Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
verse value 4280
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֜ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "man" (אִ֨ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·Ramathaim" (מִן־הָרָמָתַ֛יִם, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "from·Ramathaim" (מִן־הָרָמָתַ֛יִם), "Zophim" (צוֹפִ֖ים), "Ephraim" (אֶפְרָ֑יִם). The root בין appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "and·his·name" (root שם, 71x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root היה ("and·it·was") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root איש ("man") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ephraim', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִי֩ [and·it·was] (31) + אִ֨ישׁ [man] (311) + אֶחָ֜ד [one] (13) + מִן־הָרָמָתַ֛יִם [from·Ramathaim] (785) + צוֹפִ֖ים [Zophim] (226) + מֵהַ֣ר [from·hill-country·of] (245) + אֶפְרָ֑יִם [Ephraim] (331) + וּשְׁמ֡וֹ [and·his·name] (352) + אֶ֠לְקָנָ֠ה [Elkanah] (186) + בֶּן־יְרֹחָ֧ם [son·of·Jeroham] (310) + בֶּן־אֱלִיה֛וּא [son·of·Elihu] (105) + בֶּן־תֹּ֥חוּ [son·of·Tohu] (466) + בֶן־צ֖וּף [son·of·Zuph] (228) + אֶפְרָתִֽי [Ephraimite] (691) = 4280.
Rashi
And there was a certain man. Everything follows the order: Moshe transmitted the Torah to Yehoshua, Yehoshua to the elders, and each judge transmitted to the next judge, until it arrived at Eli, and from him to Samuel, as we learned (Avot 1:1): and the elders to the prophets.
from Ramathaim-zophim. There were two Ramoth, that look out and see one another. And Yonatan translated: 'Zophim' — from the students of the prophets.
Elkanah. He was a Levite, from the sons of Aviasaf son of Korach, so he is traced in Chronicles (I Chronicles 6:8).
Ephrathite. Yonatan translated: 'on the mountain of the house of Ephraim.' And from the aggadic midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, Samuel I, Remez 77): 'Ephrathite' — a courtier of the palace, an important person, like (Bava Metzia 119a): 'Ephrayon nemutiya l'Rabbi Shimon' — a term of grace.
Radak
"There was a certain man from Ramathaim Zophim." We have already written at the beginning of the Book of Joshua that the letter vav is found in the Holy Tongue at the beginning of words as a customary usage, and likewise in the language of Ishmael; and we have also written there the grammatical analysis of the word "Yehi."
“From the Ramoth.” Our Sages of blessed memory wrote that there were two Ramoths that overlooked each other. If so, since there were two Ramoths, the word itself proves this, for it is in the dual. Thus, the meaning of “from the Ramoth” is from one of the two Ramoths, similar to “and he was buried in the cities of Gilead,” “you shall marry two,” and similar cases. And the meaning of “overlooking the Ramoth” is as we have explained. Alternatively, one may interpret “Tzofim” as prophets, and the word “min” (from) that is mentioned stands in place of two, as if it said “from the Tzofim,” meaning from the family of Tzofim. And so does the Targum translate: “from the students of the prophets,” for the prophet is called a “Tzofeh” (watchman), as it says, “I have set you as a watchman.” And this is the correct interpretation, for he was from the family of prophets, for he was from the sons of Korah, as his genealogy is explicitly stated in Chronicles. And the sons of Korah were prophets, namely Asir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. And Elkanah, the father of Samuel, was from the grandsons of Elkanah, son of Korah.
From Mount Ephraim. He was a Levite and dwelled in the land of Ephraim. And it is possible that for this reason the incident of the concubine in Gibeah is attached to this narrative, concerning Elkana and the lineage of Samuel, who was also a Levite and dwelled in the slopes of the mountain of Ephraim. Through him came great calamity upon Israel, and through this one came great good for Israel, and his son Samuel returned Israel to the good path.
“Afrati.” This term is used in two senses: one refers to the tribe, meaning either one who is from the tribe of Ephraim or one who resides in the land of Ephraim, as in “You are an Ephrathite”; and the other refers to a place called Bethlehem Ephrathah, as in “David, the son of an Ephrathite, and Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites” (I Samuel 17:12; Ruth 1:2), and this is associated with Mount Ephraim, as it says, “Mount Ephraim.” Therefore, he is called “Ephrathite,” for we cannot interpret “Ephrathite” as referring to the tribe of Ephraim, since he was a Levite. Thus, when it says “Ephrathite,” it means he was from Mount Ephraim. One might wonder: after it already stated “Mount Ephraim,” why does it subsequently say “Ephrathite”? It is possible that it is also stated because he and his ancestors resided there. And regarding Tzof, it says “Ephrathite”—not regarding Elkanah, for concerning Elkanah it has already explained “Mount Ephraim.” This is correct according to the simple meaning. And what it says that he and his ancestors resided on Mount Ephraim appears to indicate that their inheritance was there, for they were from the sons of Kohath, and the sons of Kohath had cities in Mount Ephraim, as it says in the Book of Joshua: “To the families of the Kohathite Levites... Shechem and its surrounding pasturelands in the mountains of Ephraim.” And in the midrashic interpretation, it is explained as a term denoting greatness and importance.
“Aprati.” Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: “Platini,” and the Targum [renders it] “Aprati,” [referring to] a man who has a portion in the holy things, in the mountain of the house of Ephraim.
Ralbag
Behold, the book states: “Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim Zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.” And it has already been explained in the Book of Chronicles that he was a Levite, and he was from the sons of Korah. For this reason, it has been clarified that he was not called “Ephrathite” except because he resided in the hill country of Ephraim. For this reason, it is fitting to say that “from Ramathaim Zophim” indicates the specific place from which he was, namely Ramathaim, as it says later, “And they came to their house to Ramah.” And “from the hill country of Ephraim” indicates his general location, where he resided. And it appears that the city called Ramathaim was seen as two, and they were looking at one another. For this reason, it says he was “from Ramathaim Zophim.” Or perhaps this indicates the distinction of his family and their place, and “Ramathaim” is like “Ramathaim” which is pointed with a hireq under the tav, and like “and they twisted their paths, he will fall into one.” And the meaning of this is that he was from the men who dwelled in Ramah, who were “Zophim,” meaning prophets, for the one who dwells in Ramah is called a “Ramati,” just as the one who dwells in Egypt is called an “Mitzri.” And he indicated by this that he was from the families of prophets who dwelled in Ramah. For this reason, Samuel established his house there, as it says, “And his return was to Ramah,” for there was his house. And behold, he was from the sons of Korah, from whom there were several prophets. Or perhaps these were called “Ramathaim Zophim” because they were from the sons of Zuph, whose name was called Zophi in the Book of Chronicles. And it indicates that they were descended from Zuph by what is said later, “When Saul and his servant came to Ramah, they came to the land of Zuph.” And behold, this narrative is joined to the two preceding narratives, for in each of those narratives there was something that resulted from corruption due to a Levite who resided in the hill country of Ephraim, for the young Levite resided in the house of Micah, who was in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Levite man who had the concubine also resided in the hill country of Ephraim. And they further agreed that in those two narratives, the one who caused the corruption had departed from Bethlehem of Judah, for the Levite who came to Micah’s house was from Bethlehem of Judah, and the concubine of the Levite was from Bethlehem of Judah, and from there departed the Levite man through whom the disaster came. And behold, this narrative is joined to that one, in which a Levite man resided in the hill country of Ephraim, and from him came forth one through whom great good came to Israel.
Metzudat David
“From the heights of the watchers.” This is a place name, so called because there were in it two high hills, facing and parallel to one another.
“Ephrati.” This is said of Zuph, who was also from the hill country of Ephraim, and not from the tribe of Ephraim, for he was a Levite, from the descendants of Korah.
Malbim
The questions: (1) If the interpretation of "two heights overlooking one another" was intended, it should have said "overlooking" (tzofot). And if the interpretation was "from the family of the seers and prophets," it should have said "the son of a man of Ephraim, from the family of the seers," rather than "from the heights of the seers"?
And there was a certain man. There is a distinction between when it is written "And there was a man" [such as "And there was a man from the hill country of Ephraim" (Judges 17:1) and "And there was a Levite man" (ibid.)] and when it is written "And there was a certain man," which indicates that he was singled out for some great matter. And as they said in Midrash Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah 10): "In every place where it is written 'And there was a certain man,' he was a great man." "And there was a certain man from Zorah" was singled out for the birth of Samson, and here he was singled out for the birth of Samuel. From the Ramathites, the Seers. "Seers" is the family name of Zuph, for the ancestors of Zuph, Samuel’s grandfather, were from the hill country of Ephraim, where the cities of the Levites for the sons of Kohath were located (Joshua 21:41). Zuph and his sons went from the hill country of Ephraim and settled in two places called Ramah, which were two adjacent locations named Ramah. And after their name, these places were called "the Ramathites, the Seers," meaning the Ramahs where the Seers dwelt. And they were also among these Levites who were Seers in the visions of God, as our Sages of blessed memory stated that two hundred Seers arose from Israel. And this includes that the man was from the Ramathites and from the Seers, meaning the family of Zuph. And his name was Elkanah, etc., son of Zuph, for they traced their lineage back to Zuph, the head of the family in that place, for the head preceding Zuph was not known in those places, for Zuph was the first who pitched his tent there. And he called Zuph an Ephrathite because he came from the hill country of Ephraim. And in Chronicles (6), regarding his lineage back to the source of his extraction, from Levi.
Cross-references: I Samuel 2:11; I Samuel 7:17; I Samuel 9:5
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.
verse value 3854
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "name·of" (שֵׁ֤ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "second" (הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 94: youths, youths. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "second" (הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית), "Peninnah" (פְּנִנָּ֑ה). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "name·of" (root שם, 71x in I Samuel); "women" (root אשה, 54x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שנים ("two") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root אשה ("women") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Peninnah', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Ralbag
And it is written that Elkanah already had two wives, the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other was Peninnah, and Hannah did not merit children.
Malbim
"The name of the one was Hannah." In that it did not say of both of them, with the definite article, "shem ha-achat," as the rule of the language would require, it indicates that he married Hannah first, and that she was at the first the one and only in his marriage, and afterward he married Peninnah in addition to her. (And I have explained this rule in my commentary on the Torah in several places.) And thus the words of our Sages of blessed memory are borne out, that when Hannah saw that she was barren she counselled him to take Peninnah in addition to her, that perhaps she might be built up through her, as Sarah did with Hagar. "And it came to pass" — that is to say: and with all this, Peninnah had children, even though she was the later in the marriage, while Hannah had no children even after Peninnah's marriage.
And this man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice to Hashem of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there priests to Hashem.
verse value 4520
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "and·there" (וְשָׁ֞ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·bow·down" (לְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֺ֧ת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 56: to·Hashem, to·Hashem. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·rise" (וְעָלָה֩), "from·his·city" (מֵֽעִירוֹ֙), "and·to·sacrifice" (וְלִזְבֹּ֛חַ). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "from·days" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root עלה ("and·rise") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root הוא ("that") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Shiloh', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Rashi
And the man went up. It is the language of the present tense — he used to go up from time to time to Shiloh. And from the aggadic midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, loc. cit.): In the manner that he went up in this year, he did not go up in another year, in order to teach Israel so that they do as he does.
Radak
"And he went up." This was his practice every year and year when he would go up to Shiloh to sacrifice. And what he said, "from his city," is to say that he would urge the men of his city to go up. And in the midrash: He did not go up by the same route in one year as he did in another year; rather, each year he would go up by a different route, in order to publicize to Israel and to bring them up to Shiloh.
"From days of yore." [This means] from year to year, like [the verse] "And you shall keep this statute at its appointed time from days of yore" (Exodus 13:10), or [another] explanation: from one appointed time to another. And in Targum Jonathan: from one appointed time to another.
"To bow down and to sacrifice." [This means] to pray before the Lord and to sacrifice there the festival offering. And in the midrash, Rabbi Ela said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: Prayer is weighed equally against the sacrifices, as it is stated, "To bow down and to sacrifice." And the Sages say: Prayer is more beloved than all the sacrifices, for it is written, "To bow down" and afterwards "to sacrifice."
And the names of the two sons of Eli. He mentioned them in connection with the sacrifices, in accordance with what he was destined to recall regarding them—namely, the misconduct they committed with regard to the sacrificial offerings.
