1 Samuel 1:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.

NIV: Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.

NASB: When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters;

CSB: Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he always gave portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to each of her sons and daughters.

NLT: On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children.

KJV: And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

NKJV: And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.

Elkanah's family or clan has travelled to Shiloh, north of Jerusalem, to make sacrifices and feast together (1 Samuel 1:1–3). These would have been peace offerings (Leviticus 7:11–36), shared by the Lord, the priests, and those bringing the sacrifice. Parts of the animal would be burned on the altar, while other portions would be given to the priest and worshipers.

Eating meat was not necessarily an everyday occurrence during this time. This feast and family gathering likely added to a festive mood. This could be compared to an annual holiday like the modern Thanksgiving or Christmas.

As the head of the family, Elkanah would divide up the family's share of the sacrifice and give portions to each of the family members. This would include his second wife Peninnah and all her sons and daughters. The description of Peninnah's children as "all" of them suggests Elkanah already had a large family.

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 3:49:11 PM