serving at my altar will cry his eyes out and be full of grief. Any descendants in your household will die by the sword.

34 And what happens to your two sons Hophni and Phinehas will be a sign for you: they will both die on the same day.

35 Then I will establish for myself a trustworthy priest who will act in accordance with my thoughts and desires. I will build a trustworthy household for him, and he will serve before my anointed one forever.

36 Anyone left from your household will come and beg him for a bit of silver or a loaf of bread, saying: ‘Please appoint me to some priestly duty so I can have a scrap of bread to eat.'"

1 Samuel 2 Commentary

Chapter 2

Hannah's song of thanksgiving. (1-10) The wickedness of Eli's sons, Samuel's ministry. (11-26) The prophecy against Eli's family. (27-36)

Verses 1-10 Hannah's heart rejoiced, not in Samuel, but in the Lord. She looks beyond the gift, and praises the Giver. She rejoiced in the salvation of the Lord, and in expectation of His coming, who is the whole salvation of his people. The strong are soon weakened, and the weak are soon strengthened, when God pleases. Are we poor? God made us poor, which is a good reason why we should be content, and make up our minds to our condition. Are we rich? God made us rich, which is a good reason why we should be thankful, and serve him cheerfully, and do good with the abundance he gives us. He respects not man's wisdom or fancied excellences, but chooses those whom the world accounts foolish, teaching them to feel their guilt, and to value his free and precious salvation. This prophecy looks to the kingdom of Christ, that kingdom of grace, of which Hannah speaks, after having spoken largely of the kingdom of providence. And here is the first time that we meet with the name MESSIAH, or his Anointed. The subjects of Christ's kingdom will be safe, and the enemies of it will be ruined; for the Anointed, the Lord Christ, is able to save, and to destroy.

Verses 11-26 Samuel, being devoted to the Lord in a special manner, was from a child employed about the sanctuary in the services he was capable of. As he did this with a pious disposition of mind, it was called ministering unto the Lord. He received a blessing from the Lord. Those young people who serve God as well as they can, he will enable to improve, that they may serve him better. Eli shunned trouble and exertion. This led him to indulge his children, without using parental authority to restrain and correct them when young. He winked at the abuses in the service of the sanctuary till they became customs, and led to abominations; and his sons, who should have taught those that engaged in the service of the sanctuary what was good, solicited them to wickedness. Their offence was committed even in offering the sacrifices for sins, which typified the atonement of the Saviour! Sins against the remedy, the atonement itself, are most dangerous, they tread under foot the blood of the covenant. Eli's reproof was far too mild and gentle. In general, none are more abandoned than the degenerate children of godly persons, when they break through restraints.

Verses 27-36 Those who allow their children in any evil way, and do not use their authority to restrain and punish them, in effect honour them more than God. Let Eli's example excite parents earnestly to strive against the beginnings of wickedness, and to train up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. In the midst of the sentence against the house of Eli, mercy is promised to Israel. God's work shall never fall to the ground for want of hands to carry it on. Christ is that merciful and faithful High Priest, whom God raised up when the Levitical priesthood was thrown off, who in all things did his Father's mind, and for whom God will build a sure house, build it on a rock, so that hell cannot prevail against it.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or my horn; also in 2:10
• [b]. Heb Sheol
• [c]. Cf DSS (4QSama); Heb has four different words for pots.
• [d]. MT lacks with Eli’s sons.
• [e]. LXX; MT adds only raw.
• [f]. Heb ephod
• [g]. DSS (4QSama); MT give
• [h]. LXX, DSS (4QSama); MT lacks Don’t do this.
• [i]. DSS (4QSama), LXX; MT lacks slaves.
• [j]. Heb ephod
• [k]. LXX; MT arm or power
• [l]. Heb uncertain; LXX and DSS (4QSama) omit 2:31b-32a.
• [m]. DSS (4QSama), LXX; MT your
• [n]. LXX, DSS (4QSama); MT die by men or die as men

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 2

In this chapter the song of Hannah is recorded, 1Sa 2:1-10, and an account is given of the return of Elkanah and Hannah to their own home, and of the care she took yearly to provide a coat for Samuel, and of her being blessed with many other children, and of the growth and ministry of Samuel before the Lord, 1Sa 2:11,18-21,26, and of the wickedness of the sons of Eli, 1Sa 2:12-17, and of Eli's too gentle treatment of them when he reproved them for it, 1Sa 2:22-25 and of a sharp message sent him from the Lord on that account, threatening destruction to his house, of which the death of his two sons would be a sign, 1Sa 2:27-36.