Ralbag
“From year to year.” The meaning here is that he would go up from year to year, or from pilgrimage to pilgrimage, in accordance with the commandment of the Torah. And the more accurate interpretation is that from year to year he would go up there with his wives for the pilgrimage, and for this reason it is said, “And that man went up from his city from year to year,” meaning that once a year he would go up from his city in such a way that he would not leave even his women and children behind in his home.
to bow down and to sacrifice to the Lord in Shiloh. Our Sages of blessed memory explained: "to bow down" means to pray. Even though one also prayed in his city, the prayer in the Temple was more chosen. It is also possible that the bowing down was literal, for whoever entered there would bow down, as our Sages of blessed memory said.
"And to sacrifice" – these are the peace-offerings of joy and the festival peace-offerings.
Metzudat David
"And the man went up." It was his custom from of old to go up to Shiloh every year, to bow down and to sacrifice to the Lord.
Kohanim. This means: the deputies of the priesthood, for Eli their father served as High Priest.
Metzudat Zion
From year to year. From one year to the next, similarly (Leviticus 25:29): 'years shall his redemption be'.
Malbim
The Questions (3): Why did it not say that there, Eli the priest was, and it mentioned his sons? And furthermore, what is its place here?
And that man went up from his city: He relates that from this city no other man used to go up to Shiloh, only that particular man would go up from year to year with all his household, to bow down and to sacrifice. And further on (verse 21, and chapter 2 verse 19) it states "to sacrifice alone," for initially his ascent was for the purpose of bowing down, which is to say, to pray for Hannah (since it was their custom to pray with prostration). And regarding this, it says "to sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts," for the term "Hosts" was what they had in mind when they prayed for children, as our Sages of blessed memory stated (Berakhot 31): Hannah said, "Of all the hosts of hosts that You have created in Your world, is it difficult for You to grant me a single son?"
And there the two sons of Eli — this is the reason why only he alone went up from his city for the pilgrimage festival. The response is that the people were then refraining from going up for the pilgrimage festival because of the sons of Eli, who were a disgrace in the eyes of the people. And with this, the text also relates his praise, that despite this, he did not refrain from going up from year to year, and he received reward equal to them all.
And it came to pass upon a day, when Elkanah sacrificed, that he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions;
verse value 2867
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·to·all·her·sons" (וּֽלְכׇל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·he·sacrificed" (וַיִּזְבַּ֖ח), "and·to·all·her·sons" (וּֽלְכׇל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ), "and·her·daughters" (וּבְנוֹתֶ֖יהָ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel); "and·to·all·her·sons" (root כל, 71x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root נתן ("and·gave") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root כל ("and·to·all·her·sons") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Elkanah', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֣י [and·it·was] (31) + הַיּ֔וֹם [day] (61) + וַיִּזְבַּ֖ח [and·he·sacrificed] (33) + אֶלְקָנָ֑ה [Elkanah] (186) + וְנָתַ֞ן [and·gave] (506) + לִפְנִנָּ֣ה [to·Peninnah] (215) + אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ [his·wife] (707) + וּֽלְכׇל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ [and·to·all·her·sons] (153) + וּבְנוֹתֶ֖יהָ [and·her·daughters] (479) + מָנֽוֹת [portions] (496) = 2867.
Rashi
And it was on the day. Translation: And it was a set day.
Radak
"And it came to pass on that day." "Day" means a festival day, and in Targum Jonathan it reads "the day of the festival." In the midrash, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: This is the day of Shavuot.
And he would give to Peninnah. From the peace-offerings that he was slaughtering.
Ralbag
"And it came to pass on that day." As Elkanah sacrificed the sacrifice of peace-offerings, he gave portions to Peninnah, his wife, and to all her sons and daughters, for they were all there, as we have explained.
Metzudat David
"And it came to pass on the day." This means: And when the day of bringing his sacrifices arrived, Elkanah would sacrifice peace-offerings, and he would give to Peninnah, etc., portions from the altar of the peace-offerings.
Metzudat Zion
Portions. A matter of gift and share, similarly (there 8:29) 'to Moses it was for a portion'.
Malbim
"And it came to pass on the day" means that when the day arrived, which was the day of the festival, Elkana would slaughter peace-offerings, for we require the slaughter to take place at a time of joy. And he would give portions to Peninnah, his wife, and to all her sons and daughters, for there is no joy except with meat, and a man brings joy to his wife.
but to Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but Hashem had shut up her womb.
verse value 2244
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Hannah" (וּלְחַנָּ֕ה, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "can·count" (מָנָ֥ה). The root חנה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "will·give" (root נתן, 69x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אף ("nostrils") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root כי ("for") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nostrils', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וּלְחַנָּ֕ה [and·to·Hannah] (99) + יִתֵּ֛ן [will·give] (460) + מָנָ֥ה [can·count] (95) + אַחַ֖ת [one] (409) + אַפָּ֑יִם [nostrils] (131) + כִּ֤י [for] (30) + אֶת־חַנָּה֙ [Hannah] (464) + אָהֵ֔ב [loved] (8) + וַיהֹוָ֖ה [and·Hashem] (32) + סָגַ֥ר [shut] (263) + רַחְמָֽהּ [her·womb] (253) = 2244.
Rashi
one portion, with a favourable countenance. (Targum:) one choice portion, the one fit to be received with a cheerful countenance.
Radak
"And to Hannah He will give." This is like "He gave," just as it says, "Then Joshua built," and "Then Moses separated," and similar verses.
"One portion, apayim." One honored portion, to turn back her anger and her vexation; similarly, "slow to anger" means long of wrath. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as "a single choice portion," meaning a portion worthy of being received with a favorable countenance. And in the midrashic exposition: What is the meaning of "faces"? It refers to "the falling of faces," i.e., with a favorable countenance. "Faces" corresponds to "Peninnah and her children." My master and father, of blessed memory, explained that "faces" means anger, implying that he gave her only one portion in anger, because God, blessed be He, had closed her womb and she had no children to whom he could give portions, as he did to the children of Peninnah. He was angry and distressed about this, because he loved Hannah and desired to have children from her.
“And the Lord closed her womb.” Jonathan’s Targum translates: “Before the Lord, she was prevented from bearing a child.”
Ralbag
However, to Hannah he gave a single portion with two faces. This means that he gave her a single portion consisting of two types of cuts, as if to say that he gave her from the very fatty cuts and from the cuts that have no fat, so that she could choose whatever she desired out of his love for her. Alternatively, his statement “two faces” alludes to faces, and the meaning is that she sat before him face to face, so that he could observe her condition and see how she ate; and for this reason Elkanah noticed that she had not eaten.
Metzudat David
"Manah achat." This means: unique in beauty. And to add further explanation, it says "afim," meaning: worthy to receive her with a pleasant countenance.
"And the Lord closed her womb. And she did not bear children, and she was in anguish; therefore, He showed her extra kindness to alleviate her sorrow."
Metzudat Zion
Faces. From the word 'faces'.
Malbim
The questions (5-8): What is the meaning of apayim? For according to Radak, who explained it from the sense of anger, why did he take "anger" in the plural? And why did it say twice, "the Lord had shut up her womb" and "the Lord had shut up her womb"? And the repetition of the terms va-kiasatah, gam kaas, hir'imah — all of which are matters of anger. And why did Peninnah provoke her, and she wept, only when they went up to the house of the Lord, and not on the other days? And if Elkanah was always saying to her "why weepest thou?" and she answered him nothing, why did it recount this?
And to Hannah he would give one portion, apayim. The Radak, in the name of his father, explains that he meant to say that this portion he gave in sadness and anger, showing himself distressed and his countenance wrathful because he could not give her more. And it appears that he meant to say that this portion aroused apayim, many angers and vexations, whether from Elkanah’s side, who was doubly distressed: a) because the Lord had closed her womb, and b) in addition to this, he was pained by this because he loved Hannah.
And her rival vexed her sore, to make her fret, because Hashem had shut up her womb.
verse value 2697
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "behind" (בְּעַ֥ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·vexed·her" (וְכִעֲסַ֤תָּה, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·vexed·her" (וְכִעֲסַ֤תָּה), "her·rival" (צָרָתָהּ֙), "also·vexation" (גַּם־כַּ֔עַס). The root כעס appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root כעס ("and·vexed·her") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root עבור ("in·order·to") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·make·her·fret', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְכִעֲסַ֤תָּה [and·vexed·her] (561) + צָרָתָהּ֙ [her·rival] (695) + גַּם־כַּ֔עַס [also·vexation] (193) + בַּעֲב֖וּר [in·order·to] (280) + הַרְּעִמָ֑הּ [to·make·her·fret] (320) + כִּֽי־סָגַ֥ר [because·had·shut] (293) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּעַ֥ד [behind] (76) + רַחְמָֽהּ [her·womb] (253) = 2697.
Rashi
her rival. Her husband's wife, Peninnah.
and anger. Anger upon anger, constantly — therefore it says 'and anger.' She would say to her: Have you acquired today a head-covering for your elder son, or a tunic for your younger son?
in order to provoke her. So that she would complain. And our Sages said (Bava Batra 16a): 'in order to provoke her' — so that she would pray. And she intended it for the sake of Heaven.
For her womb. Opposite her womb. And so is all the language of 'ba'ad.'
Radak
“Her rival wife.” Peninnah, who was a rival to her. And likewise, any two women married to one man are called “rival wives” because they are, for the most part, enemies of one another. And so too in the Mishnah: “[A woman] frees her rival wives.”
“Also, anger.” One anger followed another: she would speak words of anger to her, because she had no children. And in the midrash: “She provokes to anger and returns to provoke to anger”—what was she saying to her? “Have you bought a cloak for your elder son, or a tunic for your second?”
"Because she provoked her." From "their faces were troubled" (Ezekiel 27:35), a matter of wrath. And the resh of "har'imah" takes a dagesh contrary to rule, and it came thus to strengthen the reading of the resh — like the kuf of "and we will draw them away from the city" (Judges 20:32), and others among the letters that take a dagesh for the elegance of the reading. And the Targum renders "har'imah" as "le-aknayuta," that is, that she should be made jealous of her: she would say in her presence things about the rearing of children and the like, so that she would be jealous and her heart would ache.
"About her womb." [That is,] upon her womb — like "they burst through the weapons" and "and he shall make atonement for himself."
Ralbag
And the cause of this anger was that her rival provoked her, for she boasted of her many children and mocked her because she had no children.
Metzudat David
“And her co-wife provoked her.” “Her co-wife” is Peninnah: she used to provoke her with words.
Even anger. This means: She returns and provokes anger many times.
“In order to make her fret”: So that Hannah would be vexed and wrathful.
"For the Lord had shut up her womb." This means: And in this there was an opportunity for Peninnah to provoke her, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Yalkut Shimoni, Remez 77): That she spoke to her in a mocking manner, saying, "Have you bought a head-covering for your elder son, or a tunic for your younger son?" And she herself was also bitter in soul because of her barrenness, and it was easy to provoke her.
Metzudat Zion
Her rival-wife. Two women from one man are called rivals (zarot), and it is from the word 'enemy' and 'adversary,' for most often they hate one another.
To make her rage. A matter of anger and wrath, similarly (Ezekiel 27:35) 'their faces were troubled'.
Malbim
And so the vexation was twofold on Hannah's part: a) "and her rival vexed her" — that her rival aroused her vexation; b) "also vexation" — she had from her own side as well a vexation on account of the thundering. That is to say, on account of her thundering continually and complaining that the Lord had shut up her womb. (And the word ha-re'amah is an infinitive from the hif'il, her causing to thunder.) And we have already explained that whenever they came to the house of the Lord their intention was to bow down and to pray that the Lord might remember Hannah; and therefore at the time of their coming to the house of the Lord they were reminded of their distress continually, for after the prayer she was reminded that she had not yet been remembered, and her rival purposed to vex her then.
