Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.

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.

And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.

And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.

6:7 repenteh me. The apparent contradiction involved in the Biblical record of God “repenting” when the Bible also says God does not repent (contrast I Samuel 15:11 and 15:29) is resolved in terms of man’s viewpoint versus God’s viewpoint. To “repent” means to “change the mind.” God cannot repent, since He cannot change His mind concerning evil. He seems to repent, when man changes his mind concerning evil. God’s attitude toward man is conditioned by man’s attitude toward Him. It is because God does not repent that He must seem to repent when man “changes his mind.”

19:1 in the gate. Archaeology has shown that it was customary in the Palestinian culture of the time for legal transactions, public proclamations and general business to be carried on at the city gate (Ruth 4:1,2; II Samuel 18:24,33; etc.). Lot had become recognized by this time as a leading resident of the city, despite his faith in God. Possibly the other leaders knew of his relation to Abraham, who had saved the city from destruction by the northern confederacy.

49:10 not depart from Judah. This important prophecy has been strikingly fulfilled. Although Judah was neither Jacob’s firstborn son nor his favorite son nor the son who would produce the priestly tribe, he was the son through whom God would fulfill His promises to Israel and to the world. The leadership, according to Jacob, was to go to Judah, but this did not happen for over six hundred years. Moses came from Levi, Joshua from Ephraim, Gideon from Manasseh, Samson from Dan, Samuel from Ephraim and Saul from Benjamin. But when David finally became king, Judah held the sceptre and did not relinquish it until after Shiloh came. Shiloh, of course, is a name for the Messiah, probably related to the Hebrew word for “peace” (shalom) and meaning in effect “the one who brings peace.”

3:4 Moses, Moses. When God calls a name twice, it is clear that the occasion is of great importance, as here when He called Moses. Note also the double calls: “Abraham, Abraham” (Genesis 22:11); “Samuel, Samuel” (I Samuel 3:10); “Simon, Simon” (Luke 22:31,32); “Saul, Saul” (Acts 9:4); and “Jerusalem, Jerusalem” (Matthew 23:37,38).

28:30 Urim and the Thummim. The mysterious Urim and Thummim, set in the twelve-jeweled breastplate of the high priest (Leviticus 8:8), evidently had something to do with recognizing God’s will for the twelve tribes in their wanderings and conflicts (Note Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8; I Samuel 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65). Exactly what they were and how they functioned has been the object of much speculation; if their meaning was something like “lights and perfections,” as most scholars believe, they must have been in some way a medium of special divine guidance during this strategic period in God’s plan for His people Israel.

24:5 twelve cakes. These twelve cakes of bread made of fine flour, one cake for each of the twelve tribes, was the “shewbread” (Exodus 25:30; Hebrews 9:2), so-called because it was to be continually before the presence of God. It was normally to be eaten only by the priests, except in case of emergency and dire hunger, as when David and his men partook of it (see I Samuel 21:1-6; and Luke 6:1-5).

4:3 into the host. The term “host” means “army.” Thus the Levites were considered as much a part of God’s army as those who would fight the coming battles (note I Samuel 30:24).

6:2 Nazarite. The Nazarite (meaning “set apart”) vow is described in this chapter, as a voluntary act to testify of one’s dedication and separation to God. Samson (Judges 13:5) and Samuel (I Samuel 1:11) were Nazarites, and possibly John the Baptist as well (Luke 1:15).

15:31 despised the word. Nowhere did the Mosaic laws provide any offerings whereby the willful sinner–one who had deliberately and intentionally rebelled against God’s Word–could receive forgiveness. The example in Numbers 15:32-36 graphically illustrates this truth. David’s experience, however, as described in the Psalm 51 (also in II Samuel 12:9-13), illustrates the fact that a genuine believer could be spared and restored through sincere repentance and confession. Nevertheless, even in such a case, severe temporal chastisement was incurred (II Samuel 12:14-18).

23:23 What hath God wrought. This exclamation was appropriated by the great Christian scientist/artist/inventor, Samuel F. B. Morse, as the first message to be sent over his telegraph, which revolutionized the field of communications.