Hannah's song exalts the God who raises the poor from the dust; Samuel ministers before Eli, while Eli's worthless sons profane the offerings and a man of God foretells their fall.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And Hannah prayed, and said: My heart exults in Hashem, My horn is exalted in Hashem; My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
verse value 4574
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "my·mouth" (פִּי֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "over·my·enemies" (עַל־א֣וֹיְבַ֔י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 28: in·Hashem, in·Hashem. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "rejoiced" (עָלַ֤ץ), "my·heart" (לִבִּי֙), "rose" (רָ֥מָה). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "in·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "and·because" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root לב ("my·heart") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root רום ("rose") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
My mouth is broadened over my enemies. Over Peninnah.
Radak
“And Hannah prayed, and said.” She prayed before the Lord and offered Him praise and thanksgiving for the son He had given her, and she prayed to the Lord that He might grant him life and that he might belong to the Lord. And the Targum [states]: “Hannah’s prayer was [inspired] by the spirit of prophecy, and she said: ‘Samuel, my son, is destined to be a prophet over Israel,’ etc.” And similarly, Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered this song [as referring] to the kings of the nations of the world and to the Congregation of Israel. In the verse “There is none holy like the Lord,” she prophesied concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and said [so]. In the verse “Do not speak proudly,” she prophesied concerning Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and said [so]. In the verse “The bow of the mighty is broken,” she prophesied concerning the kingdom of Antiochus, and said [so]. In the verse “Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,” she prophesied concerning the sons of Haman, and said [so]. In the verse “The Lord causes to die and brings to life,” up to “The Lord's adversaries shall be broken to pieces,” she spoke concerning the reward of the righteous in the Garden of Eden and the retribution of the wicked in Gehenna. And in the verse “The Lord will cut off the voices of His enemies,” she spoke concerning the judgment of Gog and Magog and the kingdom of our Messiah. And according to the plain meaning, Hannah opened with this song concerning the proud of the world and the arrogant, and concerning the humble of the earth and the lowly, for the Holy One, blessed be He, sees all things, and He humbles the proud and exalts the lowly, just as was the case with her and with Peninnah, her rival.
"My heart exults in the Lord." My heart, which was sorrowful, now exults and rejoices; and my horn, which was low, so that I could not lift up my head before my rival, is now exalted.
“My horn is exalted in the Lord.” Strength is called a “horn,” for it is the highest part of the beast; likewise, the horns are the strength of the animal, as it is written, “With them he shall gore the peoples.” And in man, it is used metaphorically, as if it said, “my head is lifted up,” as it is written, “And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies.” And all this was in the Lord, who was my helper.
"My mouth is enlarged." It is accented on the penultimate syllable, because it is a short word.
“Upon my enemies.” Upon Peninnah and those who provoked her while she was barren.
“Through Your salvation.” That You have relieved me of my distress and granted me a son.
Ralbag
And behold, Hannah prayed to God, may His name be blessed, concerning the matter of her son, with praise and thanksgiving to God for all the abundant good He had bestowed upon her. And it appears that this prayer was in the manner of prophecy, even though some of what she perceived through the senses was mixed into it. This is the gist of the prayer, according to what I think. "My heart exults in the LORD": she said all this on behalf of the Congregation of Israel, that when her son Samuel would come to serve the LORD alone and remove the Baals and the Ashtarot — even if he did no other good for Israel, this alone would be enough cause for joy.
"My horn is exalted in the Lord." To gore my enemies thereafter; for the Philistines had already then fallen into his hand.
“My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies”—because they are always falling into his hand throughout all the days of Samuel, as is mentioned subsequently. And the cause of this is that “I rejoice in Your salvation,” for You showed in the first war that Samuel had with the Philistines to reveal Your mighty hand, which is strong, and thereby increased my faith in You.
Metzudat David
"And Hannah prayed." The essence of the prayer is at the end of her words, and at the beginning she arranged the praise of the Omnipresent; therefore it is stated: "And she said."
"My heart exults in the Lord." In the salvation of the Lord my heart rejoices.
"My horn is exalted." To gore my enemies with it; and she said this concerning Peninnah and her sons, and it is a figure of speech, to say that from now on they will no longer be able to distress her as they did before.
"Enlarge my mouth." For until now I was like a dumb sheep that does not open its mouth, but now I have enlarged my mouth against my enemies, to answer words.
"For I rejoice in Your salvation." "I rejoice" refers to the fact that salvation comes from You, and this alone suffices to answer the objections.
Metzudat Zion
Exults. A matter of joy, similarly (Proverbs 28:12) 'in the rejoicing of the righteous'.
Is exalted. Raised high.
Malbim
The questions: (1) According to the plain sense, there is no prayer here, only praise and laud, song and hymn. He should have said, “And Hannah sang,” or “And she spoke,” or “And she praised,” or the like, and not “And she prayed”?
