1 Samuel 1:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD.

NIV: Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD.

NASB: Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of armies in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the Lord there.

CSB: This man would go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Armies at Shiloh, where Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the Lord's priests.

NLT: Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the Lord at that time were the two sons of Eli — Hophni and Phinehas.

KJV: And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

NKJV: This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.

The tent of meeting with the Lord and the ark of the covenant had been established at Shiloh after Joshua and the Israelites conquered the Promised Land (Joshua 18:1). Shiloh was located about twenty miles, or thirty-two kilometers, from Jerusalem to the north. This was Israel's main center of worship during the time of the judges (Judges 2:16–19), before Samuel helped to usher in the era of Israel's kings (Judges 21:25).

Every year, Elkanah's family, perhaps the entire clan, met at Shiloh to worship and offer sacrifices to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:21). Though none of the three annual feasts required by the law of Moses is specifically mentioned, some commentators believe this to be the Passover (Luke 2:41). Judges 21:19 mentions a yearly feast at Shiloh. Later, David refers to an annual feast and sacrifice to the Lord for his clan (1 Samuel 20:6).

This is the first time the exact phrase "LORD of hosts" is used in the Bible. It is found frequently in the Psalms and prophets. The word "hosts" can describe both heavenly bodies (Isaiah 40:26) and vast armies of warriors (Numbers 32:27; 1 Samuel 17:45). The name is often used to describe Yahweh's fearful power and might as the commander of vast armies of unstoppable angelic warriors (Psalm 89:5–8; Isaiah 2:12–19; 6:1–7).

Eli was the chief priest of Israel at Shiloh at this time. His sons Hophni and Phinehas served alongside him, though they abused their positions and didn't know the Lord (1 Samuel 2:12).

First Samuel 1:1–20 describes how Samuel the prophet came to be born. His mother Hannah was barren and mocked by her husband's other wife, who had many children. During a family feast at Shiloh, Hannah prayed out of her deep despair. She vowed to give her son back to God if He would allow her to conceive. Once Eli, the priest, understood that Hannah was not drunk, he told her the Lord would grant her request. Satisfied, she returned home and soon gave birth to a boy. She named him Samuel.

Elkanah lives in Ephraim with two wives. Hannah is barren, while his other wife has many children. At the annual family sacrifice and feast in Shiloh, Hannah weeps and pours out her grief before the Lord. She vows to give a son to Him for lifelong service if the Lord gives her a boy. After confronting Hannah for drunkenness and then seeing that she was praying from her depth of emotion, Eli the priest blesses Hannah and affirms her prayer. Elkanah and Hannah conceive, and she gives birth to a son that she names Samuel. Once he is weaned, she presents him to Eli at the temple and gives him over to the Lord as long as he lives.

First Samuel 1 begins the story of Samuel with the account of his unlikely-seeming birth. Samuel's mother Hannah is barren. During a family trip to temple of the Lord in Shiloh, she weeps bitterly before the Lord and pours out her grief. She vows to give a son back to the Lord if He will allow her to bear one. Eli the priest blesses her and affirms her prayer. Before long, Samuel is conceived and born. Once he is weaned, Hannah brings the boy and a large sacrifice to the temple. She gives Samuel over to the Lord.

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.