1 Samuel 1:19-28

Samuel is Born and Dedicated to Yahweh. The family went home and in due time a son was born to Hannah, whom she called Shemuel (Samuel), possibly, His name is God. His Name = Yahweh, i.e. Yahweh is God; cf. Elijah and Joel, which have a similar meaning. When Samuel was weaned, i.e. after two years at least, perhaps longer, as he is said to have ministered apparently at once, Hannah took him to Shiloh, made an offering of a bullock (LXX of 1 Samuel 1:24; cf. 1 Samuel 1:25); and devoted the boy to the service of Yahweh as an attendant at the Temple. Note that he was not a Levite (cf. 1 Samuel 1:1). Samuel has nothing to do with Sha-' al, asked; possibly the etymology because I have asked, etc., is due to some similarity of sound, more probably to some alteration of the original text. It is curious that the etymology would suit Shâ-'û l (Saul), which means asked.

1 Samuel 1:24. was young: read was with her or them

1 Samuel 1:28. See below on 1 Samuel 2:11.