Hannah prayed in the first nine verses with a sequence of praise of the Omnipresent, and the essence of her prayer is the final verse, as it is stated: “A person should always arrange the praise of the Omnipresent first, and only afterward should he pray.” “My heart exulted” — initially, her heart exulted when she was promised by the mouth of Eli; then her heart rejoiced and her former face was hers no longer. Afterward, “my horn was exalted” in actuality, when she saw that she had become pregnant. Afterward, “my mouth was enlarged over my enemies” at the time she gave birth to seed of men, for her rival had closed her mouth. “For I rejoice” — meaning, the essence of my rejoicing was not only in the deliverance itself, but in the aspect of the Deliverer, namely, “in Your salvation,” which was through a miracle and wonder, by means of which Your wondrous providence became manifest, for “You have delivered.”
There is none holy as Hashem, For there is none beside You; Neither is there any rock like our God.
verse value 1545
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "nothing·sacred" (אֵין־קָד֥וֹשׁ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "nothing·sacred" (אֵין־קָד֥וֹשׁ), "as·Hashem" (כַּיהֹוָ֖ה), "and·beside·you" (בִּלְתֶּ֑ךָ). The root אין appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "like·our·God" (root אלהים, 89x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root צור ("rock") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·beside·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֵין־קָד֥וֹשׁ [nothing·sacred] (471) + כַּיהֹוָ֖ה [as·Hashem] (46) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + אֵ֣ין [nothing] (61) + בִּלְתֶּ֑ךָ [and·beside·you] (452) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·nothing] (67) + צ֖וּר [rock] (296) + כֵּאלֹהֵֽינוּ [like·our·God] (122) = 1545.
Rashi
And there is no rock like our God. There is no artist like our God — who carves a form within a form.
Radak
There is none holy like the Lord. For I prayed in His Temple, and my prayer was heard.
"For there is none besides You." I know that there is none besides You to whom it is fitting to pray; therefore, it is incumbent upon me to say, "There is none holy like You."
"And there is no rock like our God." There is none as mighty as our God, who overturns the natural order at His will; for I was barren, and it was not in my nature to give birth.
Ralbag
Behold, when we examine the holy beings that the Lord created, namely the angels, who are separate and pure from matter, we shall not find among them any who is holy and separate like the Lord. This is because each of them has a specific relation to the sphere that it moves, and it imparts life to it according to that particular relation, as we have explained in the fifth book of the Wars of the Lord. However, the Lord has no relation to any of them, for there is nothing besides Him in His existence, and He has no relation whatsoever to matter. And there is no Creator and Maker like our God. For even though the Lord ordained that certain creations should come into being through the agency of agents, these agents do not alter their function, and nothing new arises from them except what the Lord ordained should arise from them according to natural custom. But the Lord does and creates whatever He desires, even if it is contrary to nature. And this was said according to my opinion, on account of the miracle that the Lord performed for her, in that she was barren and bore a child, and on account of the other similar miracles that the Lord performed.
Metzudat David
"For there is none besides You." This means: There is no Creator other than You, and which of the created beings can compare its holiness to the holiness of the Creator?
Metzudat Zion
Beside you. Other than you.
Rock. A matter of strength, and it is from the word 'rock' and 'cliff'.
Malbim
"There is none holy like the Lord": Since the philosophers deny this particular providence and strive to prove that the Lord does not oversee the deeds of the lowly, based on several arguments, therefore [the verse] precedes to refute their arguments, which were like a deceitful bow that returns not.
1. They argued from the aspect of His holiness, for the definition of holiness is that He is separated from all matters of corporeality and from all the attributes of the created beings. If so, how is it possible that He knows the changing things that are dependent on matter, time, and place? To this, the answer is: Indeed, the Lord is holy with the utmost holiness, but there is no likeness or proportion between the holiness of the Lord and the holiness depicted among us. For the definition of holiness among us is separation from all material things, their matters, and their cognizers. It would follow that whoever is more holy is more distant and separated from the matters from which he is sanctified. Not so is the holiness of the Blessed One, for there is nothing without Him. That is to say, all the emanated, created, and made things have no existence for a moment without His will, His emanation, His providence, and His attachment to them. And if His will and His emanation were to withdraw from them for a moment, they would return to nothingness. He fills them all and surrounds them all to give them life, sustain them, and grant them existence. They are all nullified in their existence against Him, and they exist only because He exists to give them life and sustain them. If so, this is the definition of His holiness: that He is separated from all that is other than Him in that there is nothing without Him. This is what is written, "There is none holy like the Lord," for Your holiness is that there is nothing without You, that all is nullified in Your existence, and You are everything. If so, the definition of the holiness of every holy thing is separation and distinction from that which is other than it, whereas the definition of Your holiness is that all is in You, and all is from You, and there is nothing without You, for other than You, all is nothing. And thus, nothing from the cognizers of created beings can comprehend Him, for they are all nullified in His existence.
