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1 Samuel
Chapter Three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 3
This
chapter gives an account of the Lord's calling to Samuel in the night season,
which he first took for the voice of Eli, but being instructed by him, made
answer to the voice, 1 Samuel 3:1, and
of a message sent from him by Samuel to Eli, foretelling the destruction of his
family, 1 Samuel 3:11 and
of the delivery of it to him, which Samuel was first fearful of doing, but,
encouraged by Eli, he delivered it to him, to which he patiently submitted, 1 Samuel 3:15 and
the chapter is closed with the establishment of Samuel as a prophet of the
Lord, who continued to appear and reveal himself to him, 1 Samuel 3:19.
1 Samuel 3:1 Now the boy
Samuel ministered to the Lord
before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there
was no widespread revelation.
YLT
1And the youth Samuel is
serving Jehovah before Eli, and the word of Jehovah hath been precious in those
days -- there is no vision broken forth.
And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli,.... Under his
direction and instruction; the Targum is, in the life of Eli, and in such parts
of service, relating to the tabernacle of the Lord, as he was capable of, such
as opening and shutting the doors of it, lighting the lamps, singing the
praises of God, &c. according to JosephusF14Antiqu. l. 5. c. 10.
sect. 4. , and others, he was now about twelve years of age:
and the word of the Lord was precious in those days; that is, a
word from the Lord in a dream or vision, directing, informing, instructing, or
reproving, this was very rarely had; of late there had been but very few
instances; and which accounts for it why not only the child Samuel knew not
that it was the voice of the Lord that called to him, but Eli himself thought
nothing of it until he had called a third time, so rare and scarce was any
instance of this kind; for which reason these words are premised in the
following narration: and as everything that is scarce and rare is generally
precious, so the word of God in this way also was; and so it is as considered
in every view of it; as the written word of God; when there was but little of
it penned, as at this time, and few or none to teach and instruct in it, Eli
being old, and his sons so vile; or when it is forbidden to be read, and the
copies of it destroyed, and become scarce, as in the times of Dioclesian; or
when there are but very few faithful evangelical ministers of the word; which,
though it is always precious to them that have precious faith in it, the
promises of it being exceeding great and precious, and the truths of it more
precious than fine gold, and the grand subject of it a precious Saviour, who is
so in his person, offices, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; yet is
generally more precious when there is a scarcity of it, when God makes a man, a
Gospel minister, more precious than fine gold, even than the golden wedge of
Ophir, see Isaiah 13:12 where
the word is used in the same sense as here:
there was no open vision; or prophecy, as the
Targum; no publicly known prophet raised up, to whom the people could apply for
counsel, direction, and instruction in divine things; in all the times of the
judges we read only of Deborah the prophetess, and one prophet more, Judges 4:14,
excepting the man of God lately sent to Eli, 1 Samuel 2:27, and
this want of prophecy served to set off with greater foil the glory of Samuel
as a prophet of the Lord, when he was an established one; there having been
none of that character in the memory of man, and therefore he is spoken of as
at the head of the prophets, Acts 3:24, for
though there might be some private visions to particular persons, or God might
appear in vision to private persons for their own special use and instruction;
yet there was no public vision, or what was for public good and general use:
some render it, "no broken up vision"F15נפרץ "perrupta", Piscator; "fracta vel
rupta", Drusius. ; it lay hid, concealed out of sight, as if it was
immured and shut up within walls, or like water pent up, that cannot break
through its fences, and spread itself; or "not multiplied", as R.
Isaiah, not frequent and repeated, the instances of it few and rare; the sense
of this clause is much the same as the former.
1 Samuel 3:2 2 And
it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and
when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see,
YLT
2And it cometh to pass, at
that time, that Eli is lying down in his place, and his eyes have begun to be
dim -- he is not able to see.
