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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comKeil and Delitzsch Commentary - 1 Samuel 3:1 - 3:1
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At the time when Samuel served the Lord before Eli, both as a boy and as a young man (1Sa 2:11, 1Sa 2:21, 1Sa 2:26), the word of the Lord had become dear, i.e., rare, in Israel, and “Prophecy was not spread.” נִפְרָץ, from פָּרַץ, to spread out strongly, to break through copiously (cf. Pro 3:10). The “word of the Lord” is the word of God announced by prophets: the “vision,” “visio prophetica.” It is true that Jehovah had promised His people, that He would send prophets, who should make known His will and purpose at all times (Deu 18:15.; cf. Num 23:23); but as a revelation from God presupposed susceptibility on the part of men, the unbelief and disobedience of the people might restrain the fulfilment of this and all similar promises, and God might even withdraw His word to punish the idolatrous nation. Such a time as this, when revelations from God were universally rare, and had now arisen under Eli, in whose days, as the conduct of his sons sufficiently proves, the priesthood had fallen into very deep corruption.
1Sa 3:2-4
The word of the Lord was then issued for the first time to Samuel. 1Sa 3:2-4 form one period. The clause, “it came to pass at that time” (1Sa 3:2), is continued in 1Sa 3:4, “that the Lord called,” etc. The intervening clauses from וְעֵלִי to אֱלֹהִים אֲרֹון are circumstantial clauses, intended to throw light upon the situation. The clause, “Eli was laid down in his place,” etc., may be connected logically with “at that time” by the insertion of “when” (as in the English version: Tr.). The dimness of Eli's eyes is mentioned, to explain Samuel's behaviour, as afterwards described. Under these circumstances, for example, when Samuel heard his own name called out in sleep, he might easily suppose that Eli was calling him to render some assistance. The “lamp of God” is the light of the candlestick in the tabernacle, the seven lamps of which were put up and lighted every evening, and burned through the night till all the oil was consumed (see Exo 30:8; Lev 24:2; 2Ch 13:11, and the explanation given at Exo 27:21). The statement that this light was not yet extinguished, is equivalent to “before the morning dawn.” “And Samuel was lying (sleeping) in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was.” הֵיכָל does not mean the holy place, as distinguished from the “most holy,” as in 1Ki 6:5; 1Ki 7:50,
(Note: The Masoretes have taken הֵיכָל in this sense, and therefore have placed the Athnach under שֹׁכֵב rednu, to separate שֹׁכֵב וּשְׁמוּאֵל from יי בְּהֵיכַל, and thus to guard against the conclusion, which might be drawn from this view of הֵיכָל that Samuel slept in the holy place.)
but the whole tabernacle, the tent with its court, as the palace of the God-king, as in 1Sa 1:9; Psa 11:4. Samuel neither slept in the holy place by the side of the candlestick and table of shew-bread, nor in the most holy place in front of the ark of the covenant, but in the court, where cells were built for the priests and Levites to live in when serving at the sanctuary (see at 1Sa 3:15). “The ark of God, i.e., the ark of the covenant, is mentioned as the throne of the divine presence, from which the call to Samuel proceeded.
1Sa 3:5-9
As soon as Samuel heard his name called out, he hastened to Eli to receive his commands. But Eli bade him lie down again, as he had not called him. At first, no doubt, he thought the call which Samuel had heard was nothing more than a false impression of the youth, who had been fast asleep. But the same thing was repeated a second and a third time; for, as the historian explains in 1Sa 3:6, “Samuel had not yet known Jehovah, and (for) the word of Jehovah was not yet revealed to him.” (The perfect יָדַע after טֶרֶם, though very rare, is fully supported by Psa 90:2 and Pro 8:25, and therefore is not to be altered into יֵדַע, as Dietrich and Böttcher propose.) He therefore imagined again that Eli had called him. But when he came to Eli after the third call, Eli perceived that the Lord was calling, and directed Samuel, if the call were repeated, to answer, “Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth.”