2. They argued against individual providence, stating that since the perfection of an artisan who makes every tool is that the tool is made with utmost correction and the artisan does not need to return afterward to change it or repair it again—for this would indicate a defect in his work—if so, they will ask: Since the Lord created the world and nature and established it according to fixed, unchanging laws, how can it be conceived that the Lord changes nature at every moment to perform a sign or a miracle, or to save the one under His providence contrary to nature? For this indicates a defect in the natural order which He molded and in His work which He made? To this, the answer is: "There is no Rock like our God," for He is not similar to other creators. For after other creators bring a tool into existence, they are removed from the action, and the thing sustains itself. Therefore, if they need to repair it or change it, this indicates a defect in their work. Not so is the Rock of creations, for His hands are not removed from His work but are engaged in it constantly, for even the sustenance of nature is a continuous creation. And if He were to remove His hands for a moment, all existence would cease. Therefore, sometimes He sustains it through the fixed laws of nature, and sometimes through other elective laws, which is the miracle. For indeed, even nature is a continuous miracle and continuous providence.
Multiply not exceeding proud talk; Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth; For Hashem is a God of knowledge, And by Him actions are weighed.
verse value 3850
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3850 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "do·not·multiply" (אַל־תַּרְבּ֤וּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 15: high, high. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "do·not·multiply" (אַל־תַּרְבּ֤וּ), "speak" (תְדַבְּרוּ֙), "forward" (עָתָ֖ק). The root גבה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "do·not·multiply" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root גבה ("high") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root יצא ("will·go·out") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·your·mouth', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
Do not speak much. All the arrogant of spirit whose time is successful — and because of Peninnah, who was boasting over her, she is speaking, according to its simple meaning and according to its exposition — as its translation that Yonatan translated.
strong. A strong word. Another matter: the language of 'serah' — like (Genesis 12:8): 'and he journeyed from there to the mountain' — a word of disgrace went forth from your mouth.
For the Lord is a God of knowledge. He knows what is in your hearts.
And to Him are the deeds planned. All the deeds of man are numbered before Him.
are reckoned. The language of numbering — like (Exodus 5:18): 'you shall number bricks.'
Radak
“Do not increase.” Do not increase by speaking haughtily. She said this against Peninnah and against those who provoked her.
Come out. [That is,] let it not come out; and the *not* that was already mentioned stands in the place of two.
Ataq. A strong matter:
"For the Lord is a God of knowledge." He knows everything, and nothing is hidden from Him. And she said "knowledge" in the plural, meaning that all the thoughts of human beings are known to Him as one, without multiplicity and without change on His part, as it is stated: "He that fashioneth the hearts of them all, that considereth all their doings."
“And no schemes were devised.” It is written with an aleph and read with a vav. The meaning of the written text is that no schemes are devised by human beings unless God desires it. And the meaning of the reading is that the schemes are devised for Him alone, not for a human being, for He does as He pleases, whereas a human being says but does not do, and speaks but does not fulfill. And the meaning of “schemes” is deeds.
Ralbag
"Multiply not exceeding proud talk." This is said because of the words of Peninnah, who provoked her to anger on account of her having no children, and because she was being exalted over her due to the multitude of her own children. And because of those things that men say to one another, "Do not speak excessively, proudly and with strong words, on account of what you see has come to you of good, or what is fitting to come by virtue of your wisdom and the strength of your hands, or the abundance of your success, or the weakness of your opponents, or the failure of your adversaries. For the Lord alone knows the future, and plans are not devised for a man who calculates to carry them out, for the way of man is not in himself, as it will be mentioned later. And as for the fact that it is read with a vav, "And to Him plans are devised," the intention here is that the Lord alone has devised the schemes, for He alone is able to do all that He desires.
Metzudat David
“Do not multiply, etc.” This was said in reference to Peninnah and her sons: “Do not multiply in speaking a lofty word,” meaning: arrogance and haughtiness. And the word is doubled to indicate great arrogance and its persistence.
"Yatsa 'etek." The word "Al" that is stated serves in place of two words, as if it said, "Let not 'etek' go forth from your mouths."
"For the Lord is a God of knowledge." The Lord is the God who knows everything, and before Him the deeds of creatures are counted.
Metzudat Zion
Arrogance. Strong words, similarly (Psalms 94:4) 'they speak arrogantly'.
Are counted. A matter of calculation, similarly (Exodus 5:18): 'and the tally of bricks'.
Deeds. Actions, similarly (Lamentations 1:12): 'which He dealt with me'.