And it came to pass at that time,.... When the word of the
Lord was scarce and precious, and there was no open vision; or, as Ben Gersom,
the same day the man of God came to Eli at night, the following affair
happened:
when Eli was laid down in his place; on his bed to sleep, in
one of the chambers or apartments of the tabernacle; for as there were such in
the temple for the priests, so in that:
and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; to help
himself to anything he might want when in bed; which seems to be the reason
Samuel lay near him, and why, when he heard his voice, he immediately ran to
him, supposing he needed his assistance. Some, as Kimchi and others, understand
this not of the eyes of his body, but of his mind; and that the Holy Spirit, as
a spirit of prophecy, was departing from him, because of his connivance at the
sins of his sons; and so the following prophecy came not to him, but to Samuel.
1 Samuel 3:3 3 and
before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle[a] of the Lord where the ark
of God was, and while Samuel was lying down,
YLT
3And the lamp of God is not
yet extinguished, and Samuel is lying down in the temple of Jehovah, where the
ark of God [is],
And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord,.... The
tabernacle so called; lamp is put for the lamps in the candlestick in the
tabernacle, which were lighted every evening, and burnt till morning; by which
time some of them at least usually went out, only it is said the western lamp
never went out. Now the reason why this is observed is to show that it was in
the night, before morning, that the following transaction was: some by this
lamp understand the lamp of prophecy, that before that was quite extinct in
Eli, only began to depart, as his eyes are said to begin to wax dim, the spirit
of prophecy came to Samuel; so that, as the Jews express it, before one sun was
set another arose; thus before the sun of Moses set, the sun of Joshua arose;
and before the sun of Eli set, the sun of Samuel arose:
where the ark of God was; that is, in the temple
or tabernacle; not in that part of it where the lamps were burning in the
candlestick, that was in the holy place; but the ark was in the holy of holies,
where the Lord dwelt, and was the symbol of his presence; and which is observed
to point out the place from whence the voice came, after mentioned; and which
the Targum expresses here,"and a voice was heard out of the temple of the
Lord, where the ark of the Lord was:'and Samuel was laid down to sleep; after
Eli was in bed, and Samuel had done all his business, he laid himself down to
sleep in his place; in the court of the Levites, as the Targum, with which the
Jewish commentators in general agree: it must be somewhere near to Eli, so that
he could quickly come at him, when he needed his assistance; though, according
to the MisnahF16Middot, c. 1. sect. 8. , the priests shut the doors
of the court within, and the Levites slept without. It is highly probable that
Samuel's apartment was near to Eli, or he could not have so readily come to
him, as it is plain he did. This circumstance is also observed, to show that it
was in the night, and before morning, that the following vision was; and, as
Kimchi thinks, about cock crowing; and it may be from hence StraboF17Geograph.
l. 16. p. 523. had the notion, that Moses ordered such to sleep (in the temple)
for themselves, and others, who were fit to receive good dreams, and who might
expect from God a good gift, who lived soberly and righteously; and because the
tabernacle was covered with skins, hence might spring the notion of others to
sleep in temples, for the above reason, under the skins of the sacrifices; see
Gill on , though they seem rather to have slept upon them, for the above
purposes, namely, to converse with their deities, and get knowledge from themF18Vid.
Virgil. Aeneid. 7. "huc dona Sacerdos", &c. ver. 86-95. .
1 Samuel 3:4 4 that
the Lord
called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!”
YLT
4and Jehovah calleth unto
Samuel, and he saith, `Here [am] I.'
That the Lord called Samuel,.... By a voice which
came forth from the most holy place, from between the cherubim, the seat of the
divine Majesty:
and he answered, here am I; which was not intended
to declare the place where he was, but to express his readiness and
cheerfulness to do any thing that was required of him.
1 Samuel 3:5 5 So
he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” And he said, “I did not
call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.
YLT
5And he runneth unto Eli,
and saith, `Here [am] I, for thou hast called for me;' and he saith, `I called
not; turn back, lie down;' and he goeth and lieth down.