And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of Hashem, so she vexed her; therefore she wept, and would not eat.
verse value 3768
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֖ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "she·vexed·her" (תַּכְעִסֶ֑נָּה, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·thus" (וְכֵ֨ן), "she·vexed·her" (תַּכְעִסֶ֑נָּה), "and·wept" (וַתִּבְכֶּ֖ה). The root כן appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "and·not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel); "she·went·up" (root עלה, 81x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root כן ("and·thus") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root עשה ("will·do") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'she·vexed·her', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְכֵ֨ן [and·thus] (76) + יַעֲשֶׂ֜ה [will·do] (385) + שָׁנָ֣ה [year] (355) + בְשָׁנָ֗ה [in·year] (357) + מִדֵּ֤י [from·enough·of] (54) + עֲלֹתָהּ֙ [she·went·up] (505) + בְּבֵ֣ית [in·the·house·of] (414) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + כֵּ֖ן [so] (70) + תַּכְעִסֶ֑נָּה [she·vexed·her] (605) + וַתִּבְכֶּ֖ה [and·wept] (433) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + תֹאכַֽל [shall·eat] (451) = 3768.
Rashi
And so he did. Elkanah:
year by year. He gives her a choicest portion, to show her that he delights in her and in her rival — according to the affection that her husband shows her, so she will also increase in angering her.
Radak
And so he would do. Elkana used to do thus year after year, to go up to the House of the Lord with his household. And Peninnah likewise would provoke Hannah each time, whenever she went up to the House of the Lord. For concerning the portions, she would provoke her, in that she and her sons had portions, whereas Hannah had only one portion, since she had no sons to take portions.
Metzudat David
"And so he shall do." Thus did Elkanah do every year, to give to Hannah a double portion.
"Thus you shall anger her." Just as it says, "And thus you shall anger her," and it means: He did his part to show her affection, and similarly, Peninnah did her part.
"And she wept." At every time she came to Shiloh, she wept from the abundance of her grief, and because of this, the desire for food was withheld from her.
Metzudat Zion
Whenever. When, meaning, at every time, similarly (Isaiah 28:19) 'whenever they passed'.
Malbim
And likewise he shall do: namely, that in each and every year, upon their coming to the House of the Lord, it was in this manner: Elkanah would act according to his custom, giving to her one portion, apayim; and her rival, according to her custom, would provoke her to anger, for that was her way; and Hannah, according to her custom, would weep and not eat.
And Elkanah her husband said to her: ‘Hannah, why weep you? and why eat you not? and why is your heart grieved? am not I better to you than ten sons?’
verse value 3259
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "to·her" (לָ֜הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֨אמֶר, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 81: and·why, and·why, I. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "you·will·weep" (תִבְכִּ֗י), "you·will·eat" (תֹֽאכְלִ֔י), "will·tremble" (יֵרַ֣ע). The root מה appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "her·husband" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אמר ("and·said") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root לה ("to·her") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
I am good to you. I am devoted to you.
than ten sons. That Peninnah bore to me.
Radak
“Am I not I?” As its Targum translates: “Is not my good will toward you?” That is to say, my desire is toward you, and I love you; it is better for you than ten sons. And there are those who say: “I” am better for you than I am for the ten sons that I have, “from Peninnah,” meaning that I love you more than I love my sons. And they said that there were ten sons to Peninnah. And according to our interpretation, the meaning of “ten” is a general calculation, like “ten women will bake your bread,” “ten princes,” “seven times for your sins,” “the righteous person falls seven times,” and similar expressions.
Ralbag
And behold, Elkana said to her words of comfort, when he saw her weeping and not eating: “Why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart distressed? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”—because of the great love he had for her. And behold, Hannah arose after the eating and drinking; but she herself had not eaten nor drunk, as it is stated, “she wept and did not eat,” and as she herself said, “I have not drunk wine or strong drink.”
Metzudat David
"And why should your heart be distressed?"—Why should your heart be broken by the sorrow of lacking children?
“Am I not.” Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “Is not my goodwill?” He meant to say: “Are not my will toward you and my love for you a good thing for you, more so than if you had borne ten sons?”
Metzudat Zion
He will break. A matter of breaking, similarly (Job 34:24) 'He will break the mighty without investigating'.
Malbim
"And he said to her." He relates that on one occasion Elkanah wished to comfort her; and since he saw three things in her — a) that she wept, therefore he said, "Why weepest thou?"; b) that she did not eat, therefore he said, "And why eatest thou not?"; c) that she was also vexed, therefore he said, "And why is thy heart grieved?" — he said to her: Is not the cause of this vexation on the side of hope long deferred, in that thou hopest for children and thy hope has not come, and therefore thou art reminded of thy sorrow? And what of it? Even if thou shouldst despair of bearing (for he too had already despaired of it by then), am I not better to thee than ten sons? For the woman is not commanded concerning being fruitful and multiplying; and if thou desirest a staff for the hand and a hoe for burial, am I not better, for a help and for a shield?
So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk—now Eli the priest sat upon his seat by the door-post of the temple of Hashem;
verse value 3496
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hannah" (חַנָּ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·doorpost·of" (עַל־מְזוּזַ֖ת, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "eating" (אׇכְלָ֥הֿ), "and·after" (וְאַחֲרֵ֣י), "drinking" (שָׁתֹ֑ה). The root אחר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "upon·the·doorpost·of" (root על, 112x in I Samuel); "after" (root אחר, 62x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root קום ("and·she·arose") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root אחר ("after") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'drinking', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַתָּ֣קׇם [and·she·arose] (546) + חַנָּ֔ה [Hannah] (63) + אַחֲרֵ֛י [after] (219) + אׇכְלָ֥הֿ [eating] (56) + בְשִׁלֹ֖ה [in·Shiloh] (337) + וְאַחֲרֵ֣י [and·after] (225) + שָׁתֹ֑ה [drinking] (705) + וְעֵלִ֣י [and·Eli] (116) + הַכֹּהֵ֗ן [priest] (80) + יֹשֵׁב֙ [dwelling] (312) + עַל־הַכִּסֵּ֔א [upon·the·seat] (186) + עַל־מְזוּזַ֖ת [upon·the·doorpost·of] (560) + הֵיכַ֥ל [palace] (65) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3496.
Rashi
ate in Shiloh. The hey is not pronounced, and the aleph has a chataf-kamatz — and it is like: 'achari akhol b'Shiloh, va'achari shteh' — after eating in Shiloh and after drinking. And the language applies both to male and to female: 'achari ochlah' — the language of pa'ul, like 'le'ochlah' — the language of lif'ol.
And Eli the priest sat on the chair. That day he sat on a great chair, for he was appointed judge (and in Yalkut Shimoni: high priest) over Israel.
by the doorpost. Like: near the doorpost.
Radak
"Ate." The root is with the addition of the he, and the he is not for the feminine, since it has no mappiq. Similarly, "drank" is from the root. And the meaning is: after they ate and drank. And it is possible that Hannah also ate, even though it says "and she wept and did not eat." It is possible that after her husband said to her, "Why do you not eat?" and urged her, she ate a little. And the master of interpretation said: "He drank but she did not drink" — he did not scrutinize [the text closely].
"And Eli the priest was sitting on the throne, at the doorpost of the Temple of the Lord." The explanation is that he sits adjacent to the doorposts, for the doorposts are the sides of the gates, not the threshold itself. Similarly, "and upon him the tribe of Manasseh" means adjacent to him; and "and you shall slaughter upon it" means adjacent to it. And Targum Jonathan states: "on the side of the doorpost of the Temple of the Lord." And there are among our Sages of blessed memory who said that there is no sitting in the Temple Court even for the kings of the House of David, except for the High Priest, as it is stated: "And Eli the priest was sitting on the throne, at the doorpost." But regarding "and David came and sat before the Lord," they interpreted it that he sat himself down for prayer. And our Sages expounded that "sat" is written without a vav, and they said: "Sat" is written, teaching that on that day he was appointed High Priest.
Ralbag
And Eli the priest sat upon the seat by the door-post of the temple of the Lord. He did not sit within the temple itself, but rather in the Azarah (the Temple Court), and he had permission to sit there because he was the High Priest.
Metzudat David
And Hannah arose. To go to the House of the Lord:
"After she had eaten." Although it was stated above, "And she wept and did not eat," nevertheless, she ate a little to sustain her life.
Metzudat Zion
On the doorpost. Beside the doorpost.
Malbim
The Questions (9): Why did she not arise until now to pray, but only just now for the first time? And why after she had eaten, and not before the meal?
And she arose: Until now, she had relied upon the prayer of her husband, who was righteous; but now, seeing that he had despaired of mercy, she was stirred to pray on her own. And she arose after eating, for it was customary to pray at the time of the offering of the sacrifices in the morning and in the afternoon, and at that time the priest was not seated on the seat but was engaged in the service, especially on Shabbat and festivals, when he himself performed the service, as stated in the Jerusalem Talmud (Chapter 1 of Beitzah and Chapter 1 of Hagigah). But now she arose after the meal, and at that time Eli was already seated on the seat, for all the people had gone to their homes and did not offer sacrifices at that time. And she was able to seclude herself in the House of the Lord to pour out her complaint before Him. (And the word "ate" is an infinitive with an added he, and it is not the feminine he, for it has no mappiq; and similarly, "drank" is an infinitive, for she did not eat.)
and she was in bitterness of soul—and prayed to Hashem, and wept sore.
verse value 2624
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "bitterness" (מָ֣רַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·prayed" (וַתִּתְפַּלֵּ֥ל, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "bitterness" (מָ֣רַת), "upon·Hashem" (עַל־יְהֹוָ֖ה), "and·weeping" (וּבָכֹ֥ה). The root בכה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "and·she" (root הוא, 82x in I Samuel); "soul" (root נפש, 33x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root נפש ("soul") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root פלל ("and·prayed") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהִ֖יא [and·she] (22) + מָ֣רַת [bitterness] (640) + נָ֑פֶשׁ [soul] (430) + וַתִּתְפַּלֵּ֥ל [and·prayed] (946) + עַל־יְהֹוָ֖ה [upon·Hashem] (126) + וּבָכֹ֥ה [and·weeping] (33) + תִבְכֶּֽה [she·weeps] (427) = 2624.
Radak
And she prayed upon the Lord. That is, like 'to the Lord.' And likewise: 'and one gives the book upon him that knows letters' — like 'to him that knows letters'; 'upon Shaphan' — like 'to Shaphan.'
Ralbag
“And she was bitter of soul and prayed to the Lord.” This means that she stood opposite the Holy of Holies, and that side was before the Lord, meaning that she gazed toward the western side, where the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was located, and she wept during her prayer, for the gates of tears were not closed.
Metzudat David
“And she was bitter of soul.” When she came to pray, her soul was exceedingly bitter to her.
Metzudat Zion
Upon the LORD. Like 'to the LORD'.
Malbim
And it was then that four things gathered together to assist in making her prayer acceptable: a) She herself was brokenhearted, and the Lord hears the prayer of those with broken hearts; b) She prayed to the Lord, meaning she prayed with complete devotion to the Lord alone; c) And she wept, for the gates of tears are never closed.
And she vowed a vow, and said: ‘O Hashem of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Your handmaid, but will give to Your handmaid a man-child, then I will give him to Hashem all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.’
verse value 9914
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 113 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "vow" (נֶ֜דֶר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·you·will·remember·me" (וּזְכַרְתַּ֙נִי֙, 7 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·vowed" (וַתִּדֹּ֨ר), "vow" (נֶ֜דֶר), "if·look" (אִם־רָאֹ֥ה). The root אמה appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root נדר ("and·vowed") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root ראה ("if·look") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'man', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 7 words.
Rashi
the Lord of Hosts. Why was this Name singled out here? She said before Him: Master of the Universe, two hosts You created in Your world — the upper ones do not multiply, nor increase, nor die; and the lower ones multiply and increase and die. If I am from the lower ones, I shall be fruitful and multiply and die. And if I am from the upper ones, I will not die. I found this in the aggadah of Rabbi Yosi the Galilean (Pesikta Rabbati). And our Sages expounded in the tractate Berachot (31b) what they expounded: Until now there was no person who called the Holy One, blessed be He, 'Tzva'ot.' But so she said before Him: Master of the Universe, from all the hosts that You created in Your world, is it difficult in Your eyes to give me one son?
If You will regard. Our Sages expounded in the tractate Berachot (loc. cit.) what they expounded.
Your handmaid. That which is stated three times in the Scripture, corresponding to three things that a woman is commanded.
seed of men. The righteous — as it is said (I Kings 2:32): 'upon two men more righteous.'
men. Important men — as it is said (Deuteronomy 1:13): 'men, wise and understanding.'
And I will give him to the Lord. That he be worthy to be given to the Lord.
and a razor. Yonatan translated: And the dominion of man shall not be upon him.