Malbim
Questions (3-10): She said, “Do not speak much” (i.e., do not engage in excessive discourse), yet she did not specify what they are speaking about. She considers various matters: a statement and its opposite, “the bow of the mighty ones,” etc., “they that were full,” etc., “until the barren one,” etc., “The Lord causes death,” etc. And it is wondrous that, as it is stated, “The Lord causes death and gives life, He humbles, etc.,” she should have said, “The Lord will break the bow of the mighty ones and will gird the stumbling ones with strength,” etc., attributing everything to the Lord. Instead, she said, “The bow of the mighty ones is broken,” which implies that it happened on its own. And it is further wondrous that what she said, “The Lord causes death and gives life,” is included in what she said, “She who bears many children is wretched.” And what she said, “The Lord makes poor and makes rich, He humbles and also exalts, He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,” is included in what she said, “They that were full have hired themselves out for bread,” and in what she said, “The stumbling ones are girded with strength.” And what she said, “Upon him He will thunder in the heavens,” it is not known to whom she alludes with the word “upon him,” which is a pronoun referring to a concealed singular individual. And to whom does she refer when she says, “He will give strength to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed,” since at that time there was neither a king nor one anointed with oil?
"Do not speak too much; therefore, do not speak too much, for the Lord is high." "High" means that He is exalted and elevated above paying attention to the lowly, as it is said, "The Lord is exalted over all nations." Because they exalted Him so that He would not be likened in any way to the attribute of created beings, they denied that He pays attention to the lowly and that He possesses will and knowledge. And "high" is in the feminine form, referring to the matter of divinity, which is a high matter, elevated above the concerns of the perceptible and tangible world. Similarly, regarding "Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth," you argue, saying: How is it possible that the Lord is a God of knowledge, that He should have differing thoughts? For they say: Since existing things are constantly changing, if He knows them always, it would follow that His knowledge would change and that He would have many knowledges according to the multitude of changes and alterations in the lowly world. And this is impossible according to the philosophers. And similarly, how is it possible that by Him actions are weighed, that He should have attributes and psychological qualities (for the definition of an alilah is an action proceeding from a psychic disposition, as stated in many places)? And they say: How is this possible, that diverse, contradictory actions should proceed from Him? And they consider change: a) in the matter of strength and weakness, and it is,
The bows of the mighty men are broken, And they that stumbled are girded with strength.
verse value 2231
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "bow" (קֶ֥שֶׁת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·stumbled" (וְנִכְשָׁלִ֖ים, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "bow" (קֶ֥שֶׁת), "mighty·men" (גִּבֹּרִ֖ים), "fear" (חַתִּ֑ים). 6 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root גבור ("mighty·men") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root חיל ("strength") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fear', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: קֶ֥שֶׁת [bow] (800) + גִּבֹּרִ֖ים [mighty·men] (255) + חַתִּ֑ים [fear] (458) + וְנִכְשָׁלִ֖ים [and·stumbled] (456) + אָ֥זְרוּ [they·girded] (214) + חָֽיִל [strength] (48) = 2231.
Rashi
The bow of the strong men is broken, and so on. Such is the manner of the Holy One, blessed be He: He exhausts the strong and strengthens the weak, feeds the hungry and starves the full.
Radak
“A bow of the mighty men is broken.” The sense of “broken” applies to “the mighty men,” not to “a bow,” for otherwise it should have said “chatah” [in the feminine singular]. And the meaning of “chatim” is: they are broken, and their bow as well. And similar to this is “for the battle was set against him,” and “the voice of the nobles was hidden,” and those similar to them, which we have written in the book Mikhlol.
“Gird yourselves with strength.” The strength and power are their girding.
Ralbag
The "mighty men" are broken when God wills it, despite their having a bow in hand and their strength; but the men who stumble gird themselves with might with the help of God, as has been explained regarding the matter of Sennacherib’s war against Jerusalem, along with other miracles similar to it.
Metzudat David
"Keshet." This means: And because He knows all, He repays each person according to his deeds, and suddenly the bow and the strength of the mighty men will be broken, and those who stumble will gird themselves with strength.
Metzudat Zion
Broken. A matter of shattering, similarly (Isaiah 51:6): 'and My righteousness shall not be broken'.
And they stumble. From the word 'stumbling block,' and it is a matter of weakness of strength.
They gird themselves with strength. They belt themselves with power, similarly (Psalms 18:33): 'He who girds me with strength'.
Malbim
“The bow of the mighty” (there, “bow” is a generic term, like “fruit tree” or “I had an ox and a donkey,” meaning bows) — that the bows of the mighty would be broken by their weakness, and these who had stumbled until now, have they now girded themselves with strength? (Change 2) concerning wealth and poverty:
They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; And they that were hungry have ceased; While the barren has borne seven, She that had many children has languished.
verse value 3145
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "in·the·bread" (בַּלֶּ֙חֶם֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·hungry" (וּרְעֵבִ֖ים, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "in·the·bread" (בַּלֶּ֙חֶם֙), "they·were·hired" (נִשְׂכָּ֔רוּ), "and·hungry" (וּרְעֵבִ֖ים). The root שבע appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 69x in I Samuel); "in·the·bread" (root לחם, 46x in I Samuel); "seventy" (root שבע, 24x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שבע ("seventy") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root לחם ("in·the·bread") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·have·ceased', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: שְׂבֵעִ֤ים [seventy] (422) + בַּלֶּ֙חֶם֙ [in·the·bread] (80) + נִשְׂכָּ֔רוּ [they·were·hired] (576) + וּרְעֵבִ֖ים [and·hungry] (328) + חָדֵ֑לּוּ [they·have·ceased] (48) + עַד־עֲקָרָה֙ [while·barren] (449) + יָלְדָ֣ה [bore] (49) + שִׁבְעָ֔ה [seven] (377) + וְרַבַּ֥ת [and·greatly·of] (608) + בָּנִ֖ים [son] (102) + אֻמְלָֽלָה [languished] (106) = 3145.
