1 Samuel 3:3

Contextual Overview

¹ And the lad Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli. And the word of Yahweh was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision. ¹ Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. ¹ And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. ¹ The boy Samuel served the Lord under Eli. In those days the Lord did not speak directly to people very often; there were very few visions. ¹ Now the boy Samuel continued serving the Lord under Eli's supervision. Word from the Lord was rare in those days; revelatory visions were infrequent. ¹ And the child Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; [there was] no open vision. ¹ The child Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli. The word of Yahweh was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision. ¹Now the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the LORD under the supervision of Eli. The word of the LORD was rare and precious in those days; visions [that is, new revelations of divine truth] were not widespread. ¹ Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. ¹ Forsothe the child Samuel `mynystride to the Lord bifor Heli, and the word of the Lord was preciouse; in tho daies was noon opyn reuelacioun.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ere: Before sun-rise: for it is probable the lamps were extinguished before the rising of the sun; see the parallel passages.

the lamp: Exodus 27:20, Exodus 27:21, Exodus 30:7, Exodus 30:8, Leviticus 24:2-4, 2 Chronicles 13:11

the temple: 1 Samuel 1:6, Psalms 5:7, Psalms 27:4, Psalms 29:9

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 1:9 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."

Genesis 3:12
And the man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "You gave this woman to me and she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it."

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it."

Genesis 3:12
And the man said, The woman, whom thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."

Genesis 3:12
And the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me—she gave me [fruit] from the tree, and I ate it."

Genesis 3:12
And Adam seide, The womman which thou yauest felowe to me, yaf me of the tre, and Y eet.

Genesis 3:12
and the man saith, `The woman whom Thou didst place with me -- she hath given to me of the tree -- and I do eat.'

Genesis 3:12
And the man answered, "The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 Misnah p, 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 Strabo q 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,

:-, though they seem rather to have slept upon them, for the above purposes, namely, to converse with their deities, and get knowledge from them r.

p Middot, c. 1. sect. 8. q Geograph. l. 16. p. 523. r Vid. Virgil. Aeneid. 7. "huc dona Sacerdos", &c. ver. 86-95.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 3:3. Ere the lamp of God went out — Before sunrise; for it is likely that the lamps were extinguished before the rising of the sun. See Exodus 27:21; Leviticus 24:3.