1 Samuel 3

AND the child Samuel ministred unto the LORD before Eli i. e. Under his inspection and direction, which, being so young, he needed.: and the word of the LORD To wit, the word of Prophesie, or the Revelation of Gods will to and by Prophets. was precious i. e. Rare or Scarce, such things being most Precious in Mens esteem, whereas common things are generally despised. in those days: there was no open vision God did not impart his mind by way of Vision or Revelation openly, or to any publick Person, to whom others might resort for satisfaction, though he might or did privately reveal himself to some Pious Persons for their particular Direction. This is here premised, as a reason why Samuel understood not, when God called him once or twice..

And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place In the Court of the Tabernacle., and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see To wit, clearly and distinctly. This is added, as an Evidence of his Old Age, partly to show God's contempt of him, notwithstanding his Venerable Age, and his preferring the child Samuel before him in this vision; and partly, as the reason why Samuel so readily ran to him upon the first call, because his great Age made him more to need his Servants help.,

And ere the lamp of God went out Before the Lights of the Golden Candlestick were put out, i. e. in the Night-season, or before the Morning, when they were put out, as they were Lighted in the Evening, Exod. 27. 21. Levit. 24. 3. 2 Chron. 13. 11. in the temple i. e. In a place nigh to the Tabernacle, the Particle in being oft used for near, as has been showed formerly; for in the Tabernacle or Temple none might lie. of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep Not that this happened when he first lay down, but whilst he was lying there.:

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

And he ran Showing his great Faithfulness and Diligence in the Service, either of the Lord, or of his Master Eli. unto Eli, and said, Here am I, for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

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 Either, First, He was not acquainted with God in that Extraordinary or Prophetical way. Or rather, Secondly, He did not yet understand, any more than before, that it was not Eli, but God, who spake to him. And this ignorance of Samuel's served Gods Design, that his simplicity might give Eli the better assurance of the truth of Gods call, and message to Samuel., 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 He persists in the same readiness to obey and serve him, and was not discouraged or driven from his Duty by his double mistake and disappointment., and said, Here am I, for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived By the consideration of Samuel's Piety, of the Sanctity of the place adjoyning, from whence God had oft-times spoken, and of the Solitude of the place, where there was no human Person besides himself, who could or would have called Samuel in that manner. that the LORD had called the child.

Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak LORD, for thy servant heareth i. e. I am ready to hear what thou speakest, and to do what thou requirest.. So Samuel went, and lay down in his place.

And the LORD came Before, he spake to him at a distance, even from the Holy Oracle between the Cherubims; but now, to prevent all further mistakes, the Voice came near to him, as if the Person speaking had been present with him., and stood Before the Voice passed by him, now the speaker fixeth his abode with him for a time, till he had uttered his whole mind to him., and called as at other times As he had done before., Samuel, Samuel His Name is here doubled, to engage him to the more speedy and diligent attention.. Then Samuel answered, Speak, for thy servant heareth.

¶ And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing Those things which are related in the next Chapter, which though done by the Philistines, God here ascribes to himself, because he was the first and chief cause of it, by withdrawing his helping hand from Israel, and by delivering the Ark, and Eli's two Sons, and the rest of the People, into his and their Enemies hands. in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it, shall tingle Which will be so terrible, that not only those that feel it shall groan under it, but those that only hear the report of it, shall be struck with such Amazement and Horror, which will make their Heads and Hearts ake. A Metaphor from him, who being surprized with some great and hideous Noise, such as Thunder or great Guns, his head is much affected with it, and the Sound or Tingling of it abides in his Ears a good while after it. This Phrase is used also, 2 King. 21. 12. Ier. 19. 3..

In that day In that time which I have appointed for this work, which was about Twenty or Thirty Years after this threatning. So long space of Repentance God allows to this wicked Generation, to make their peace with God, and prevent the Execution, as others did in like cases. I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken By that Prophet, chap. 2. 27. concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end Though this Vengeance may and shall be delayed for a season, to manifest my patience, and inci... them to Repentance; yet when once I begin to Inflict, I shall certainly go on with it, and not desist till I have made a full end..