Rashi
Those sated with bread. And they do not need to be hired for any work. He starves them, and they hire themselves out for bread for their sustenance.
And the hungry. Who were toiling and laboring for their sustenance.
cease. From their toil.
until the barren bore seven, and the one many in children is wretched. And while the barren one is bearing seven sons, the one many in children is wretched and burying her children. Channah bore seven, as it is said (below, verse 21): 'For the Lord visited Channah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters.' And when Channah bore one, Peninnah buried two. And ten sons were hers, as it is said (above, 1:8): 'Am I not better to you than ten sons?' — Peninnah's. When Channah bore four, Peninnah buried eight. And when she conceived and bore a fifth child, Peninnah prostrated herself at her feet and requested mercy, and they lived and were called by her name. These are the words of Rabbi Nehemiah. Rabbi Yehudah says: Children of children are considered as children. And there are those who say: Seven — in gematria like the number of 'Samuel.'
Radak
“They that were full have hired themselves out for bread.” Those who were full at the first came to be hired for a morsel of bread; and those who were hungry at the first and had hired themselves out ceased from hiring themselves out and from toiling for their food, for they were filled by the will of the Creator, blessed be He — until the will of the Creator and His providence reached such a point that she who was barren like me bore seven, and she who had many children, like my rival Peninnah, is now wretched and cut off, meaning that her children died. And what it says, “seven,” is not exact; rather such is the way of Scripture, that when it wishes to say “many” it says “seven” — as in “she that hath borne seven languisheth,” “seven times for your sins,” “a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again” — because the world runs by the number seven: seven serving stars, seven days of the week. And Hannah said this of herself, for she had sons and daughters, as it is written, “For the Lord remembered Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters.”
"And she that had many children." This statement was made regarding Peninnah. They said that whenever Hannah gave birth to one child, two of Peninnah's children would die. And in the midrashic exposition, "Until the barren one bore seven," it is noted that Samuel corresponds to the numerical value of seven in gematria. It is also possible to say that Hannah uttered this referring to the Congregation of Israel, and the entire song likewise refers to the Congregation of Israel. Therefore, the passage begins with the phrase "And she prayed," because the language of prayer predominantly applies to future matters, and only to a lesser extent to past events. She said this through the spirit of prophecy, and therefore it was placed in the written text among the Prophets, for it is entirely prophecy concerning the future afflictions of Israel and their salvation, as the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel translated. He spoke well, and it is pleasing and acceptable to the hearts of the wise. Our understanding of this verse and the entire song is that Hannah declared that all affairs of the world and the needs of human beings depend upon the hand of the Creator, Blessed be He, and upon His will. He oversees both general principles and specific details, and He acts in them according to His will. Even if it appears to human beings that He will do something for them that is not according to their will and desire, they ought to pray to Him with all their souls, as I did, and He will grant them their request and desire in every matter that is their wish and need. For His providence over the lower realms is just as it is over the upper realms, as she stated at the end: "For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and He hath set the world upon them." She said that if Israel will be in distress and in exile under the nations of the world, who are likened to a woman who has borne many children and boasts in them, rejoicing and exalting herself over them at all times, when the woman with many children becomes strong to afflict and harm the barren one—who is the Congregation of Israel, likened to a barren woman who bears few children, as seen in Isaiah: "Rejoice, O barren one, who did not bear"—and similarly in many other places—even though this barren one has few children, there will yet come a time when she too will be fruitful in children, when they return to the Lord with all their hearts and pray to Him in their exile and distress. Then, she that had many children shall become wretched, meaning she will be cut off and cease from bearing and succeeding, and what she bore will be cut off and perish. This alludes to the coming of our Messiah and the matter of the salvation of Israel when we return to our land speedily in our days, and the death of the gathered forces with Gog and Magog. For there will be great tumult among them, and Israel will be saved, the good among them. Regarding this, it is said: "He will guard the feet of His faithful ones." And the entire matter proceeds in this manner. Now I have opened the path for you, and you will understand on your own.
Ralbag
The sated men, when they are wealthy, return to poverty whenever it pleased God, until they were earning their living by the bread of labor, which is the wage attributed to them in the utmost destitution. And the poor men, who were hungry, ceased [from their work], for they returned to wealth and ceased from earning whenever it pleased God, until the barren woman, when God willed, gave birth to seven—meaning, many sons—and she said this about herself in the manner of prophecy, for she foresaw that she would have more sons and daughters, as is recounted afterward: “And the Lord remembered Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons.” And behold, she said “seven” in the manner of the verse, “A righteous man falls seven times and rises again,” and “seven abominations in his heart.” And she that hath many children — it befalls her, when God wills, that she becomes wretched and was cut off through the multitude of her children in the loss of her sons. And it is possible that the sons of Peninnah died in the end, and about them she said this.