Radak
“And she vowed a vow.” I am amazed: how did her vow take effect upon her son, that he should be a Nazirite, and moreover, when he was not yet in the world? How did the vow take effect upon him? Even if he had been in the world, behold, they said: “A man may impose a Nazirite vow upon his son, but a woman may not impose a Nazirite vow upon her son.” And even regarding a man, they found no reason for it, but rather said: “It is a halakhah regarding Nazirites.” And if you were to say that Elkanah also made the vow after he heard it from his wife—this we have not seen. And how did the verse leave out recounting the main vow and instead wrote “Hannah’s vow,” which is not a valid vow? This is far-fetched. Rather, I am even more amazed why our Sages of blessed memory did not speak about this matter, for I have not found in their words anything on this subject, neither in Midrash nor in Talmud.
“Hashem Tzevaot.” Our Sages of blessed memory expounded: Since we have not yet found any person who was called “Hashem Tzevaot”—for what is stated above, “to Hashem Tzevaot in Shiloh,” is a narrative statement by the author of the book—therefore they said: Why was she singled out here with this name? Hannah said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: You created two hosts in Your world: the upper ones do not multiply, do not increase, and do not die; the lower ones multiply, increase, and die. If I am to be from the lower ones, I will be fruitful and numerous; if I am to be from the upper ones, I will be in life and not die. Furthermore, our Sages of blessed memory said: Rav said: They would go up at the pilgrimage seasons. Hannah said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, from all the congregations that are before You, You do not grant me even one of them.
"If you see, you shall see." They derived [a meaning] from the repetition, but it is not necessary [to do so], for such is the custom of the language to join the infinitive with the finite verbs, like "If you hear, you shall hear," and he said that this combination is to strengthen the matter. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded upon it: "If you see, it is good; and if not, you shall see—I will make Elkanah my husband jealous of me, and I shall bear children, as you have written in your Torah; and if the woman has not become impure and she is pure, etc."
“Concerning your poor maidservant.” There are three [occurrences of the word] in the verse, as in “These are the generations of Noah,” and Israel five times in a verse, for such is the manner of the Scriptural passages to be elegant. And they expounded concerning it: Hannah said, “A woman is commanded with three mitzvot, and I did not transgress any one of them.”
"And remember me, and do not forget your servant." The repetition serves to strengthen the prayer and request. Similarly, "Remember what Amalek did to you; do not forget" is a repetition to strengthen the commandment. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "And remember me" refers to males, and "do not forget your servant" refers to females.
“Seed of men.” Its meaning is males. And what it says, “nor shall a razor come upon his head,” proves that it was stated regarding males, for this would not be said regarding females. And the Targum translates: “A male among the sons of men.” And in the midrashic interpretation: “Seed of men” means that their faces should not resemble those of a monkey or of a eunuch. Another interpretation: “Seed of men” refers to the wise, as it is said, “Men of wisdom and understanding.” “Men” refers to the prophets, as it is said, “Two men remained.” And they further said: “Seed” refers to those who are equal in weight to two men. Who are they? Moses and Aaron, as it is said, “Moses and Aaron among His priests,” and Samuel among those who call upon His name.
"And I will give him to the Lord." That he should be a Nazirite, holy to the Lord. And the Targum renders: "And I will dedicate him, that he should serve before the Lord." If so, according to this interpretation, what did Hannah give to Him? Are not all the Levites already given to the Lord? We may explain that the other Levites would come to serve the Lord from the age of twenty-five years, whereas she gave him to the Lord for all his days. In the homiletical interpretation, they said to Hannah: "Why do you seek offspring of wise men? Offspring of prophets?" She said to them: "That he should be worthy to be given to the Lord." And this is the meaning of "And I will give him to the Lord."
And a razor. A razor, like “And a razor shall not come up upon his head” of Samson. And the Targum [of Samson] says “And a barber,” and it translates this [verse regarding Samuel] as “And the fear of men shall not be upon him.” Its meaning, according to his opinion, is [that it is written] with an aleph. And there is a dispute among our Sages of blessed memory on this matter. Rabbi Nehorai says: Samuel was a nazirite, as it is stated, “And a razor shall not come up upon his head.” Just as the razor mentioned in connection with Samson [indicates he was a] nazirite, so too the razor mentioned in connection with Samuel [indicates he was a] nazirite. Rabbi Yosi said: There is no fear except of flesh and blood. Rabbi Nehorai said to him: But is it not written, “And Saul heard, and he would have killed me”? This shows that the fear of human beings was already upon him. Rav Yosef said: According to whom do we translate “And the fear of men shall not be upon him”? According to whom? According to Rabbi Yosi. And in the midrash, it is explained: Why is a razor called a “moreh” (one who causes fear)? Rabbi Ami said: You shall not come there for fear of briers and thorns. Just as this “moreh” (razor) fears nothing but iron, so too this hair fears nothing but iron.
Ralbag
And behold, Hannah vowed a vow to the Lord that if He would look upon her affliction and grant her male offspring—meaning the seed that is formed from men—so that she would have a child, she would dedicate him to the Lord all the days of his life; that is to say, he would be constantly engaged in the service of God until the day of his death. And no razor shall come upon his head to shave his hair, for he would be a Nazirite, consecrated to the Lord. If he were worthy of this—meaning if he were male—here is an allusion that one who vows against shaving is subject to all the laws of Naziriteship, for she only vowed against shaving and remained silent regarding the other laws of Naziriteship. Or perhaps the intention in her saying “male offspring” is a male child, and this is because the seed of men, when it is not altered by the seed of the female, results in a male offspring, and when it is altered by the seed of the female, results in a female offspring, as has been explained in natural philosophy.
Metzudat David
“Concerning ‘affliction.’ In that I am afflicted with pain and anguish:”
"And remember me, and do not forget." The repetition of the matter in different words is for the sake of additional clarification, and in the manner of those who pray:
"Seed of men" – this implies: male offspring.
"And I will give him to the Lord." This means: I will take upon myself a vow to give him to the Lord.
"All the days of his life." This means: He should always isolate himself in the service of the Lord.
"And a razor, etc." – He shall be a nazirite forever, lest he shave his head, and according to the law of the nazirite.
Metzudat Zion
Your maidservant. Your female servant.
And razor. A razor, and similarly of Samson (Judges 13:5) 'and no razor shall come'.
Malbim
4) And she made a vow that she had undertaken upon herself, a vow that is efficacious in times of distress, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And she made a request for three things: 1) That He should see her poverty and her distress; and regarding this it says, “If You have seen the affliction of Your maidservant.” 2) That He should remember her merits and her righteousness; and regarding this it says, “And remember me.” And “remembering” means that He should remember her now to give her a son, and “do not forget” means that He should not forget her even after this, so that she will bear more sons and daughters, and they will live. And our Sages of blessed memory said well: “Remember me in males, and do not forget in females.” 3) And grant to Your maidservant a seed of men, meaning that it should be a distinguished seed, fit to stand and serve before the Lord, not one with a blemish or the like, who is unfit to stand in the temple of the King. And our Sages of blessed memory said: “A seed of men” means a man among men; a seed that is absorbed among men, neither tall nor short. And there are many other interpretations. Then she undertakes upon herself by vow, “And I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life,” meaning that although all the Levites were prepared to serve, there will be two distinctions in him: 1) The Levites sometimes turned also to their own occupations, but he will be only for the Lord, and he will have no concern with the affairs of the world. 2) The Levite served only from the age of twenty-five, but he will be to the Lord all the days of his life. 3) And a razor shall not go up upon his head. If according to the one who says that she vowed him to Naziriteship, which is an additional holiness upon the holiness of the Levite; or if according to the one who says that this refers to the awe of flesh and blood, meaning that he will constantly maintain the fear of God all day, until it will not occur in his heart to fear anything other than Him, as the pious man said: “Out of fear of my God, I am ashamed to fear anything other than Him, for one who fears a great matter does not turn his heart at that time to a small fear.”
And it came to pass, as she prayed long before Hashem, that Eli watched her mouth.
verse value 2591
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·as" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·pray" (לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "be or become great" (הִרְבְּתָ֔ה), "her·mouth" (אֶת־פִּֽיהָ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "and·as" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root רבה ("be or become great") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root פנים ("to·face·of") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָה֙ [and·it·shall·be] (26) + כִּ֣י [and·as] (30) + הִרְבְּתָ֔ה [be or become great] (612) + לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל [to·pray] (575) + לִפְנֵ֣י [to·face·of] (170) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וְעֵלִ֖י [and·Eli] (116) + שֹׁמֵ֥ר [keeping] (540) + אֶת־פִּֽיהָ [her·mouth] (496) = 2591.
Rashi
watching her mouth. Waiting for when she would stop — so Yonatan translated: And Eli waited for her until she stopped.
watching. The language of waiting — like (Genesis 37:11): 'kept the matter,' (Job 14:16): 'You will not keep watch over my sin.'
Radak
“And it came to pass when she had multiplied.” In a midrash, Rabbi Shimon said in the name of Rabbi Chalfata, and in the name of Rabbi Meir: From here we learn that whoever multiplies in prayer is answered. Rabbi Meir's position is reversed here. There, Rabbi Abahu, son of Rav Pappi, and Rabbi Yehoshua of Sichnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Meir: Regarding the verse, “In all labour there is profit, but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury” (Proverbs 14:23)—Hannah, because she multiplied in prayer, shortened the days of Samuel, as it is stated, “And he dwelled there forever” (1 Samuel 1:22). And there is no “forever” for Levites except fifty years, as it is written, “And from the age of fifty years onward…” (Numbers 8:25). Yet they were fifty-two years old. Rabbi Yosi bar Bun said: the two years that she nursed him.
“Guarding her mouth.” He was guarding and scrutinizing her mouth, thinking: “What is this long prayer? Her voice is not heard; only her lips are moving.” Therefore, he assumed that she was drunk. And the Targum translates “guarding” as “waiting,” like “and his father kept the matter in mind,” and “Thou wilt not watch over my sin.” And the meaning of “her mouth” is her speech and her words. And so did Jonathan translate: “And Eli waited for her until she had finished.”
Ralbag
"And it came to pass, when she had prayed much before the Lord." This means before the Holy of Holies. Now, Eli was watching and observing the movement of her lips, and her voice was not heard. For this reason, Eli thought her to be drunk and rebuked her for her drunkenness. And Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord." The matter is not as you think; rather, I am a woman of a troubled spirit, due to much sorrow and anger over my hard fate.
Metzudat David
"Guarding her mouth." This means: He would watch carefully to guard the outlet of her speech, in order to hear what she said.
Metzudat Zion
She had multiplied. From the word 'multiplication'.
Malbim
The Questions (12-16): Why did Eli think that Hannah was drunk? What is the significance of the fact that she prayed extensively? And what is the significance of the fact that her voice was not heard? Is it not the custom to pray in a whisper, since the Lord knows the secrets of the heart? And if, at that time, the custom was to pray aloud, and the complaint was that she changed the custom, why did he wait until she had prayed extensively? Should he not have said immediately, “Pray aloud,” and she should have responded, “Why do you pray in a whisper?” And why did she repeat her words? After she said, “For I am a woman of troubled spirit,” etc., she returned to say, “Do not regard your maidservant as a worthless woman,” etc., which are superfluous words?
And it was clear to me in another place that there are two levels in the matter of prayer: there is one who prays through an intermediary, meaning he requests that his petition be fulfilled through the angels and advocates who recall his merits, and through those merits he will be vindicated; and likewise he requests aid and salvation also through an intermediary. And there is one who prays without an intermediary, as our Sages of blessed memory said, “Do not cry out to Michael or to Gabriel, but rather, ‘Who is like You, our Lord, among all those who call upon You?’” And there are two differences between them in the arrangement of their prayer:
1) One who prays to the Lord without an intermediary does not need to lengthen his prayer, for since he does not seek to vindicate himself through his merits and arguments in a manner of legal judgment, but rather according to the principle of kindness and pardon (and as our Sages of blessed memory said that the righteous, even though they have good deeds to rely upon, request only a free gift), he does not need to lengthen his prayer and present his merits. Not so is the one who asks through advocates: he recounts his merits by which he will demonstrate that his request ought to be granted according to law; he must arrange his arguments and clarify his merits, just as it is in earthly kingdoms. One who asks something from the king himself will ask in a manner of kindness, and will not multiply words, but will only say, “My lord, do kindness for me.” Not so is the one who requests through the ministers who sit in judgment: he must clarify his merits by which he will be vindicated according to the statutes of law, for they have no power to grant free kindness, but only truth and justice.