For I have told him, that I will judge i. e. Condemn, and Punish or Destroy, as the word Iudge is oft used, as Gen. 15. 14. Ioh. 3. 18. and 16. 11. his house His Children, and Posterity, as is manifest by the Story; as the word House is frequently taken, as 2 Sam. 7. 11. 1 King. 21. 29. So the House of Iudah, of Aaron, of David, are oft taken for their Posterity. And to Build an House in Scripture use, is to encrease their Posterity, as Exod. 1. 21. Deut. 25. 9. Ruth 4. 11. Compare Gen. 16. 2. and 30. 3. for ever Till they be utterly rooted out: or, for a long time, as that Phrase is oft used., for the iniquity which... e knoweth Either by the information of the Prophet, chap. 2. v. 27, &c. or by his own guilty and self-accusing Conscience. But these, and the foregoing and following words, may well be, and are rendred thus, for this iniquity, because he knew (both by common Fame, and by his own observation) that his Sons, &c. He cannot pretend ignorance, or want of proof of their wickedness, which aggravates his Sin.: because his sons made themselves vile Not only hateful to God, but contemptible to all the People, whereby they also brought their Sacred Office, and Gods Holy Ordinances into contempt. Heb. Cursed themselves, or made themselves Execrab... e or Accursed, both to God and men: by their Lewd and Cursed Practices, they put themselves under the Curse of God, by such a gross Violation of Gods Commands; Compare Ios. 6. 18. and 7. 12, 13. This expression may be used by way of reflection upon their Father, because be did not denounce the Curse of God against them, nor put them out of the Priesthood, as Accursed Persons, although they were so Vile, that they had prevented their Fathers censure, and Meritoriously cast themselves out, and cut themselves off from the Priesthood and Congregation of the Lord, which their Father should have done Judicially. and he restrained them not He contented himself with a cold and gentle reproof, and did not severely rebuke, and punish, and effectually restrain them from their abominable Courses, nor use that Authority which God had given him, as a Father, as an High-Priest, and as a Judge, or Chief Magistrate, against them, as by the Law of God he was obliged to do..

And therefore I have sworn Which might be done before, though it be mentioned here only. Or, I do swear: the past Tense being common... y put for the pre... ent in the Hebrew Tongue. unto Or, concerning, as the Praefix Lame... is oft used, as Exod. 14. 3. and 18. 7. 2 Sam. 11. 7. Psal. 91. 11. compare with Matth. 4. 6. i i. e. The punishment threatned against Eli and his Family, shall not be prevented or hindred by all their Sacrifices, as they fondly imagine, but shall Infallibly be Executed. the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice, nor offering for ever.

And Samuel lay until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD Although the Tabernacle, whilst it was to be removed from place to place in the Wilderness, had no Doors, but consisted only of Curtains, and had only Hangings before the entrance, instead of Doors; yet when it was settled in one place, as now it was in Shiloh, where it had been for a long time, it is more than probable, both from this place, and by comparing 1 Sam. 1. 9. and 2 Sam. 6. 17. and from the Nature and Reason of the thing, that it was inclosed within some solid Building, which had Doors, and Posts, and other Parts belonging to it.: and Samuel feared to show Eli the vision i. e. The matter of the Vision or Revelation, partly from the Reverence and Respect he bore to his Person, to whom he was loath to be a messenger of such sad tidings; partly, lest if he had been hasty to utter it, Eli might think him Guilty of Arrogancy or secret Complacency in his Calamity, which was like to tend to Samuel's advancement. And not being commanded by God to acquaint Eli herewith, he prudently suspended the publication of it, till a fit occasion were offered, which he might reasonably expect in a very little time, knowing that Eli would be greedy to know the matter of that Revelation, the Preface whereof he was acquainted with; and that it would be less offensive, and therefore more useful to Eli, when he saw that Samuel was not puffed up with it, nor forward to vent it, until Eli forced it from him..

Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel my son. And he answered, Here am I.

And he said, What is the thing that the LORD has said unto thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also God inflict the same Evils upon thee, which I suspect he has pronounced against me, and greater Evils too. Or, God do so, i. e. let God deal with thee so severely, as I cannot or am loath to express. So it is a kind of Aposiopesis usual in Oaths, and in Adjurations. The same Phrase is in Ruth 1. 17. Thus he adjures him to utter the whole truth, as was usual among the Hebrews, as 1 King. 22. 16. Matth. 26. 63., if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.

And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD This severe Sentence is from the Sovereign Lord of the World, who has an absolute Power and Right to dispose of me and all his Creatures as he pleaseth; to whose good pleasure I therefore freely submit: from Israel's God, who was known by this Name of Iehovah, who is in a special manner the Ruler of the People of Israel, to whom it properly belongs to punish all mine offences; whose Chastisement I therefore accept.: Let him do what seemeth him good.

¶ And Samuel grew As in Stature, so in Wisdom and Piety, and God's Favour, and Reputation with the People., and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground i. e. Want its effect or success: God made good all his Predictions. A Metaphor from precious Liquors, which when they are spilt upon the Ground, are altogether useless and ineffectual. This Phrase is oft used, as Ios. 21. 45. Esth. 6. 10, &c..

And all Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba Through the whole Land, from the Northern Bound Dan, to the Southern, Beer-sheba; which was the whole length, and largest extent of the Land. See Iudg. 20. 1, 2. 2 Sam. 17. 11., knew Both by Eli's Testimony, and particular Relation of the going History, to the People that came from all Parts; by succeeding Revelations made to him, whereof mention is made in the next Verse, which though placed after, might be done before. that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.

And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel Or, did use to Reveal his mind to Samuel. in Shiloh, by the word of the LORD i. e. By his word, the Noun for the Pronoun, which is frequent, as Levit. 14. 15, &c. by his word of command, which he chose to deliver to Israel by his Mouth, as it h... e follows; or by his word of Prophesie concerning future events..