Metzudat David
The sated. Men who had been sated became hungry, to the point that they would hire themselves out for work in exchange for bread:
And the hungry. And those who were hiring themselves out because of the hunger ceased from hiring themselves out, for they found sufficient for their needs.
“Until a barren woman bore seven.” This means: His providence is so great that even one who was barren gave birth to seven sons, and one who was the mother of many children was cut off, with all her children perishing.
Metzudat Zion
Cease. Withhold.
Perished. A matter of cutting off, similarly (there 6:3): 'I am perished'.
Malbim
Those who were sated, who had been sated, descended from their property until they hired themselves out for a loaf of bread; and these, who were hungry until now, ceased from hiring themselves out? (Change 3) Regarding the children, "until the barren woman," meaning to say: How is it possible that providence extends to all the details, so that it also attends to this, that the barren woman will bear seven? Meaning to say, many children, for it is customary to take the number seven as indicating a large number, as in "I will increase to punish you seven times" (Leviticus 26:18) and "they shall flee before you in seven ways" (Deuteronomy 28:7). This is a particular change concerning the health of the body of one man and his temperament? To this you shall answer and say: "Now know and see that the truth is that all these changes issue from the decree of the upper providence, and it calculates from below to above." Against what was said, "until the barren woman bore seven," it says:
Hashem kills, and makes alive; He brings down to the grave, and brings up.
verse value 1298
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·makes·alive" (וּמְחַיֶּ֑ה, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "kills" (מֵמִ֣ית), "and·makes·alive" (וּמְחַיֶּ֑ה), "brings·down" (מוֹרִ֥יד). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "the·grave" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "and·raises·up" (root עלה, 81x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root חיה ("and·makes·alive") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root ירד ("brings·down") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·makes·alive', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + מֵמִ֣ית [kills] (490) + וּמְחַיֶּ֑ה [and·makes·alive] (69) + מוֹרִ֥יד [brings·down] (260) + שְׁא֖וֹל [the·grave] (337) + וַיָּֽעַל [and·raises·up] (116) = 1298.
Radak
"He kills and gives life." He stated initially "kills" and then "gives life." In its opposite sense, "gives life" means He sustains him in life and prolongs his days as He wills. Likewise, "recover Thou me" and "and make me to live," and similar expressions, whose meaning is the sustaining of life in a person. Likewise, "He brings down to Sheol and brings up," similar to "You have brought my soul up from Sheol," "You have given me life from those descending into the pit," and likewise "from the hand of Sheol, for He shall receive me, Selah," for when it says "from the hand of Sheol," it governs both what precedes it and what follows it. Or it is an allusion to distresses and comforts. Likewise, "I kill and I give life." Or perhaps "kills and gives life" and "I kill and I give life" is an allusion to the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked in their souls. Or perhaps this verse is stated in the manner of prophecy or in the manner of tradition concerning the resurrection of the dead in the future.
Ralbag
"The Lord killeth, and maketh alive." [That is, He does so to] men. After this, here she prophesied explicitly concerning the resurrection of the dead, its matter being one of ultimate wonder. And she said "He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up" to repeat the matter in different words; for the intent of "Sheol" is the grave, as in "for I will go down to the grave to my son," and the grave is called Sheol because it is in the belly of the earth. And likewise the lowest place is called Sheol, as we explained in our commentary on the book of Job.
Metzudat David
"The Lord causes to die and causes to live." This means: It does not happen by chance, but rather the hand of the Lord has done this; He causes the children of the woman with many children to die, and He causes the children of the barren woman to live, and she shall not be bereaved of children, whether from birth, from the womb, or from conception.
“Bringing down to Sheol.” And by this, he brings down the daughter of the mother of many children to Sheol, meaning: to the depths of distress and the depth of trouble; and he raises up the barren woman from the depths of the lowliness of her condition.
Metzudat Zion
Brings down. From the word 'descent'.
Malbim
The Lord causes the children of the fertile woman to die, and gives life to the children of the barren woman, and adds [this further point]: for He also causes one to descend to Sheol and raises the dead Himself to give them life, which is the Resurrection of the Dead. (And He intended to say that three keys were not entrusted to an agent, namely: sustenance, the Resurrection of the Dead, and rain, as stated at the beginning of Tractate Ta'anit; and since here He mentioned sustenance and rain, which are matters of livelihood, He also mentioned the Resurrection of the Dead.)