2) One who prays to the Lord alone should not raise his voice in prayer, for He understands every inclination and thought of the heart; and one who raises his voice in prayer is considered one of small faith. Not so is the one who asks through intermediaries: he may raise his voice, for the angels do not know thoughts. Now, in the days of Eli, they were accustomed to request their prayers through intermediaries, for that generation was not worthy of miracles and special providence. Therefore, their practice was to multiply in prayer, and likewise to pray in a loud voice. And when he saw that Hannah multiplied in prayer, he thought that she too was praying in this manner; for otherwise she would not have needed to multiply in prayer (and indeed, our Sages of blessed memory said that because Hannah multiplied in prayer, the days of Samuel were shortened). Therefore, he watched her mouth, meaning he desired to hear her prayer, for he thought that necessarily she would pray in a loud voice, since she was praying through intermediaries. But it was not so, rather:
Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard; therefore, Eli thought she had been drunken.
verse value 4083
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "only" (רַ֚ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·reckoned·it" (וַיַּחְשְׁבֶ֥הָ, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "speaking" (מְדַבֶּ֣רֶת), "in·her·heart" (עַל־לִבָּ֔הּ), "her·lips" (שְׂפָתֶ֣יהָ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "speaking" (root דבר, 113x in I Samuel); "in·her·heart" (root על, 112x in I Samuel); "not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root דבר ("speaking") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root קול ("and·her·voice") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'was·heard', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְחַנָּ֗ה [and·Hannah] (69) + הִ֚יא [she] (16) + מְדַבֶּ֣רֶת [speaking] (646) + עַל־לִבָּ֔הּ [in·her·heart] (137) + רַ֚ק [only] (300) + שְׂפָתֶ֣יהָ [her·lips] (795) + נָּע֔וֹת [quivering] (526) + וְקוֹלָ֖הּ [and·her·voice] (147) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יִשָּׁמֵ֑עַ [was·heard] (420) + וַיַּחְשְׁבֶ֥הָ [and·reckoned·it] (331) + עֵלִ֖י [Eli] (110) + לְשִׁכֹּרָֽה [for·drunken] (555) = 4083.
Rashi
Eli suspected her of being drunk. For they were not accustomed to pray in a whisper.
Radak
She was speaking in her heart. As its Targum renders it: “She prayed from her heart,” meaning that she directed her heart in her prayer.
Metzudat David
"And Hannah." But Hannah was speaking to her heart, meaning: in a whisper, as if she were speaking to her own heart, and it was not heard by Eli.
"And Eli considered her as if she were drunk." For this is the way of a drunkard to move his lips, and he does not speak, nor does he form words.
Metzudat Zion
Upon her heart. Like 'to her heart'.
Wanderings. From the word 'wanderer'.
And He counted her. He counted her.
Malbim
"And Hannah, she spoke in her heart" — this is not consistent with her having multiplied prayer, for speaking in a whisper indicates that she was praying to the Lord alone, without any intermediary, and in this it is not fitting to multiply words, as stated above; and therefore "and Eli thought her to be drunken."
And Eli said to her: ‘How long will you be drunken? put away your wine from you.’
verse value 3263
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. Verse gematria: 3263 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Eli" (עֵלִ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "you·will·be·drunk" (תִּשְׁתַּכָּרִ֑ין, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "you·will·be·drunk" (תִּשְׁתַּכָּרִ֑ין), "put·away" (הָסִ֥ירִי), "your·wine" (אֶת־יֵינֵ֖ךְ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "from·you" (root על, 112x in I Samuel); "to·her" (root אל, 86x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אל ("to·her") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root מות ("until·when") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·be·drunk', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ [to·her] (46) + עֵלִ֔י [Eli] (110) + עַד־מָתַ֖י [until·when] (524) + תִּשְׁתַּכָּרִ֑ין [you·will·be·drunk] (1380) + הָסִ֥ירִי [put·away] (285) + אֶת־יֵינֵ֖ךְ [your·wine] (491) + מֵעָלָֽיִךְ [from·you] (170) = 3263.
Radak
“Until when will you be intoxicated?” Until when will you regard yourself as though you were drunk, such that your lips move in your mouth, yet your words are not heard?
“Remove your wine from you.” And awaken, for you appear as though drunk, and you do not act like the other worshippers, who utter their supplications in a manner that can be heard. And even though sometimes a worshipper says his words somewhat in secret, nevertheless he cries out and prays aloud at least some of his words. But you have excessively increased your praying, and yet your voice was not heard. From this it appears that you are drunk. And the Targum [renders it]: “How long will you bewilder yourself? Will you not put away your wine from you?”
Metzudat David
"You will be drunk." You display in yourself drunkenness for a long time, and until when?
“Remove your wine.” If you have drunk much wine, engage in removing the intoxication of the wine through sleep and the like.
Malbim
And he said, etc., until when? For besides that a drunkard is forbidden to pray, he is also forbidden to remain in the Temple while intoxicated. And if so, remove your wine, and afterward you may come to My sanctuary.
And Hannah answered and said: ‘No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I poured out my soul before Hashem.
verse value 5930
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "sorrowful·of·spirit" (קְשַׁת־ר֙וּחַ֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 526: and·she·answered, and·strong·drink. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·she·answered" (וַתַּ֨עַן), "wife" (אִשָּׁ֤ה), "sorrowful·of·spirit" (קְשַׁת־ר֙וּחַ֙). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root ענה ("and·she·answered") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root אדון ("my·lord") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·drank', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Rashi
No, my lord. You are not my lord in this matter — you have revealed yourself that the Holy Spirit does not rest upon you, that you know that I am not drunk with wine.
Radak
"Not my Lord. I am not drunk, as you might think, but I am a woman of a stubborn spirit; my spirit is heavy upon me because of my distress. And the juxtaposition of 'stubborn spirit' is like the juxtaposition of 'one whose leaf withers, those who shave their beards, those who tear their garments,' and those similar to them."
"Wine and strong drink." As its Targum [renders it]: "new and old wine." And similarly it states in a derasha: "Wine" refers to new [wine], "strong drink" refers to old [wine]. And it is possible to explain that "strong drink" refers to that which is made from fruit.
"And I have poured out my soul." Through the abundance of prayer, it is as if one pours out his soul, as it is stated, "Pour out your heart before Him." And the Targum renders it: "And I have told the grief of my soul in prayer before the Lord."
Ralbag
“And I will pour out my soul.” In the manner of “And before the Lord he will pour out his speech,” and the matter therein is the matter of prayer, in which she expressed all her desire before the Name.
Metzudat David
"Not my Lord. This means: You are my Lord, it is not so, but I am a woman of a hard spirit, meaning: from distress and worry, and with knowledge I have come here to pray, and not without knowledge like a drunkard, for I have not drunk wine or strong drink:"
"And I will pour out..." This means: Do not wonder why my lips move but my voice is not heard, for before the Lord I will pour out my soul; what need have I to raise my voice to be heard by others?
Metzudat Zion
And I will pour out my soul. Targum Yonatan translates: 'and I have spoken the anguish of my soul before Him,' and similarly (Psalms 102:1) 'poureth out his complaint'.
Malbim
"And she said, No, my lord." Since she did not know the cause for which he thought her to be drunken, she answered him: if he thinks so because he saw her weeping much and in bitterness of heart, this was because "I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit"; and if because she prayed in a whisper, she answered that "I have poured out my soul before the Lord" — before Him alone, without any intermediary, and therefore she did not lift up her voice and cry aloud.
Count not your handmaid for a wicked woman: for out of the abundance of my complaint and my vexation have I spoken hitherto.’
verse value 3973
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "to·face·of" (לִפְנֵ֖י, 4 letters) and the longest is "daughter·of·worthlessness" (בַּת־בְּלִיָּ֑עַל, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "do·not·give" (אַל־תִּתֵּן֙), "daughter·of·worthlessness" (בַּת־בְּלִיָּ֑עַל), "for·from·abundance·of" (כִּֽי־מֵרֹ֥ב). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "do·not·give" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "I·have·spoken" (root דבר, 113x in I Samuel); "to·face·of" (root פנים, 93x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root איל ("do·not·give") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root מרב ("for·from·abundance·of") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'daughter·of·worthlessness', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: אַל־תִּתֵּן֙ [do·not·give] (881) + אֶת־אֲמָ֣תְךָ֔ [your·handmaid] (862) + לִפְנֵ֖י [to·face·of] (170) + בַּת־בְּלִיָּ֑עַל [daughter·of·worthlessness] (544) + כִּֽי־מֵרֹ֥ב [for·from·abundance·of] (272) + שִׂיחִ֛י [my·complaint] (328) + וְכַעְסִ֖י [and·my·vexation] (166) + דִּבַּ֥רְתִּי [I·have·spoken] (616) + עַד־הֵֽנָּה [until·now] (134) = 3973.
Rashi
Do not give over your handmaid. In response to what she said to him a harsh thing, she returned and pacified him — that he not make her ownerless and a disgrace before her rival, the daughter of Belial.
from the multitude of my speech. I spoke harshly before you.
my complaint. There are places where it is the language of grief of heart. Another interpretation: 'from the abundance of my complaint' — as its Targum renders: 'because I have grieved much and been angry, I have prolonged before you until now.'
and my anger. That my rival angers me.
Do not give over. The language of handing over — like (Psalms 27:12): 'Do not hand me over to the soul of my enemy.'
Radak
“Before the daughter of Belial.” “Before the Lord, like the daughter of Belial”—meaning, do not think that I will stand drunk before the Lord, blessed be He, like the daughter of a wicked man. And the Targum translates: “Do not disgrace Your servant before the daughter of a wicked man.” It appears from his words that the daughter of Belial said this about Peninnah, her rival, and said to him, “Do not disgrace me in her presence, for she rejoices over my misfortune, and she provokes me to anger.” And the explanation is: “Do not give, do not hand me over in this evil matter; do not disgrace me with it before this woman, the daughter of Belial.” And this explanation is correct.
“Because of the abundance of my complaint and my vexation.” As its Targum renders it: “For my provocations and my vexations have increased, and I have prolonged my prayer until now.” That is to say: because of the many things I have to pour out before God — the provocations with which my rival provokes me and the vexation she causes me — I have spoken before the Lord, may He be blessed, until now.
Ralbag
"Do not give your servant girl." She is fit to be the daughter of a wicked man, and the intention is that he should not give her as a worthless daughter, for those who are in one level of righteousness or in another level of wickedness are fit to dwell together in that characteristic, and therefore they love one another and unite together. For I did not speak because of intoxication, but because of the multitude of my needs to pray to God, blessed be He, and because of the vexation wherewith my rival vexeth me, I have spoken thus far to attain my desire from God, blessed be He, and to quiet the turmoil of my heart from the anger, for already the anger will be quieted in some manner through the recounting and telling of it, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "A care in the heart of a man will weigh him down; let him speak it to another." And in this manner, there was rest for her from her tormentor and from her sorrow.
Metzudat David
"Give not." Do not consider me a worthless daughter who would come drunk to the House of the Lord; that is to say, if the truth is as you say, why should I prolong my prayer so much?
"Because of the multitude of my pleas and my anger." Because of the great recounting of the troubles and the anger which Peninnah incites in me, I have spoken before the Lord until now, since there are many [such matters]:
Metzudat Zion
Do not give. A matter of speaking about something, similarly (below 18:8) 'and to me they gave the thousands'.
Before a worthless woman. Like 'to a worthless woman,' and its parallel (Ecclesiastes 5:5) 'and do not say before the angel,' and its proper reading is 'to the angel'.
Worthless (beliya'al). Without the yoke of the Omnipresent.
My speech. A matter of recounting hardships, similarly (Psalms 102:1) 'and before the LORD he pours out his speech'.
Until now. Until this time.
Malbim
"Al." That is to say: and with all this, "give not thy handmaid before a daughter of Belial." For thou mightest ask: after I prayed to the Lord alone, without any intermediary, why did I prolong my prayer? She answered that this was from another cause — "for out of the abundance of my complaint and my vexation have I spoken hitherto": that which I have spoken hitherto, and that I multiplied words more than is fitting for one who stands before the Lord alone, was out of the abundance of my complaint and my vexation. (And "give not" means "abandon not," as in "I suffered thee not to touch her" — abandon me not into the hand of my rival, who is a daughter of Belial, but rather support me with thy prayer.)