And he ran unto Eli, and said here am I,.... He got
out of his bed as fast as he could, and put on his clothes, and ran with all
haste to the apartment where Eli lay, supposing he wanted some immediate
assistance, which he was there ready to give him to the utmost of his ability;
and he made the more haste, as knowing his age and infirmities, and being
desirous, out of affection to him, to help him as soon as possible:
for thou calledst me; he took it to be the
voice of Eli, partly because there was no other man in the tabernacle, it being
in the middle of the night, or early in the morning, before the doors were opened,
or any of the priests were come in to minister, and partly because the voice
might be very much like Eli's, and which was done to direct him to him:
and he said, I called not, lie down again; he signified
he wanted nothing, and so had no occasion to call him, nor had he, but bid him
go to bed again, and sleep quietly:
and he went and lay down; and very probably fell
asleep again.
1 Samuel 3:6 6 Then the Lord called yet
again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you
called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”
YLT
6And Jehovah addeth to call
again Samuel, and Samuel riseth and goeth unto Eli, and saith, `Here [am] I,
for thou hast called for me;' and he saith, `I have not called, my son, turn
back, lie down.'
And the Lord called yet again, Samuel,.... Called him a
second time by his name, with a like audible voice as before:
and Samuel arose, and went to Eli; did not run as before,
being perhaps more thoughtful of this affair, that he should be called a second
time, and careful not to awake Eli, should he be mistaken again, and find him
asleep:
and said, here am I, for thou didst call me; perceiving
that he was awake, he desired to know what he wanted, and he was ready to help
him; for he was now certain of it that he did call him:
and he answered, I called not, my son, lie down again; by this
appellation, my son, he expresses his affection to him, and signifies he took
it kindly that he should show such readiness to do anything for him and would
not have him be discouraged and abashed, because he was mistaken, but return to
his bed and rest again.
1 Samuel 3:7 7 (Now Samuel did not yet
know the Lord,
nor was the word of the Lord
yet revealed to him.)
YLT
7And Samuel hath not yet
known Jehovah, and the word of Jehovah is not yet revealed unto him.
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord,.... He knew
that Jehovah, the God of Israel, was the true God; he had spiritual knowledge
of him, and knew somewhat of his word and worship, ways and ordinances, in
which he had been instructed by Eli; wherefore, though the Targum
is,"Samuel had not yet learned to know doctrine from the Lord;'it can only
be understood, that he had not learnt it perfectly; somewhat he knew of it, but
in an imperfect manner, being a child: but the sense of the word is, that as
yet he was ignorant that God had used to speak with ordinary and familiar voice
to men, as Maimonides saysF19Moreh Nevochim, par. 2. c. 44. ; he
perhaps had never heard of any such thing, and much less was experimentally
acquainted with it, that God ever did speak after such a manner to men, and
could not distinguish between the voice of God and the voice of Eli:
neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him; what of the
written word that was in being he had, and read, as the law of Moses; but the
meaning is, that no word of prophecy of the Lord was revealed unto him, as the
Targum; he never had prophesied as yet, and knew not the form and manner of
prophecy, as the above writer observes, or what methods God took to reveal
himself, his mind and will, to men, at least not this by an audible voice.
1 Samuel 3:8 8 And the Lord called Samuel
again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for
you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the
boy.
YLT
8And Jehovah addeth to call
Samuel the third time, and he riseth and goeth unto Eli, and saith, `Here [am]
I, for thou hast called for me;' and Eli understandeth that Jehovah is calling
to the youth.