Hashem makes poor, and makes rich; He brings low, He also lifts up. .
verse value 2075
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "also·lifts·up" (אַף־מְרוֹמֵֽם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "dispossessing" (מוֹרִ֣ישׁ), "and·makes·rich" (וּמַעֲשִׁ֑יר), "brings·low" (מַשְׁפִּ֖יל). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·makes·rich', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + מוֹרִ֣ישׁ [dispossessing] (556) + וּמַעֲשִׁ֑יר [and·makes·rich] (626) + מַשְׁפִּ֖יל [brings·low] (460) + אַף־מְרוֹמֵֽם [also·lifts·up] (407) = 2075.
Radak
“Even from the exalted.” The pluralization is according to the principle that ascent entails greater strength and might than descent.
Ralbag
“The Lord maketh poor.” The Lord is the One who maketh poor, and afterwards He enriches a person whenever He wishes, and He humbles him, and afterwards He exalts him whenever He wishes. Therefore, it is not fitting for the rich man to boast because of his wealth and exaltation, nor for the humble man to be greatly distressed because of his lowliness, nor for the poor man because of his poverty.
Metzudat David
"The Lord makes poor." The sated, until they hired themselves out for bread.
And He enriches the hungry, until they ceased:
"He humbles." Herein, He humbles the pride of the satiated, and even elevates the hungry above them. It is not sufficient that they cease from hiring themselves out; rather, they will even hire the satiated and rise yet further above them.
Metzudat Zion
Makes poor. A matter of poverty, similarly (II Samuel 12:3): 'and the poor man had nothing'.
Malbim
"The LORD." And as against that which is said, "they that were full have hired themselves out for bread," etc. (1 Samuel 2:5), she said: "The LORD maketh poor" — this one — "and maketh rich" — that one. And as against "the bows of the mighty men are broken," etc. (1 Samuel 2:4), she said: "He bringeth low" the mighty who rule by their strength, "yea, and lifteth up" the poor and the weak.
He raises up the poor out of the dust, He lifts up the needy from the dung-hill, To make them sit with princes, And inherit the throne of glory; For the pillars of the earth are Hashem’S, And He has set the world upon them.
verse value 4520
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "low" (דָּ֗ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "with·princes" (עִם־נְדִיבִ֔ים, 8 letters). 13 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "am·establishing" (מֵקִ֨ים), "from·dust" (מֵעָפָ֜ר), "low" (דָּ֗ל). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "upon·them" (root על, 112x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root כבוד ("glory") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root נחל ("makes·them·inherit") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'makes·them·inherit', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Radak
"From the dunghill." It is a singular form, on the pattern of achot (sister), whose full form would properly be achayot; and its plural is "they that embrace dunghills" — the quiescent letter being exchanged for a dagesh.
“The supports of the earth.” [These are] the pillars of the earth. Similarly, it is written, “And they laid them down before the Lord, and they set them up,” and the “pillars of the earth” are the righteous, for by their merit the world endures. Similarly, it is stated, “The righteous is the foundation of the world.” Alternatively, its interpretation may be in the manner of “And underneath are the everlasting arms,” meaning that He, blessed be He, is the sustainer of the world and upholds it, and the sustainers of man are His, and by His strength all stands. The order of settlement in the land is to establish the creatures upon it, and this is what it says, “And He hath set the world upon them,” for places of settlement are called “the inhabited world.”
Ralbag
“For the Lord raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap”—this means that one who was so poor that he would clean places to remove from them refuse and filth, the Lord will lift him up to seat him among nobles and will make them inherit a throne of honor. That is to say, He will make them esteemed kings and leaders, after they were poor and needy. And she said this, according to what I think, concerning her poverty in children, and the Lord gave her a son who would ultimately rule over Israel with a distinguished rule. And indeed it was so, for “to the Lord belong the pillars of the earth,” and upon those pillars rests the settlement, in which the human race is found. And those pillars are the modes of His providence over these lowly ones, who are the cause of the preservation of the human race in a complete manner. And through this providence, He will guard the feet of His pious ones from stumbling in the evils of the world. However, for the wicked He will not prepare light, nor will He show them the evil so that they might guard against it; rather, they will be cut off in darkness. And it will already be clarified that this is true, for “not by strength shall a man prevail,” but it will be found that he will be defeated even though he is stronger than his opponent. And this will necessarily be due to the providence of the Lord over the weak man.
Metzudat David
"He raises the poor from the dust." One who was poor and despised, sunk down to the dust—God raises him up from the dust.
“From the dunghill, etc.”—the matter is repeated in different words:
"To seat." He lifts him from the garbage heap, and raises him even higher to seat him among the nobles, so that he would resemble them.
"ינחילם" – This means: They will be honored in the eyes of people, as if they were learned in matters of honor, and that honor comes to them as an inheritance from their ancestors.
"For the Lord." This is because the foundations of the earth belong to the Lord, and upon those foundations He established the world; therefore, it is in His hand to do in His world as He wills.
Metzudat Zion
From the dunghill. It is the place of casting off refuse.
Lifts up. Raises high.
Needy. One who longs for everything, for he has nothing.