Then Eli answered and said: ‘Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him.’
verse value 4561
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "Eli" (עֵלִ֛י, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·petition" (אֶת־שֵׁ֣לָתֵ֔ךְ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "go" (לְכִ֣י), "and·God·of" (וֵאלֹהֵ֣י), "your·petition" (אֶת־שֵׁ֣לָתֵ֔ךְ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "go" (root הלך, 133x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root הלך ("go") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root שלום ("in·peace") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·peace', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֧עַן [and·he·answered] (136) + עֵלִ֛י [Eli] (110) + וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לְכִ֣י [go] (60) + לְשָׁל֑וֹם [in·peace] (406) + וֵאלֹהֵ֣י [and·God·of] (52) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל [Israel] (541) + יִתֵּן֙ [will·give] (460) + אֶת־שֵׁ֣לָתֵ֔ךְ [your·petition] (1151) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + שָׁאַ֖לְתְּ [you·asked] (731) + מֵעִמּֽוֹ [with] (156) = 4561.
Rashi
your petition. Missing an aleph, to expound in the language of children — like (Deuteronomy 28:57): 'and her afterbirth that comes out.'
He will give your petition. He informed her that her prayer was accepted.
Radak
“May the Lord grant your request.” The aleph is missing, and its vowel was placed on the shin, for the proper form would be “your request” (with an aleph). The meaning is either in the manner of a prayer, or he said to her thus in the manner of prophecy, for he was a prophet, and he said to her, “Go in peace, for the God of Israel will grant your request.” Therefore, she lightened her heart and ate, for she believed the words of the prophet, and she said to him, “May your handmaid find favor in your eyes,” in the manner of “I will find favor in the eyes of my lord,” for “you have comforted me.” And according to the first explanation, the meaning of “May your handmaid find favor in your eyes” is that you will pray for me further, and therefore she lightened her heart and ate, for she thought that your prayer for me would benefit her. And in the midrashic interpretation, it appears that in the manner of prophecy he said to her, “Go in peace.” He said to her: “This peace is from me, but your peace is from your Creator.”
“And the God of Israel will give your request.” It is written as “your request” (shelat-kha). He said to her: “This son whom you are destined to bear is destined to plunder much plunder from the Torah.”
Ralbag
And behold, Eli said this to her by way of prophecy, that her prayer would be heard; or he said it to her by way of prayer and supplication. And therefore she said to him, "Let thy handmaid find favour in thy sight" — that thou mayest set thy heart to pray for her.
Metzudat David
"He will give your petition." He will fulfill your request, and in the manner of prayer he said:
Metzudat Zion
Your request. Like 'your request' with an alef.
Malbim
And Eli answered. After he saw that her words were correct, he appeased her and said to her, "Go in peace." And regarding the matter that you prayed to the Lord alone, without an intermediary, behold, from the fact that He is the God of Israel, who watches over them with a wondrous particular providence (and this is the definition of the Name "God of Israel" everywhere), He will give you what you asked from Him alone, without an advocate, an angel or an interceder of uprightness.
And she said: ‘Let your servant find favour in your sight.’ So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.
verse value 4007
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "favour" (חֵ֖ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·were·to·her" (לֹא־הָֽיוּ־לָ֖הּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·her·way" (לְדַרְכָּהּ֙), "and·ate" (וַתֹּאכַ֔ל), "and·her·face" (וּפָנֶ֥יהָ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "not·were·to·her" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "and·went" (root הלך, 133x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root מצא ("shall·find") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root שפחה ("your·maid") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·eyes', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֕אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + תִּמְצָ֧א [shall·find] (531) + שִׁפְחָתְךָ֛ [your·maid] (808) + חֵ֖ן [favour] (58) + בְּעֵינֶ֑יךָ [in·your·eyes] (162) + וַתֵּ֨לֶךְ [and·went] (456) + הָאִשָּׁ֤ה [the·woman] (311) + לְדַרְכָּהּ֙ [to·her·way] (259) + וַתֹּאכַ֔ל [and·ate] (457) + וּפָנֶ֥יהָ [and·her·face] (151) + לֹא־הָֽיוּ־לָ֖הּ [not·were·to·her] (87) + עֽוֹד [anymore] (80) = 4007.
Rashi
May your handmaid find favor. To request mercy on her behalf.
and her countenance was no longer upon her. A countenance of anger.
Radak
"לדרכה" – She went her way to her house and ate. It appears that she did not eat with her husband; or perhaps she ate a little due to her husband’s insistence, and now she has set her heart to eat properly. And in the midrashic interpretation: What is the meaning of "לדרכה"? She became menstruant, as in: for the manner of women is upon me.
"and her face." Her evil face was no longer hers, and in Targum Jonathan: "and evil faces."
Ralbag
And the woman went her way and ate. [This is explained as being] due to her confidence—either in the prophet’s prayer that it would be heard, or in her own assurance and tranquility—and her vexation was quieted for this reason.
Metzudat David
You will find. This means: Behold, I have found favor in your eyes, for what you have prayed for me shall be counted as finding favor; and she credited him with kindness in her words.
"And she ate." From that time onward, she ate all that she needed, and the anger she had harbored since then was no longer with her, for she trusted in the prayer of Eli.
Metzudat Zion
And her face. A matter of anger, similarly (Jeremiah 3:12) 'I will not frown upon you'.
Malbim
And she said, "May your handmaid find favor," for his words were to her like a promise that the Lord would fulfill her request. And she went her way: our Sages of blessed memory explained that her menstrual cycle returned to its normal pattern, and by this she knew that she had been healed. Therefore, she ate (whereas previously she had not eaten), and in contrast to the earlier questions, "Why do you weep?" and "Why is your heart sad?"—since these two emotions are recognizable on one's face (as it is written, "My face is reddened from weeping," and "an angry countenance")—he said that her former face was hers no longer. And our Sages of blessed memory, in their eloquent expression, said: This teaches that her face had been like that of a monkey, and it was healed.
And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before Hashem, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah; and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and Hashem remembered her.
verse value 4821
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·the·morning" (בַבֹּ֗קֶר, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·they·bowed·down" (וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲווּ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·they·bowed·down" (וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲווּ֙), "to·their·house" (אֶל־בֵּיתָ֖ם), "and·remembered·her" (וַֽיִּזְכְּרֶ֖הָ). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·their·house" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "and·they·came" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שכם ("and·they·rose·early") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root בקר ("in·the·morning") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Ramah', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
And they came to their house, and Elkanah knew. From here [we learn] regarding a guest, that he is forbidden in marital relations.
Ralbag
And behold, they rose early in the morning and bowed down before the Lord, and returned to their house. And the Lord remembered Hannah, and she bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, to indicate that she had asked him of the Lord. And if one should say that it would then have been fitting to call his name Shaul, we say to him that those who give names are not so precise. Dost thou not see that Leah called her son's name Reuben [saying], "because the Lord hath looked upon my affliction"? And Noah's name was so called, saying, "this one shall comfort us concerning our work" — whereas it would have been fitting for his name to be Menachem.
Metzudat David
"And He remembered her." Her memory came before Him for good.
Metzudat Zion
And he knew. A matter of lying with, similarly (I Kings 1:4) 'and the king did not know her'.
Malbim
"And they rose early in the morning and bowed down." If this is in accordance with the words of our Sages of blessed memory, who maintain that one who spends the night must take leave a second time; or perhaps it is because they trusted in the word of the Lord and came to bow down in gratitude that their prayer had been heard.
And it came to pass, when the time was come about, that Hannah conceived, and bore a son; and she called his name Samuel: ‘because I have asked him of Hashem.’
verse value 4992
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 56 letters. Verse gematria: 4992 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "a·son" (בֵּ֑ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·turnings·of" (לִתְקֻפ֣וֹת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 747: his·name, I·asked·him. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·turnings·of" (לִתְקֻפ֣וֹת), "his·name" (אֶת־שְׁמוֹ֙), "I·asked·him" (שְׁאִלְתִּֽיו). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "and·because" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root קרא ("and·called") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root שמואל ("Samuel") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'a·son', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + לִתְקֻפ֣וֹת [to·turnings·of] (1016) + הַיָּמִ֔ים [day] (105) + וַתַּ֥הַר [and·conceived] (611) + חַנָּ֖ה [Hannah] (63) + וַתֵּ֣לֶד [and·she·bore] (440) + בֵּ֑ן [a·son] (52) + וַתִּקְרָ֤א [and·called] (707) + אֶת־שְׁמוֹ֙ [his·name] (747) + שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל [Samuel] (377) + כִּ֥י [and·because] (30) + מֵיְהֹוָ֖ה [from·Hashem] (66) + שְׁאִלְתִּֽיו [I·asked·him] (747) = 4992.
Rashi
when the days were fulfilled. The minimum of seasons is two, the minimum of days is two — hence six months and two days. From here: a woman who gives birth at seven [months], gives birth at irregular intervals.
Samuel. He is called by the Name of God and by the deed — for from Him I asked for him.
Radak
“to the appointed time of the days.” The days of pregnancy, as its Targum translates it, “to a time that completes the days,” and the explanation is: “and Hannah conceived,” meaning that she had already conceived, for when they returned from Shiloh, Elkana, her husband, knew her, and she conceived, as it is stated, “and God remembered her at the appointed time of the days.” This refers to when she completed the days of pregnancy, she gave birth to a son. And there are instances of the vav-conjunctions of this type that indicate the past tense, such as “You were angry, and we sinned,” and “the waters burst forth,” and similar cases. And our Sages of blessed memory stated that the days of her pregnancy were six months and two days: “two appointed times” indicates a minimum of two, and “days” indicates a minimum of two days. And the appointed time (tekufah) is three months. And from this we learn that a woman who gives birth at seven months gives birth at incomplete months.
Shmuel. The word is constructed in this sense from "for from the Lord I asked him," for the letters of Shmuel contain Shaul, and the letters also contain me-El, from God, as if she said, "asked from God."
"For I have asked him of the Lord." The word "said" is lacking, meaning: Why did she call his name Samuel? Because she said, "Of the Lord I have asked him." And according to the Targum of Jonathan, "For she said: From before the Lord I have asked him."
Metzudat David
“Unto the times of the days, and Hannah conceived.” This means: When the completion of the days of pregnancy had come around, from the time that Hannah conceived.
"And she bore a son." [This is said] in fulfillment of the measure of the circumference.
"For I have asked of the Lord." And this is a play on words:
Metzudat Zion
For periods. From the word 'encircling' and 'turning'.
I requested it. From the word 'request' and 'petition'.
Malbim
And she called his name Samuel, which contains two words: “Shaul” (asked) and “mi-El” (from God). This corresponds to what is written: “For from the Lord I have asked him,” as it is stated that she did not request through intermediaries, but only from the Lord alone.
And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer to Hashem the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.
verse value 2385
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "and·went·up" (וַיַּ֛עַל, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·all·his·house" (וְכׇל־בֵּית֑וֹ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·all·his·house" (וְכׇל־בֵּית֑וֹ), "and·his·vow" (וְאֶת־נִדְרֽוֹ). The root זבח appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·all·his·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֛עַל [and·went·up] (116) + הָאִ֥ישׁ [man] (316) + אֶלְקָנָ֖ה [Elkanah] (186) + וְכׇל־בֵּית֑וֹ [and·all·his·house] (474) + לִזְבֹּ֧חַ [to·slaughter] (47) + לַיהֹוָ֛ה [to·Hashem] (56) + אֶת־זֶ֥בַח [sacrifice·of] (418) + הַיָּמִ֖ים [day] (105) + וְאֶת־נִדְרֽוֹ [and·his·vow] (667) = 2385.
Rashi
the sacrifice of the days. (Translation:) that which is sacrificed on the festivals.
and his vow. Vows that he vowed between pilgrimage and pilgrimage, he would offer on the pilgrimage.
Radak
"And all his household." As its Targum renders it: "and all the men of his household."
"The sacrifice of the days" – as its Targum renders it: "the sacrifice of the appointed times."
"And his vow." [This refers to the obligation] to slaughter the sacrifice of the days, for he was accustomed from year to year to slaughter the festival sacrifice. And he also went up to slaughter his vow, for he had vowed an offering to the Lord on account of his son. And so did Jonathan render it in the Targum: "and to fulfil his vow."
