1 Samuel 1:9

9 After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. ^[a] Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.

1 Samuel 1:9 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 1:9

So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after
they had drank
After dinner, after Elkanah and Peninnah, and their children, had eaten heartily, and drank freely, and made a comfortable meal, and even a feast of it, at the place where the tabernacle and altar were, and their peace offerings were offered up, part of which they had been regaling themselves with. The Targum is,

``after she had eaten in Shiloh, and after she had drank;''

for upon the entreaty of her husband, and to make him easy, she might be prevailed upon to eat somewhat, though it might be but little; and to drink, though it was but water; for as for wine and strong drink, she declares afterwards she had not drank, ( 1 Samuel 1:15 )

now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord;
for so the tabernacle was called, and sometimes the temple is called a tabernacle, ( Jeremiah 10:20 ) . Now at the door posts and side of the threshold of the temple of the Lord, as the Targum; at the entrance of the great court of the Israelites, Eli had a seat placed, on which he sat; this must be at the gate of the court of the tabernacle, by the pillars of it; for in the court itself none afterwards might sit but kings of the family David ^F14; here Eli sat as an high priest and judge, give advice in difficult cases, and to try and judge all causes that were brought before him; some say ^F15 that he was on this day constituted an high priest, and others say ^F17 he was now made a judge; but no doubt he was both high priest and judge before this time.

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Yoma, c. 7. sect. 1.
F15 Shoched Tob apud Yalkut, par. 2. fol. 12. 4.
F17 Seder Olam Rabba, c. 13. p. 37.

1 Samuel 1:9 In-Context

7 So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.

8 Her husband Elkanah said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?"

9 After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.

10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly.

11 She made this vow: "O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head."

Footnotes

• [a]. Gk: Heb lacks [and presented herself before the Lord]