Subsequent events in the narrative bear out this contrast: the sons of Eli abuse the ritual offering and are categorically rejected by the Lord, but the Lord appears to Samuel and gives him his first and subsequent prophecies. Samuel was a major contributor, but much of the book takes place after his death in 1 Samuel 25. Rather than accepting her husbands invitation that she privilege her spousal role and enjoy its intended personal benefits (the worthy portion), Hannah chooses instead to focus on her maternal role: nurturing Samuel at home while he remains dependent on her for life and sustenance. While the transition details the woes of Elis house, it also contains five separate references to Samuels progressively faithful service to the Lordat the beginning and end of the transition and periodically throughout (2:11, 18, 21, 26; 3:1a). A precise chronology of the writing and redacting of the Hebrew Bible is uncertain, and the account of Samuels birth and calling certainly took shape before the writing of the Christian Gospels. Alter, Ancient Israel, 247 n.0 suggests that Hannahs song and Davids victory psalm echo each other and act as formal bookends to the extended narrative sequence that includes the stories of Samuel, Saul, and David., 51. Elkanah has only two direct speeches in the entire story. 993 BC. Message. And he went and lay down. The first specific action in the Samuel story has Elkanah sharing with Hannah a worthy portion of the offering. Alter, Moses, 96 n. 32, suggests the verb shakab approximates the meaning of rape when used in the context of sexual relations. Also before they burnt the fat, the priests servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. Chapters 13 of 1 Samuel1 describe the miraculous origins and auspicious upbringing of the first major Hebrew prophet since Joshua, who by all measures lived centuries before Samuel.2 The biblical account of Samuels beginnings forecasts the exceptional ministry of the man who served as Israels last complete sovereign. . . Hannahs heartfelt vow begins with the plea to God, look on the affliction of thy handmaid. Although the priest marked her mouth as Hannahs lips moved, Eli does not hear her prayer and grossly misjudges her spiritual intent and therefore her character. WebHe is the fifth of nine children born to Major Samuel and Elizabeth (Paxton) Houston. Elkanahs response, Do what seemeth thee good, dismissively concedes her commitment to care for her firstborn. But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. Samuel, whose name means heard of God, was dedicated to God by his mother, Hannah, as part of a vow she made before he was born (1 Samuel 1:11). We dont know who wrote the books for certain. He accuses her of wanton drunkenness, a false assertion that she directly but respectfully corrects. It is said of an eccentric schoolmaster in Germany, who lived about 300 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Leitwrter: know and lie with. As crafted, the story focuses on Hannahs compelling spiritual need, which drives her to the temple, fasting in bitterness of soul. In her private devotion, Hannah neither undercuts her husbands patriarchal authority nor repudiates his ritual status in the family. WebBirth and Calling of the Prophet Samuel ' - 11 The present study focuses on several recurrent literary conventions that so thoroughly unite the biblical account of Samuels birth and divine calling that its craftsmanship aptly serves as a vehicle of its meaning. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. Background: Preterm birth continues to be a leading cause of death for children under the age of 5 globally. 4. And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb. Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. Corrections? 1. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel continued to grow, and the LORD was constantly with him. Since biblical narrative characteristically catches its protagonists only at the critical and revealing points in their lives, the biblical type-scene occurs not in the rituals of daily existence, but at the crucial junctures in the lives of the heroes, from conception and birth to betrothal to deathbed. Alter, Art, 51; see also Alter, Moses, 64 n.10; 11819 n.11; 315 n.16. In general, I agree with Alter: The story of Samuel, then, far from being a simple promotion of prophetic ideology, enormously complicates the notion of prophecy by concretely imagining what may become of the imperfect stuff of humanity when the mantle of prophecy is cast over it. Ancient Prophets, 230. This is his leadership of the sons of the prophets, a group of young men organized for ecstatic worship. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. 10. 16. Suddenly, a priest Eli came to her doorstep Samsons and Samuels Nazerite consecrations effectively bring their respective ministries into sharp contrast: Samson turns from his sacred vow, resulting in much destruction among the covenant people; however, through his own faithful ministry, Samuel strengthens and unifies all Israel.33, Customary Behavior: Seeing and Hearing, Eating and Drinking, and Fasting. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. WebThe birth of Samuel was of great significance as it was a sign that Hannah's prayers had been answered. And he worshipped the Lord there. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord., Type Scene: Obedience to Gods Call. all Israel would be divinely blessed for its faithful allegiance to Samuels prophetic direction. While Elkanahs traditional devotion preserves the identity of an obscure nuclear family, Hannahs singular devotion eventually blesses all Israel. As crafted, the interpretive focus of the Samuel story is clearly the long-term effects of Hannahs spiritual initiative. The story of Samuels birth and calling is one of many contributions to this core ideological focus of the Hebrew Bible. Birth City: London, England. God heard her prayer 1 Samuel 30. As a result, Elis extended family are cursed to beg for their sustenance in the future (2:1217, 36). He was to warn them to repent and believe in the Savior. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I for thou calledst me. Following his birth, when time comes to make good on her vow, the account consistently shifts the verb from nathan (give) to shael, translated lend (1:20, 2728; 2:20). Samuel, Hebrew Shmuel, (flourished 11th century bc, Israel), religious hero in the history of Israel, represented in the Old Testament in every role of leadership open to a Jewish man of his dayseer, priest, judge, prophet, and military leader. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel continued to grow, and the LORD was constantly with him. And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. They became so angry with Samuel that they threw him out of their city. Risking an overly simplistic introduction of this convention, the present study recognizes two general perspectives in the Hebrew Bible, contrasted by scope. In biblical Hebrew, shael has a double meaning: to request and to lend. By stark contrast, Hannah has neither formal status nor ritual position in the worship of JHWH. Samson is one of the most recognizable of the judges who ruled over Israel before the time of the kings. . Hannah bears and nurtures Samuel, after which she lends him to God and continues to bless him, without any expectation of divine recompense. This ostensibly generous offer from a loving husband introduces other dramatic tensions of the story. . The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971), s.v. For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. In contrast to the use of shakab (lie with) in the account of the promiscuity of Elis sons, discussed above, in the account of Samuels divine call, Eli instructs the lad repeatedly to shakab (lie down). Thus, Alter observes, There is a series of recurrent narrative episodes attached to the careers of biblical heroes that . Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. . While the biblical account is silent regarding Elis reaction to the man of God, it is structured explicitly so that the priest must accept Samuels dire prophecy. One of many studies of this genre in the Hebrew Bible is Steven Weitzman, Song and Story in Biblical Narrative: The History of a Literary Convention in Ancient Israel (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997); see also Alter, Moses, 397 n.1. Thus, Samuel is rightly considered to be one of the preeminent personalities of the Hebrew Bible, and his remarkable ministry makes the brief narrative of his birth, childhood, and divine calling worthy of serious examination.3, The present study argues that the literary craftsmanship of the text is as expressive of its meaning as are its descriptive contents. This story is related to the account of Samuel as judge in chapters 7 and 12, and he is clearly presented as the last of the judges; it is indicated that the system of the judges was rejected by the Israelites not because of its failure but because of their worldliness. Yet, his roles as prophet, seer, and judge are all incredible in certain respects, apart from the Samuels mother Hannah Verses1126 in 1Samuel provide a more dynamic interplay of these two literary conventions as the text presents three vignettes that condemn the gluttony of Elis sons (2:1217), illustrate Hannahs continued devotion to her firstborn and Elis blessing to Samuels parents (2:1921a), and condemn the promiscuity of Elis sons (2:2225). Role. Sternberg recognizes that biblical narratives are distinguished by the dynamic interplay of competing and complementary perspectives: Insofar as the Bible has a poetics as well as a genesis of composition, it establishes a set of norms by which we not only interpret the action but also evaluate the actors by reference to the narrators perspective as artist. Sternberg, Poetics, 155. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests offices, that I may eat a piece of bread. Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy fathers house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. Characterization: Messengers of God. Samuel was a Lamanite. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1980), 4:70, hereafter TDOT. Hannah makes a solemn vow to God, and God and Hannah repeatedly and mutually fulfill the terms of their covenant. This narrative is the major piece in establishing the role of Samuel as a prophet, but it is questionable whether the prophet as a distinct religious figure had emerged among the Israelites at this early date. As part of her poignant vow, Hannah promises that if the Lord will give her a man child, then she will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life. In both instances, the verb give is translated from the Hebrew nathan. Born in Virginia on March 2, 1793, Houston moved to Tennessee with his mother and eight siblings after his father died when he was 13. I pray thee, hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things he said unto thee. The present study illustrates the extent to which the authors, editors, and redactors of 1Samuel13 employed in a systematic and complementary manner a variety of literary conventions for a central ideological endshowing Gods commitment to preserve his ancient covenant with Israel, even at inopportune times and through obscure persons. Berlin, Parallelism, 7, speaks for many in observing that biblical poetry is characterized by a high incidence of terse, balanced parallelism. While 1 Samuel 13 is structured mostly as a prose narrative, Hannahs song (2:110) is organized as a series of couplets, with a few triads added for aesthetic interest and interpretive emphasis. He died, and his ghost was evoked by a necromancer, or sorceress, at the request of Saul; he then announced a third time the rejection of Saul (chapter 28). The traditional Hebrew proverb, hearing is not the same as seeing, weighs heavily on the account of Elis sensory deficiencies, cited in Alter, Moses, 497 n.19. Nevertheless, Hannah is not satisfied: she wants a son for herself, but not for selfish reasons. Genealogy.15 Consistent with the convention of genealogies throughout the Hebrew Bible, the brief genealogy that launches the story of Samuels birth identifies Samuels ancestors as Ephraimites,16 distinguishes the account from the long but unremarkable reign of the judges, and introduces the auspicious but problematic reign of the kings in ancient Israel. 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