Ralbag
And behold, at the end of the year, when they had separated from Shiloh, the man Elkanah and all his household went up to sacrifice to the Lord the peace-offerings of that festival day, and to fulfill his vow which he had vowed in that year; for when he came there, he was obligated to pay it, as it is stated: “And you shall come there, and you shall bring there your burnt-offerings and your sacrifices.” But Hannah did not go up then, for she was not obligated in this matter, as previously explained, and she did not wish to bring Samuel there until he was weaned, because in her mind she knew that immediately upon being there, he would remain there in the House of the Lord for all his days; and this is what she said: “And he shall remain there forever.” And since we have already found that “forever” refers to the Jubilee year, our Sages of blessed memory stated that he had already remained there for fifty years, like the duration of the Jubilee cycle. And therefore they said that all the days of Samuel the Ramati were only fifty-two years, for the days of weaning were two years. And thus the statement can be understood in the manner of prophecy, and behold, it will be seen that this was indeed the case, for Eli judged Israel only forty years, and after him the Ark of the Lord stood in the house of Abinadab for twenty years, and then seven years passed until the reign of David, according to what is mentioned in this book. And therefore, from the beginning of the days of Eli until the reign of David, there were only fifty-three years and seven months, during which the Ark stood in the field of the Philistines. And Samuel had already died before the death of Saul, and Eli was a judge before the birth of Samuel. And although it is stated that on the first day that he was established, Hannah was before him, nevertheless, it cannot be that the lifespan of Samuel was more than fifty-two years, a short period. And therefore, it would be a wonder concerning what Samuel said: “And I am old and grayheaded.” And to resolve this difficulty, they said that old age overtook him prematurely. And behold, we will explain this according to the simple meaning when we arrive there, God willing.
Metzudat David
"And he went up." When the time for his ascent came, he went up to offer the sacrifice.
“The sacrifice of the days.” That which he was accustomed to sacrifice every year:
"And his vow." What he vowed for the entire year while he was at home, he brought them to be slaughtered at the time of his ascent.
Malbim
"And the man went up also at this time" – even though they had witnessed the miracle that occurred for Elkanah through his prayer in the Tabernacle of the Lord, no man went up from the city except Elkanah and his household (as stated above in chapter 3), to sacrifice. And here it is not mentioned that he bowed down, as stated above, that the primary purpose of the bowing was for the prayer on behalf of Hannah, and he did not need to do so now. (And the bowing that occurred at the time of appearing before the Divine Presence did not need to be mentioned), and his vow – what he vowed was specifically because his wife had been remembered.
But Hannah went not up; for she said to her husband: ‘Until the child be weaned, when I will bring him, that he may appear before Hashem, and there abide for ever.’
verse value 3846
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·bring·him" (וַהֲבִאֹתִ֗יו, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "for·she·said" (כִּֽי־אָמְרָ֣ה), "of·her·husband" (לְאִישָׁ֗הּ), "will·be·dealt·fully·with" (יִגָּמֵ֤ל). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·she·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "of·her·husband" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root גמל ("will·be·dealt·fully·with") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root נער ("the·boy") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'went·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 12 words.
Rashi
until he be weaned. At the end of twenty-two (other manuscripts: twenty-four) months, for such is the time of a child to nurse.
And he shall remain there forever. The world of the Levites is fifty years — as it is said (Numbers 8:25): 'and from the age of fifty years he shall withdraw from the service.' And so were the days of Samuel, fifty-two — for Eli judged Israel forty years, and on the day of Channah's prayer he was appointed judge. Subtract that year of Samuel's conception: there remain thirty-nine. And Samuel sustained Israel for thirteen years after Eli's death — for the day that Eli died, the Ark was taken and remained in the field of the Philistines seven months (below, I Samuel 6:1), from there it came to Kiryat-Yearim, until David brought it up — from when he reigned seven years in Hebron over Yehuda, and all Israel anointed him over them. And it is written (there, 7:2): 'And it was from the day that the Ark rested in Kiryat-Yearim, and the days were many, and the days were twenty years.' Subtract from them seven years that David reigned in Hebron: it turns out from when the Ark was taken until Sha'ul died, thirteen years and seven months. And Samuel died four months before Sha'ul.
Radak
“Until he is weaned.” Until his nursing is completed, and this is twenty-four months, during which the infant nurses. And even though they were obligated to bring him on account of “all thy males shall appear,” our Sages of blessed memory said that when Hannah saw that the child was delicate and frail, she feared that he might fall ill due to the journey.
"And he remained there for ever" – just as she vowed concerning him, "I will give him to the Lord." And the meaning of "for ever" is all the days of his life. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "For ever" refers to the "world" [i.e., period] of the Levites, who served until the age of fifty years, as it is written, "And from the age of fifty years he shall return from the service of the work." And they said that all the years of Samuel’s life were only fifty-two years. For Hannah had already said, "I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life," and it says, "And he remained there for ever," which is the "world" of the Levites, which is fifty years. And from the time he came to the House of the Lord until the day of his death was fifty years, plus the two years he nursed, as it is stated, "Until the child is weaned." And the custom is for a child to nurse for twenty-four months. Thus, it totals fifty-two years.
Metzudat David
She did not go up. In that year:
"Until the child is weaned." This means: I will not depart from my house until the child is weaned, and after his weaning, I will bring him also to the House of the Lord, and we shall appear before the Lord to worship before Him and to thank Him for the child who has been born.
"And he sat there." The lad sat there for all eternity, meaning: for all the days of Eli, in order to serve him.
Metzudat Zion
He will wean. A matter of completing the nursing, similarly (Genesis 21:8) 'on the day of weaning'.
Malbim
And Hannah did not go up [to the Temple], even though it was the custom for women who had given birth to go up themselves and bring their offerings, since the mitzvah regarding all sacrifices was that the owner of the sacrifice should bring them into the hands of the priest, as explained in the Sifra (see my commentary on the Sifra on the verse "He shall bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting" [Leviticus 1:3]). Nevertheless, she did not go up, because she considered that it was included in her vow that the first time she would bring him and he would appear before the Lord, he would not depart from there and would not return to his home anymore. Therefore, she said, "Until the child is weaned, and then I will bring him," and this was for the reason that from the moment that he would appear before the Lord for the first time, he would dwell there forever and would not return to his home anymore.
And Elkanah her husband said to her: ‘Do what seems you good; tarry until you have weaned him; only Hashem establish His word.’ So the woman tarried and gave her son suck, until she weaned him.
verse value 5656
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 83 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·her" (לָהּ֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·your·eyes" (בְּעֵינַ֗יִךְ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 407: him, him. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "do" (עֲשִׂ֧י), "dwell" (שְׁבִי֙), "until·you·wean" (עַד־גׇּמְלֵ֣ךְ). The root ישב appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "her·husband" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אך ("indeed") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root ינק ("and·nursed") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·word', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Rashi
Only may the Lord establish His word. That which you asked of Him, seed of men, and Eli told you good tidings with the Holy Spirit: 'the God of Israel will give your petition.' May the Lord establish His word. And this is according to its simple meaning. And from the aggadic midrash: Rabbi Nehemiah in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak said: Every day a bat kol goes forth and proclaims in the world and says: A certain righteous man is destined to arise, and his name is Samuel. And every woman who bore a son would call his name Samuel. When they saw his deeds, they would say: This is not Samuel. And when this one was born and they saw his deeds, they said: It seems that this is he. And this is what he said: 'May the Lord establish His word' — that this one be the righteous man Samuel.
Radak
“May the Lord establish His word.” The verse proves that what was said, “May the Lord give you your request,” was stated through prophecy, indicating that the Lord would grant her request. Now, her request was that she would have male offspring, and that the child would be dedicated to the Lord. Therefore, the explanation of “May the Lord establish His word” is: the word that He spoke through the prophet, that He would grant her request, namely a son who will live and be dedicated to the Lord. In the midrashic interpretation, it is said: “May the Lord establish His word.” Every day a bat kol (heavenly voice) would go forth and resound throughout the world, saying, “A righteous man is destined to arise, and his name is Samuel.” And every woman who gave birth to a son would name him Samuel. When people saw his deeds, they would say, “This is not Samuel.” But when this one was born and they saw his deeds, they said, “It seems that this is he.” This is what is meant by “May the Lord establish His word.”
Ralbag
Elkanah said, "Only may the Lord establish His word" — by way of prayer; that is to say, that the child may live in such a way that what Hannah vowed may be fulfilled in him.
Metzudat David
“Whatever is good in your eyes.” This means: Do as you wish, and wait until you have weaned him.
"But the Lord will establish His word." This means: Regarding what you said here that you will remain until your son is weaned, behold, this matter is in your hands to do as you wish; but regarding what you said about the boy, that he will dwell in the House of the Lord forever, behold, you do not have the power to consecrate him [to this service]; rather, the Lord will establish the word that you spoke concerning the boy, and He will place it in his heart to dwell in His house forever. (And the word "His word" refers back to the boy, meaning: the word spoken about him and concerning him.)
“And the woman sat.” In her house, and she did not go up.
Malbim
And he said to her, “Behold, this vow she made without her husband’s knowledge, and he had the right to annul it then, on the day he heard of it, especially a vow of this kind, over which she had no authority without her husband. But when he heard her vow now, he confirmed it, and said to her, ‘Do what is good in your eyes’—meaning that it should be given to the Lord for all the days of his life, and that the first time he comes there, he shall dwell forever before God. For this reason, ‘Stay until you have weaned him,’ as mentioned in the preceding verse, ‘Only may the Lord establish His word’—meaning that later, in Hannah’s prayer, it will be explained that Hannah attained prophecy that Samuel would judge Israel and that he would save them from the hands of their oppressors, and all the matters that befell him. And surely she revealed this to her husband. Therefore, he said, ‘Only may the Lord establish His word’—meaning, I agree to your vow, but may the Lord also agree to your prophecy and fulfill the matter He spoke to you.”
And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of meal, and a bottle of wine, and brought him to the house of Hashem in Shiloh; and the child was young.
verse value 5261
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "with" (עִמָּ֜הּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "house·of·Hashem" (בֵית־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·brought·him·up" (וַתַּעֲלֵ֨הוּ), "with" (עִמָּ֜הּ), "had·weaned·him" (גְּמָלַ֗תּוּ). The root נער appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "when" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "and·she·brought·him" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שלוש ("three") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root איפה ("ephah") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Shiloh', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 2 words.
Rashi
and one ephah of flour. I heard in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak the Levite: one ephah of flour — three se'ah, from which to take three issaron of fine flour fitting for the one bull, as we learned (Menachot 76b): the showbread, twenty-four issaron from twenty-four se'ah — one issaron of fine flour for each se'ah of wheat.
and a skin of wine. For the drink offering.
and the boy, a young boy. (Translation:) And the child was a nursing infant.
Radak
“Three bulls.” From them [they were designated] for eating and for slaughtering as an offering to the Lord. Similarly, “And one ephah of flour” [was designated] for eating and for bringing from it a meal-offering. And similarly, “And a skin of wine” [was designated] for drinking and for pouring from it as a libation. Therefore, it says, “And they slaughtered the bull,” and it does not say “the bulls,” implying: the bull that they offered to the Lord.
"And the lad was a lad." This means that he was still a young, tender child. And even so, she did not wait for him until he became strong; rather, as soon as she had weaned him—that is, completed his nursing at the end of twenty-four months from his birth—immediately she brought him up with her to the House of the Lord. And Targum Jonathan states: "And he was nursing." This does not mean that he was still actively nursing, for the text says, "when she had weaned him," indicating that his nursing was completed. Rather, "nursing" here refers to a young child, for this is the Aramaic term used for a lad, as we find in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "Yanuka ve-chacham, mar yanuka ve-mar kashisha" (A nursing child and a wise man; the former is called 'yanuka' and the latter 'kashisha'). And some say: "And the lad was a lad" means he was sharp-witted, knowing the difference between good and evil, like one who winnows, who winnows the chaff from the flax.
Ralbag
"Three bulls." I surmise that they brought them there to sacrifice peace-offerings, out of great joy; and the flour for meal-offerings, and the wine for drink-offerings. And she brought the lad to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, to fulfill her vow. Now the lad was but a child of very few days; and yet, notwithstanding this, she did not refrain from bringing him there to fulfill her vow.
