Bible Commentaries
1 Samuel 3

Verse 1

child = youth. Hebrew. na'ar.

the LORD . Hebrew. Jehovah . App-4 .

was = had come to be.

precious . Hebrew. yakar = heavy (in price). Note the five precious things in Old. Testament: the word of God (1 Samuel 3:1 , its first occurrence); redemption (Psalms 49:8 ); the death of His saints (Psalms 72:14 ; Psalms 116:15 ); the lips of knowledge (Proverbs 20:15 ); the thoughts of God (Psalms 139:17 ). See note on the five in New Testament (Matthew 26:7 ).

Verse 2

see = see clearly.

Verse 3

lamp of God = the seven-branched candlestick. God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .

the temple : i, e. the tabernacle. See note on 1 Samuel 1:9 .

Verse 4

Here am I = Behold me.

Verse 10

Samuel, Samuel . Figure of speech Epizeuxis. App-6 . See note on Genesis 22:11 for the ten reduplications.

Verse 11

Behold . Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 .

tingle . Compare 2 Kings 21:12 .Jeremiah 19:3 .

Verse 13

iniquity . Hebrew ` avah.

made themselves vile . This is one of the eighteen emendations of the Sopherim, on their own confession. See App-33 . By omitting one letter they changed this, from a mistaken sense of reverence. The primitive text, preserved in the Septuagint, stood, "his sons cursed God".

Verse 15

morning. The copyist's eye, in going back to this word, went to the word at the end of' the next sentence, and thus omitted "and rose early in the morning". These words are preserved in the Septuagint.

Verse 17

thing- word.

Verse 18

every whit = every particle. Anglo-Saxon, wiht. Every bit. Hebrew "all the words".

Verse 20

established, &c. Samuel was the first of "the prophets "and last of the judges, preparing the way for the change of government.

Verse 21

by . Or, according to.