And the Lord called Samuel again the third time,.... In the
same manner he had done before, expressing his name no doubt:
and he arose and went to Eli, and said, here am I, for thou didst
call me; as if he should say, it must certainly be so, I cannot be
mistaken a third time:
and Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child; he was
satisfied now that Samuel must have heard a voice, and he knew there was no man
in the tabernacle but himself, and therefore it must be the voice of the Lord
out of the most holy place; and he had formerly been acquainted with such
voices, and used to them, and now called them to mind; and besides, as Aben
Ezra observes, he was the rather confirmed in this, that the Lord called
Samuel, because Samuel heard the voice, and not Eli, though Eli lay nearer the
most holy place than Samuel did; which showed that this must be the voice of
prophecy the Lord makes whom he pleases to hear; and that Eli might be fully
persuaded of this, before the matter of the prophecy was delivered to him, Samuel
was so often directed to him.
1 Samuel 3:9 9 Therefore Eli said to
Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say,
‘Speak, Lord,
for Your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
YLT
9And Eli saith to Samuel,
`Go, lie down, and it hath been, if He doth call unto thee, that thou hast
said, Speak, Jehovah, for Thy servant is hearing;' and Samuel goeth and lieth
down in his place.
Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, go, lie down,.... Once
more:
and it shall be, if he call thee; the voice, or the Lord
by it:
that thou shalt say, speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth; his meaning
is, that he should not rise and come to him, as he had done, but continue on
his bed, on hearing the voice again, but desire the Lord to speak to him what
he had to say, to which he was ready to attend:
so Samuel went and lay down in his place; which, as
commonly understood, was in the court of the Levites; see Gill on 1 Samuel 3:3.
1 Samuel 3:10 10 Now the Lord came and stood
and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak,
for Your servant hears.”
YLT
10And Jehovah cometh, and
stationeth Himself, and calleth as time by time, `Samuel, Samuel;' and Samuel
saith, `Speak, for Thy servant if hearing.'
And the Lord came, and stood,.... At the place where
Samuel lay; either there was, as Kimchi, a form before his eyes in the vision
of prophecy, some visible corporeal shape assumed; or a bright splendour an
illustrious appearance of the glory of God; or it may be rather the voice,
which before seemed to be at some distance whereabout Eli lay; it now seemed
nearer, and was as the voice of one just by him, that sounded in his ears:
and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel: repeating his
name, in order the more to excite his attention:
then Samuel answered, speak, for thy servant heareth; he leaves out
the word Lord, which Eli bid him use; for he might be afraid as yet to make
mention of the name of the Lord in the vision of prophecy, as Kimchi speaks; or
lest it should be the voice of another, as Jarchi; as yet he might not be quite
certain whether it was the voice of the Lord, or the voice of a man; for that
he should have any mistrust of its being the voice of a demon or spectre, there
is no reason to believe.
1 Samuel 3:11 11 Then the Lord said to
Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone
who hears it will tingle.
YLT
11And Jehovah saith unto
Samuel, `Lo, I am doing a thing in Israel, at which the two ears of every one
hearing it do tingle.
And the Lord said to Samuel,.... The voice of the
Lord continued speaking to him: behold:
I will do a thing in Israel; which may be particularly
interpreted of the taking of the ark, and the slaying of the two sons of Eli;
and which is elsewhere represented as the Lord's doing, for the sins of Eli's
family, Psalm 78:61.
at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle; be struck
with horror and amazement, and quite stunned, and know not what to think or
say, like persons surprised with a violent clap of thunder, which strikes their
ears so strongly, that the noise of it is not soon gone from them; this was
verified in Eli, and in his daughter-in-law particularly, who, at the news of
the above things, the one fell backwards and broke his neck, and the other fell
into labour and died; and all Israel were struck with astonishment at these
things.
1 Samuel 3:12 12 In that day I will perform
against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.
YLT
12In that day I establish
unto Eli all that I have spoken unto his house, beginning and completing;
In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have
spoken concerning his house,.... Or family, that is, by the man of God, 1 Samuel 2:27 as
that he would cut off the strength of it, that there should not be an old man
in it; and such as remained should be reduced to the utmost poverty and
meanness; this shows that that prophecy was antecedent to this, contrary to the
sense of some:
when I begin, I will also make an end; not
immediately, and at once, but by degrees; he began in the death of Hophni and
Phinehas, and went on in the slaughter of Abimelech, and the eighty five
priests at Nob, in the times of Saul, and finished in the thrusting out of
Abiathar from the priesthood, in the times of Solomon, whereby that family was
brought to disgrace and poverty.