Metzudat David
"Three bulls": with three bulls to be sacrificed to the Lord, and the flour for the meal-offerings, and the wine for the libations.
"And she brought him." The boy:
"And the lad was a lad." This means: the lad was still a young boy, tender and small, and yet she did not refrain from bringing him, when she had weaned him.
Metzudat Zion
And an ephah. A measure containing three se'ahs.
And a bottle. A wine skin, and it is the vessel of wine.
Malbim
The questions (24-28): That which is written, "and the lad was a lad," has no [apparent] reason; and what is the meaning of "and they slew the bullock, and brought the lad," etc.? And what did she intend by the length of her words to Eli, in words that are superfluous?
"And the lad was a lad." The noun naar is derived from the verb naar, as (Radak) "for He is aroused out of His holy habitation" (Zechariah 2:17). He is called naar because then his natural and moral powers begin to be aroused and to stir, and to go forth from potentiality into actuality. And of this he said that this lad was a naar — his meaning being that the powers of his intellect and his character had already been aroused in him then, and he had begun to understand, even though he was [but newly] weaned from the milk. (And the tradition of our Sages of blessed memory agrees with this exceedingly [Berakhot 30], that he then ruled a halakhah concerning the slaughtering of the bullock.)
And when the bullock was slain, the child was brought to Eli.
verse value 1917
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "the·bullock" (אֶת־הַפָּ֑ר, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·they·slaughtered" (וַֽיִּשְׁחֲט֖וּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·they·slaughtered" (וַֽיִּשְׁחֲט֖וּ), "the·bullock" (אֶת־הַפָּ֑ר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Eli" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "and·they·brought" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel); "the·child" (root נער, 54x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שחט ("and·they·slaughtered") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·bullock', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַֽיִּשְׁחֲט֖וּ [and·they·slaughtered] (339) + אֶת־הַפָּ֑ר [the·bullock] (686) + וַיָּבִ֥אוּ [and·they·brought] (25) + אֶת־הַנַּ֖עַר [the·child] (726) + אֶל־עֵלִֽי [to·Eli] (141) = 1917.
Rashi
And they brought the boy to Eli. To see that his prophecy was fulfilled. And our Sages expounded what they expounded: that he taught a halachah — that one does not need a priest for the slaughter of sacrificial animals, as it is in Berachot (31b).
Radak
"And they brought the lad." After Elkanah and Hannah had slaughtered the bull for the offering, they brought the lad to the House of the Lord, to Eli, so that he would sit and learn before him, and so that he would educate him in all of Torah and mitzvot. And the midrash need not be written, for it is well known, and it is far-fetched.
Ralbag
And behold, it is stated that they slaughtered the bull and brought the young boy before Eli, for the majority of the joy was due to his being brought, and it appeared as though he said to Eli that he would remain there. And Eli laughed at this because of his youth, for the Levite does not enter the service unless he is twenty-five years old and above. For this reason, Hannah said to him, “I beg you,” that he would heed her words. And behold, she swore by the life of the High Priest's soul that she is the woman that stood by him in that place to pray unto the Lord. Behold, this is the boy for whose sake her prayer was, for in him God granted the request which I requested from Him. I also have lent him to the Lord, to serve Him all his days, like one who lends something for use.
Metzudat David
And they slaughtered etc. This means: When they slaughtered the first bull, they brought the child to Eli, to show him that his prayer had been accepted.
Malbim
And they slaughtered the bull, and prior to the sprinkling of the blood, they brought the lad to Eli, to hint that just as they brought the bull as an offering to the Lord, so too shall the lad be a wholly burnt offering to the Lord, to serve and minister.
And she said: ‘Oh, my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman that stood by you here, praying to Hashem.
verse value 2957
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "life·of" (חֵ֥י) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "if it please" (בִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·pray" (לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 65: my·lord, my·lord. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "stood" (הַנִּצֶּ֤בֶת), "with" (עִמְּכָה֙). The root אדון appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "with" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root בי ("if it please") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root אני ("I") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·lord', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·she·said] (647) + בִּ֣י [if it please] (12) + אֲדֹנִ֔י [my·lord] (65) + חֵ֥י [life·of] (18) + נַפְשְׁךָ֖ [soul] (450) + אֲדֹנִ֑י [my·lord] (65) + אֲנִ֣י [I] (61) + הָאִשָּׁ֗ה [the·woman] (311) + הַנִּצֶּ֤בֶת [stood] (547) + עִמְּכָה֙ [with] (135) + בָּזֶ֔ה [here] (14) + לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל [to·pray] (575) + אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה [to·Hashem] (57) = 2957.
Rashi
Please, my lord. That you cast your eyes upon him that he be your student. And according to the midrash of our Sages: that he not punish him with death.
Radak
"Please, my lord." It is a matter of supplication and petition, as its Targum renders: ‘I beseech you, my master — by your life, that you cast your eyes upon this lad and teach him, for I am the woman who prayed to the Lord.’
"Immakhah" (with you) — that is to say, before you and in your presence, for you were standing there when I prayed; and on account of this lad I prayed, and the Lord granted me my request, just as you announced to me. And the heh of "immakhah" is like the heh of "that thou hast sent letters in thine own name" and "and they shall be for a sign upon thy hand," and the like; for the quiescent letter is sometimes written and sometimes not written. And there is a midrash on it: from here, the four cubits of prayer.
Metzudat David
"Please, my lord." She made a request of Eli and adjured him by the life of his soul, to set his eye upon the lad.
"The one who stood." [This refers to the fact that] I stood here while you, too, were sitting here, as it is written above: "And Eli the priest was sitting..."
Metzudat Zion
Please. A matter of request.
Malbim
And she said, “Because she feared lest Eli should not consent to receive him, and to bear the trouble of his rearing and his nurture until he should grow, therefore she requested, ‘Oh my lord, fulfil this my request, and take this child, and set thine eyes upon him,’ for several reasons:
1) Because this boy was born through the prayer that I prayed in this house, and she gave three signs for this:
a) I am the woman who stood before you, meaning that you also stood before me then and assisted me in your prayer;
b) On account of the place; regarding this, “in this place” herein she recalled the corner in which she prayed;
c) To pray to the Lord, for it was a prayer different from the other prayers customary in those days, because it was to the Lord alone, without any intermediary (as stated above, verse 12). And if so, since he was born through the priest’s prayer and in the chosen place, he is worthy to stand before the priest in this house.
2) His birth was not in a natural manner, but rather through a complete miracle. For sometimes a barren woman is remembered in a manner close to nature, namely, that the nature of her temperament changes until she becomes fit for childbirth. Not so with me, for I am the woman who stood, meaning I am she without any change, that no change whatsoever occurred in my body until it would be said that a new trait and a different temperament were established in me. And this is a sign that the matter was through the providence and strength of the Lord, since the one born is prepared to be a man of God from the womb.”
For this child I prayed; and Hashem has granted me my petition which I asked of Him;
verse value 4400
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4400 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "to·me" (לִי֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·prayed" (הִתְפַּלָּ֑לְתִּי, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "I·prayed" (הִתְפַּלָּ֑לְתִּי), "my·petition" (אֶת־שְׁאֵ֣לָתִ֔י), "I·have·asked" (שָׁאַ֖לְתִּי). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "for·the·boy" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "which" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root לי ("to·me") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·prayed', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: אֶל־הַנַּ֥עַר [for·the·boy] (356) + הַזֶּ֖ה [this] (17) + הִתְפַּלָּ֑לְתִּי [I·prayed] (955) + וַיִּתֵּ֨ן [and·gave] (466) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + לִי֙ [to·me] (40) + אֶת־שְׁאֵ֣לָתִ֔י [my·petition] (1142) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + שָׁאַ֖לְתִּי [I·have·asked] (741) + מֵעִמּֽוֹ [with] (156) = 4400.
Rashi
For this boy I prayed. Do not say: This one will die and another will be given to you.
Radak
To the lad. For the sake of the lad:
Metzudat David
"Unto this lad I prayed." This means: The prayer that I prayed then was for the request of a son, and behold, this is the one whom I have borne.
Malbim
3) “To this young man” – meaning, furthermore, there is proof that he was born through a miracle and by the power of prayer, for this child I prayed, that he would be male and that he would be a seed of men, a man among men, a seed absorbed among men (as above, verse 11), until he would be worthy to stand in the palace of a king. And if this had been a coincidence, how could it have been arranged that he would be born according to the request in all its details? 4) “And the Lord gave me” – immediately the Lord granted my request, and no time passed from the prayer until I was remembered; this is a sign that the prayer caused this. 5) “He gave me my request” – that which I requested from Him, without any intermediary, solely through Divine grace, as stated above.
therefore I also have lent him to Hashem; as long as he lives he is lent to Hashem.’ And he worshipped Hashem there.
verse value 3140
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·have·lent·him" (הִשְׁאִלְתִּ֙הוּ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 56: to·Hashem, to·Hashem, to·Hashem. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "I·have·lent·him" (הִשְׁאִלְתִּ֙הוּ֙). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root גם ("and·also") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְגַ֣ם [and·also] (49) + אָנֹכִ֗י [I] (81) + הִשְׁאִלְתִּ֙הוּ֙ [I·have·lent·him] (747) + לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה [to·Hashem] (56) + כׇּל־הַיָּמִים֙ [all·the·days] (155) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + הָיָ֔ה [was] (20) + ה֥וּא [he] (12) + שָׁא֖וּל [lent] (337) + לַיהֹוָ֑ה [to·Hashem] (56) + וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ [and·bowed·down] (730) + שָׁ֖ם [there] (340) + לַֽיהֹוָֽה [to·Hashem] (56) = 3140.
Rashi
And also I have lent him to the Lord. Like a person who lends a vessel to his master, or lends his son to his servant.
he is sha'ul. Anprotsi'ts in the foreign tongue — meaning you have no right to punish him. The Holy One, blessed be He, became for him a borrower, for I lent him to Him, and He must return him to me.
And he bowed down there. Samuel. And some say: Elkanah.
Radak
"I have lent him." I have returned to Him the loan that He gave me. And the Targum renders it: "I have handed him over, that he may serve before the Lord."
“asher hayah” – like “asher yihyeh,” and there are many like it.
This is what is meant by "Saul." Just as the term "given" (natun) implies, so too: he who was Saul is now given to the Lord. There is a midrashic interpretation on this: At that moment, the Divine Spirit was kindled within her, and she said: "As long as Samuel lives, Saul lives." This is what is meant by the verse: "Saul is given to the Lord."
“And he bowed down.” Elkanah, taking leave to depart from the House of the Lord. Or its interpretation is: “And Samuel bowed down,” even though he was only two years old, they taught him how to prostrate himself to the Lord.
Ralbag
And behold, Eli bowed down to the Lord there, to give Him thanks when he heard that the Lord had granted her request, as Eli had said to her. Or perhaps the lad bowed down to the Lord, because they had taught him this, to train him in the service of God. And it seems that the rest of the bulls which they brought were slaughtered on the remaining days of the festival, or that they brought them to the house of the Lord as a freewill offering together with the lad.
Metzudat David
“And also, etc.” This means: Even at the time of prayer, I then vowed to lend him to the Lord, to be in constant communion in His service.
"Which was." Like "which will be," meaning: As long as he is in this world, he is borrowed from the Lord.
"And he bowed down there to the Lord." He bowed down to give thanks to the Lord, who had assigned his portion among the worshippers of the Lord.
Metzudat Zion
I have lent him. From the language of asking.
Malbim
6) “And I also have lent him to the Lord” — the word *hash’altihu* is in the hif’il conjugation, from the root of “asking” and “requesting.” The meaning is that I asked and pleaded on his behalf for the ultimate purpose that he belong to the Lord, and upon this condition I prayed, as is the manner of one who makes a vow at the time of prayer. 7) And do not say that I will wait until he grows up and then I will give him to the Lord, for “all the days that he shall be” means all the days that he will exist in life, he is lent to the Lord. And from all these reasons, you should accept him immediately. Moreover, one can also interpret it to mean that not only in the future, but also all the days that he was in the past, he was lent to the Lord, for I consecrated him from birth, from the womb, and from conception, as it is stated that Samuel was a nazirite, and he was a nazirite from the womb. And if so, behold, he is already under your authority.
Rashi
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim