1 Samuel 1:1-8

I. THE JUDGESHIP OF SAMUEL 1 Samuel 1:1 to 1 Samuel 12:25

1. The Birth and Infancy of Samuel, 1 Samuel 1:1 to 1 Samuel 2:11.

Samuel's Simple Surroundings. 1 Samuel 1:1-8

Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:

2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.

4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:
5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb.
6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.
7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

1.

Who were the parents of Samuel? 1 Samuel 1:1-2; 1 Samuel 1:20

Elkanah was a descendant of Kohath, who was of the tribe of Levi. Levi, of course, was the ancestor of all who were eligible for the priesthood. Elkanah is also known as an Ephraimite. Ephraim became the name of all the country or the tribes north of Judah. Levi's descendants had no inheritance in the promised land. Their inheritance in the promised land consisted of cities assigned them by the other tribes. Elkanah lived in the land assigned to the tribe of Ephraim. Although he was a Levite, he was also known as an Ephraimite. Samuel's mother was named Hannah. Elkanah is from two Hebrew words meaning whom God has acquired. Hannah is from the Hebrew word which means grace or favor.

2.

Was Samuel a priest?

Samuel was of the tribe of Levi. All priests were Levites, but not all Levites could be priests. The priests were taken from the descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses. Aaron was the son of Amram and Jochebed. He was thus descended from Kohath, who was also one of the ancestors of Samuel. Since Samuel was from the tribe of Levi, many Bible scholars conclude that he was a priest. It would seem better, however, to hold that Samuel was not a priest since he was not descended from Aaron. Samuel did serve as a priest, but his appointment seems unusual. He replaced Eli as the spiritual leader of Israel, but it would be better to think of Samuel as a judge and a prophet and not a priest in the fullest sense of the word.

3.

Where did they live? 1 Samuel 1:1; 1 Samuel 1:19

They were from Ramathiam-zophim. The word Ramah means hill. The word Ramathaim means double hill. The word Zophim is a derivative of the word Zuph. Hence Rammathaim-zophim means The double hill of the country belonging to the descendants of Zuph.

Mount Ephraim designates the hill country of Ephraim. Palestine was divided generally into four different sectionsthe hill country, the sea coast, the Jordan valley, and the Negeb, or the South. The center of the land was hilly, and the highest portion was known as the hill country of Ephraim. Here it is called Mount Ephraim.

4.

Who was Zuph, the Ephrathite?

Zuph was an ancestor of Samuel's who gave his name to the home, Ramathaim-zophim. The fact that he was called an Ephrathite has led some to believe that his home was south of the land of the tribe of Benjamin and near Bethlehem. Bethlehem is sometimes known as Ephrath (Ruth 1:2). It is apparent from this reference and also the reference in 1 Kings 11:26, however, that Ephrathite is sometimes used interchangeably with Ephraimite. The importance of his place in the ancestry of Samuel has been lost to us; but when this was written, he was perhaps a well-known ancestor of Samuel.

5.

Who was Peninnah? 1 Samuel 1:2

Peninnah was one of the wives of Elkanah, Samuel's father. Her name comes from a Hebrew word meaning coral. All we know about Peninnah is recorded here in these verses. No other mention is made of her in the Scriptures outside this place. We are left to wonder if she was the older wife since she is mentioned as having children before any children were born to Hannah.

6.

Was Hannah's barrenness a punishment? 1 Samuel 1:2

There are times in the Scripture when barrenness is called a punishment. Such was the case with regard to the people of Philistia in the days of Abimelech and Isaac. In this case, however, it seems that barrenness was not a punishment for any wrong which Hannah or Elkanah had committed, It was rather a withholding of blessing.

7.

What was Elkanah's yearly custom? 1 Samuel 1:3

Elkanah went up to the tabernacle to worship and to sacrifice, The institution of the pilgrimage is as old as the existence of the institutions, Although it is not stated that this was the time of the Passover, the Passover was the one great feast of the Jews; and this is probably the feast he attended yearly, Simply because it is not stated that he went up thrice yearly is not grounds for saying that he did not observe the feasts as he had been commanded in the law. He would attend each given feast yearly.

8.

Where was Shiloh? 1 Samuel 1:3

Shiloh was also in the hill country of Ephraim. It was located east of the main road from Jerusalem to Bethel and Shechem. Shiloh itself was situated about five miles north of Bethel. This had been the site of Israel's center of worship from the time of Joshua. The tabernacle had been located here by Joshua, and the tribes had gathered here to receive their inheritance in the Promised Land (see Joshua 13-21). All in all, it was a good choice for a location for the tabernacle. It was centrally located, and quite accessible to all the tribes of the children of Israel. As a priest, Eli was directly descended from Aaron. Aaron had four sonsNadab, Abihu, Ithamar, and Eleazar. Nadab and Abihu were slain when they offered strange fire before the Lord (see Leviticus 10). The priestly families were thence all descended from Aaron's two sons, Ithamar and Eleazar. Eli was descended from Aaron through Ithamar (Leviticus 10:1-2; Leviticus 10:12). This appears from the mention of Abiathar, who was a descendant of Eli (1 Kings 2:27), This man had a son Abimelech, who is expressly stated to have been of the sons of Ithamar (1 Chronicles 21:3; cf. 2 Samuel 8:17). Eli is generally supposed to have been the first of the line of Ithamar to hold the office of high priest (Josephus, Antiquities, V, v, 2). His name means God is high. His two sons were called Hophni and Phinehas, names without particular meanings in the Hebrew language. Phinehas was also the name of Eleazar, the son of Aaron.

9.

Who were the priests? 1 Samuel 1:3

Hophni and Phinehas, Eli's sons, were priests. It is necessary that Eli should be mentioned because he appears in the immediate sequel. By understanding that his sons were priests, we will refrain from indicting Eli for much of what afterwards happens. As priests, they should have been an example to the people of Israel.

10.

What indication do we have of Elkanah's love for Hannah? cf. 1 Samuel 1:4-5; 1 Samuel 1:8

Whenever Elkhanah offered, he gave to Peninnah, his wife, and to all her sons and daughters, portions: but to Hannah he gave a WORTHY portion; for he loved Hannah. This, together with his statement that he meant more to her than ten sons, showed his love (cf. 1 Samuel 1:4-5; 1 Samuel 1:8). Various translations of this passage have been made, showing that Elkanah gave Hannah a double portion, or a portion equivalent to that which he gave to two other persons. All of this would express his love for her.

11.

Meaning of double portion? 1 Samuel 1:5

(cf. Genesis 43:34; Deuteronomy 31:17; 1 Samuel 1:5) The meaning is that he gave more to Hannah because of his love for her. The custom of showing respect to distinguished guests by giving them the largest and best pieces (1 Samuel 9:23-24; Homer, Iliad II, 7, 321; 8, 162, etc.) is met with elsewhere. This is done by giving double portions (e.g. the kings among the Spartans, Herod 6, 57), and even by fourfold portions in the case of the Archons among the Cretans (Heraclid, Polit. 3). Among the Egyptians, the number five appears to have been preferred to any other (see Genesis 41:34; Genesis 45:22; Genesis 47:2; Genesis 47:24; Isaiah 19:18). The double portion of Elijah is not the same as the double portion here and in the case of Joseph. This double portion is called a worthy portion in the King James Version.

12.

What was Peninnah's attitude toward Hannah? 1 Samuel 1:6-7

When Elkanah gave Hannah a double portion as an expression of his love for her, Peninnah must have been jealous. Peninnah constantly taunted Hannah to irritate her. She was not necessarily interested in making her angry, but she was wanting to put Hannah into inward commotion and to excite her. Just as Elkanah showed his love to Hannah at every sacrificial festival, so did Peninnah repeat her provocation, the effect of which was that Hannah gave vent to her grief in tears, and did not eat. Peninnah's attitude may be called a habitually scornful treatment. She taunted Hannah about her barrenness. Her treatment was so shameful that she is called Hannah's adversary (1 Samuel 1:6).

13.

What effect did this have on Hannah? 1 Samuel 1:7-8

She wept, and would not eat, and was sore grieved. Hannah no doubt reproached herself with her shortcoming, though it was not voluntary. Her husband exhorts her not to blame herself, which is precisely what she was doing. The Scriptural picture of Hannah is not that of one who with hysteria would continually berate herself and those about her, but rather of one who would carry a heavy burden with meekness. Those who were intimately acquainted with her would know of her grief, and she shared her burden in silent prayer to God. Casual acquaintances would hardly know the nature of her burden. It was very cruel of Peninnah to provoke her about it.

14.

What did Elkanah say to Hannah to comfort her? 1 Samuel 1:8

Elkanah asked a rhetorical question. The first question is followed by a second. All this was said to comfort her, but the very mention of the word sons must have started the springs of grief afresh, because it was for his sake that Hannah wished to bear children. The answer would have been in the affirmative, and otherwise would have been no consolation. Although he asked the question without expecting an answer, he must have asked it in good humor. We smile when we think of a man who thinks he brings more happiness to his wife than a great number of children.