1 Samuel 3:13 13 For I have told him that I
will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons
made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.
YLT
13and I have declared to him
that I am judging his house -- to the age, for the iniquity which he hath
known, for his sons are making themselves vile, and he hath not restrained them,
For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever,.... That is,
bring his judgments upon them, which should continue on them to their utter
destruction; this, as to the substance, he said before by the man of God:
for the iniquity which he knoweth; for the iniquity of his
sons, which he thoroughly informed of, and fully acquainted with by others; and
somewhat of which he must have been sensible of, and seen with his own eyes,
and therefore was inexcusable:
because his sons made themselves vile; mean and
contemptible in the sight of men, abhorred and accursed in the sight of God, by
taking the flesh of the sacrifices of the people, which did not belong to them,
who came to sacrifice, and by debauching the women that came to the door of the
tabernacle for religious service. It is said this clause was originally
written, "because his sons made light of me"; or cursed the Lord, and
is one of the eighteen places called the correction of the Scribes, who
corrected it as we have it; and it may be observed, the Septuagint version is,
"because his sons spake ill of God"; or cursed him; however, this
they did, they preferred their lusts, and the indulging of them, to the honour
and glory of God: this Eli knew:
and he restrained them not; from their evil practices;
he did not make use of his authority, neither as a father, and especially not
as high priest, and the judge of Israel, who ought not only to have sharply
reproved them, which he did not, but to have censured or punished them, and
turned them out of their office: "or did not frown upon them"F20ולא כחה בהם
"et non contraxit frontem", Osiander; "non contraxit
rugas", Belg. De Dieu. , as in the margin of our Bibles; he did not knit
his brows, or wrinkle up his face, and by his countenance show his displeasure
at their proceedings, but in an easy, smooth, gentle manner, expostulated with
them about them.
1 Samuel 3:14 14 And therefore I have sworn
to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by
sacrifice or offering forever.”
YLT
14and therefore I have sworn
to the house of Eli: the iniquity of the house of Eli is not atoned for, by
sacrifice, and by offering -- unto the age.'
And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli,.... Either
had done this before, which was signified to him by the man of God, or did swear
now for the confirmation of his threatenings, and to assure the certain
performance of them:
that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with
sacrifice nor offering for ever: not even typically, which was all that
legal sacrifice could do; and not so that the priesthood should ever return to
the family again, as the office of high priesthood never did; or, as Abarbinel
interprets it, because of sacrifice and offering, that the iniquity Eli's sons
were guilty of in taking the flesh of the sacrifices and offerings, which did
not belong to them, and before the Lord had his part, should never be expiated.
(There are some sins that are not covered in the atonement of Jesus Christ.
This is one of them and the sin against the Holy Ghost is another. Matthew 12:31.
Editor.)
1 Samuel 3:15 15 So Samuel lay down until
morning,[b] and opened
the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to
tell Eli the vision.
YLT
15And Samuel lieth till the
morning, and openeth the doors of the house of Jehovah, and Samuel is afraid of
declaring the vision unto Eli.
And Samuel lay until the morning,.... It is not said he
slept; it can hardly be thought he should, when it is considered what a new,
strange, and uncommon thing had befallen him; what honour had been conferred on
him a child, that the Lord should vouchsafe to speak and communicate his mind
to him, and what dreadful things were said of Eli's family; all which must
greatly affect his mind, and keep him waking: however, he lay musing thereon
until morning, and then arose:
and opened the doors of the house of the Lord; as he had
used to do, and which was the business of the Levites; though he had been so
highly honoured, he was not elated with it, nor thought himself above so low
and mean an employment in the house of God; nor did he run to Eli or others,
boasting of what he had met with that night, but modestly and carefully
attended to what was his common and constant employment every morning:
and Samuel feared to show Eli the vision; the vision of
prophecy, as the Targum; what God had foretold should befall him and his
family, lest he should be grieved on more accounts than one; partly because he,
an old man, an high priest, and judge of Israel, was overlooked and neglected,
and the prophecy was delivered to a child, and not to him; and partly because
of the sad things that should come upon his family.
1 Samuel 3:16 16 Then Eli called Samuel and
said, “Samuel, my son!” He answered, “Here I am.”
YLT
16And Eli calleth Samuel, and
saith, `Samuel, my son;' and he saith, `Here [am] I.'
Then Eli called Samuel,.... Perceiving he was
risen by the opening of the doors of the tabernacle, which he might hear; and
observing he did not come to him as usual, to know whether he wanted anything,
and being impatient to hear what was said to him of the Lord:
and he said, Samuel, my son; called him by his name,
and in a very tender and affectionate manner, the more to engage him to hasten
to him, and thereby also putting him in mind of his filial duty to obey him:
and he answered, here am I; ready to attend and
perform any service enjoined him.
1 Samuel 3:17 17 And he said, “What is
the word that the Lord spoke to you? Please do
not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide
anything from me of all the things that He said to you.”
YLT
17And he saith, `What [is]
the word which He hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me; so
doth God do to thee, and so doth He add, if thou hidest from me a word of all
the words that He hath spoken unto thee.'
And he said, what is the thing that the Lord hath said unto
thee?.... The word "Lord" is not in the text, but it is
"that it hath said"; the voice that had so often called him in the
night, and which yet Eli knew was the voice of the Lord; and as it was, he was
sensible there was something of importance said, and he had great reason to
believe it respected him and his family; and the rather he might conclude this,
by what the man of God had lately said to him, whose words perhaps he had too
much slighted, questioning his authority; and therefore the Lord took this way
and method to assure him that what was said came from him; for hereby Eli was
fully convinced that this voice Samuel heard was of the Lord, and so what was
said must be from him, and this he was impatient to know:
I pray thee, hide it not from me; and he not only
beseeched and entreated him, but adjured him, as in the next clause:
God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of
all the things that said unto thee; it is the form of an
oath or curse, wishing that God would do some great evil to him, and more than
he chose to express, if he concealed anything from him that had been told him.
So Kimchi and Abarbinel take it to be an oath; and Josephus,F21Antiqu.
l. 5. c. 10. sect. 4. and Procopius Gazaeus on the place say, that Eli obliged
Samuel by oaths and curses to declare what had been said to him.
1 Samuel 3:18 18 Then Samuel told him
everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let Him do
what seems good to Him.”
YLT
18And Samuel declareth to him
the whole of the words, and hath not hid from him; and he saith, `It [is]
Jehovah; that which is good in His eyes He doth.'
And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him,.... And so
approved himself to be a faithful prophet of God, and man of God, as he is
afterwards called; the whole counsel of God is to be declared by his servants
the prophets, and the ministers of his word; nothing is to be concealed, which
it is the will of God should be made known, whether it be pleasing or
displeasing to man:
and he said, it is the Lord; that has said it, and
there is nothing to be said against it, and that will do it; and there is no
resisting him: or "the Lord is he"F23יהוה
הוא κυριος αυτος,
Sept. "Dominus ipse", Montanus. ; who has a sovereign right to all
his creatures, and may dispose of them as he pleases; he is all wise, and does
all things well; he is holy and righteous in all his ways and works, and there
is no unrighteousness in him; he is faithful to his word, whether in a way of
promise or threatening; and all he does to his people is in love, mercy, and
kindness:
let him do what seemeth him good; not what seems good to
men, or is so in their esteem, but what seems good to the Lord, who knows what
is best for his people, and can do nothing but what is good; all is good he
does; there is nothing but goodness in him, and nothing but goodness comes from
him; he does good, and nothing else, and even when he afflicts his people; all
he does is well done in creation, providence, and grace: and Eli's desire is,
that he would fulfil the good pleasure of his will; he appears to be in an
excellent temper, not surly and morose, taking it ill that such a message
should be sent him by a child; nor was he unaffected with the case of his
family, but humbly submitted to the will of God, and acquiesces in it as good,
and neither arraigns his justice, nor murmurs at his providences.
1 Samuel 3:19 19 So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him
and let none of his words fall to the ground.
YLT
19And Samuel groweth up, and
Jehovah hath been with him, and hath not let fall any of his words to the
earth;
And Samuel grew,.... Not only in years and stature, but in
grace and goodness, in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, both with respect
to things natural and spiritual, and in esteem, credit, and reputation among
men:
and the Lord was with him; he was not only in
favour with men, but with God; and had fresh and repeated tokens of the grace
and good will of God towards him; he indulged him with his presence, and
assisted him in his service, and prospered and succeeded him in all things in
which he was engaged. The Targum is,"the Word of the Lord was his
help;'the essential Word of God, the Messiah:
and did let none of his words fall to the groundF24 χαμαιπετες επος, Pindar.
Pythia, Ode 6. ; in allusion either to water that falls to the ground, and
becomes useless, or to an arrow falling out of the bow, and to the ground,
before it reaches the mark, and so unsuccessfulF25Vid. Homer. Iliad.
17. ver. 633. ; or to any weapon of war, sword or spear, falling out of the
hand of the soldier, whereby he is disarmed and rendered unserviceable: and
these words, according to Kimchi, and in which he is followed by Abarbinel, are
to be understood, not only of the words which he spake by the Holy Ghost under
a spirit of prophecy, and had their exact accomplishment; but his common words,
which were spoken by weight and measure, as the last expresses it, and which
were delivered out according to the rules of justice, probity, and truth; and
so he failed not of performing that which he had said, or of doing what was
right, whereby Israel knew he was fit, prepared, and designed to be a prophet
of the Lord, as in the following verse; but it seems rather to have respect to the
things predicted by him under a spirit of prophecy concerning Eli and his
house, which soon began to be fulfilled.
1 Samuel 3:20 20 And all Israel from Dan to
Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord.
YLT
20and all Israel know, from
Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, that Samuel is established for a prophet to Jehovah.
And all Israel, from Dan even unto Beersheba,.... That is,
from the most northern border of the land of Israel, on which Dan lay, to the
utmost border of it southward, where Beersheba was, the fame of Samuel for his
piety, prudence, and prophecy, was spread abroad; so that all
knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord; or that he
was faithfulF26נאמן "fidelis",
V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version. to God and man, to be credited in
what he said; and so a fit man to be a prophet of the Lord, being eminently
qualified with gifts by him for that office; the Targum is,"that Samuel was
faithful in the words of the prophecy of the Lord,'in relating them.
1 Samuel 3:21 21 Then the Lord appeared again
in Shiloh. For the Lord
revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
YLT
21And Jehovah addeth to
appear in Shiloh, for Jehovah hath been revealed unto Samuel, in Shiloh, by the
word of Jehovah.
And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh,.... In the
tabernacle there; he had appeared before to Samuel, when he called him, and
declared to him what he designed and resolved to do to Eli and his family, and
now appeared again to him in the same place before the battle of the Israelites
with the Philistines, of which there is an account in the following chapter.
Such appearances had not been usual in Shiloh for a long time, but were now
renewed and repeated:
for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel by the Word of the Lord; by Christ,
the Word of the Lord, who appeared to him, it is probable, in an human form, as
he was wont to do to the patriarchs and prophets, and by whom the Lord revealed
his mind and will unto them, being the Angel of his presence, and the messenger
of his covenant; or by giving him a word of command to be delivered by him to
the children of Israel, and which is expressed and delivered, in the next
chapter.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)