Princes. Rulers and important ones.
Pillars of the earth. Supports of the earth, and its parallel (II Samuel 15:24): 'and they set down the ark.' And he means, the foundations and columns which are the supports of the earth and hold it up.
And He set. And He placed.
World. An inhabited place is called 'world'.
Malbim
He establishes an additional point beyond this: that He raises the poor man from the dust, and an additional point beyond that, for He also lifts up the destitute, who is worse off than the poor man, from the refuse, which is lower than the dust. And not only does He raise him up from his fall, but He elevates him with a great elevation to sit with nobles. And not only this, but He also grants them an inheritance of a throne of honor. This includes two matters: a) that He seats them upon a throne of honor, which is a royal throne; b) that the kingdom shall be theirs as an inheritance for those who come after them. "For the Lord"—meaning, do not say that there is a change in His governance here. It is not so, for the "pillars of the earth"—meaning the foundation upon which the earth was established—belong to the Lord. The foundation upon which all existence rests is the Divine providence of the Lord. For if He were to withdraw His providence for even a moment, all existence would return to chaos and void. And upon these foundations He established and founded the world, namely, the inhabited world. Everything is structured and founded upon the Divine providence. Therefore, these changes do not come from His side, but rather from the side of the recipients, for
He will keep the feet of His holy ones, But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; For not by strength shall man prevail.
verse value 2514
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "in·strength" (בְכֹ֖חַ, 3 letters) and the longest is "shall·prevail·man" (יִגְבַּר־אִֽישׁ, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "faithful" (חֲסִידָו֙), "will·keep" (יִשְׁמֹ֔ר), "and·wicked" (וּרְשָׁעִ֖ים). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·not" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root רגל ("foot") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root רשע ("and·wicked") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·silenced', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: רַגְלֵ֤י [foot] (243) + חֲסִידָו֙ [faithful] (88) + יִשְׁמֹ֔ר [will·keep] (550) + וּרְשָׁעִ֖ים [and·wicked] (626) + בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ [in·the·darkness] (330) + יִדָּ֑מּוּ [will·be·silenced] (60) + כִּי־לֹ֥א [for·not] (61) + בְכֹ֖חַ [in·strength] (30) + יִגְבַּר־אִֽישׁ [shall·prevail·man] (526) = 2514.
Rashi
His pious one. 'Chasido' is written, 'chasidav' is read — whether singular or plural. And so, 'Yechatu merivav' (verse 10) — 'merivo,' singular or plural.
Radak
"His faithful one." It is written without a yod and read with a yod; so too with "His adversary," and likewise with alav (עלו, read עליו), each written without a yod and read with a yod. The matter is one and the same, for the yod of pluralization sometimes drops off.
"He will guard. So that they shall not be smitten:"
“They shall be put to silence.” They shall be silent from their boasting and their wickedness; or, according to another interpretation, they shall be cut off. And similarly, “Do not idmu in distress,” which is interpreted as “in darkness,” like a person who walks in darkness and will stumble.
"For not by might shall a man prevail." This means that it shall not be as they think, that they will prevail by their might and strength; for when the will of God is to cast them into darkness, which is the affliction that will come upon them, their valor and wealth will be of no avail to them.
Metzudat David
"His feet shall He keep from slipping." This implies that all is subject to judgment, for He keeps the feet of His pious ones from being ensnared, whereas the wicked shall be uprooted when the darkness of calamity arrives, at the time when their measure is filled.
"For not by might": A man's success does not depend on his strength, but rather it is in the hand of God, according to the merit of the man's deeds.
Metzudat Zion
Are cut off. Are destroyed, similarly (Jeremiah 51:6): 'do not be cut off in her iniquity'.
Malbim
"He will keep the feet of His holy ones." Since there is no existence for any being in the world of itself, but only through His providence and His guarding of it, it follows that the pious, who are guarded by His providence, have existence and their steps shall not slip; "and the wicked" who are not watched over by Him "shall be silent in darkness." She compares, in a figure, providence to a shining lamp in the hand of the watchman; and the righteous not only walk by the light of the lamp, which is the light of the Torah and the commandment, but the Lord also guards their foot from the snare. And the wicked, who remove themselves from the watchman and from the light that is in his hand to illumine their darkness, are silenced of themselves in the darkness in which they walk. (And as he explained this in the Guide of the Perplexed, part III, chapter 51, that providence follows upon the intellect; see there.) And this difference does not come from the Lord, but from those who walk by His light or those who remove themselves from the light of the Lord to dwell in thick darkness. And concerning this she said, "for not by strength shall man prevail" — that no being or existent has an inherent power by which it prevails, for the power of every man and every existent is bestowed at every moment from the Possessor of ability and the Possessor of all powers; and when the influx is cut off from it, in almost a moment the power of that man and that existent is cut off of itself.
They that strive with Hashem shall be broken to pieces; Against them will He thunder in heaven; Hashem will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed.
verse value 3707
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֞ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "against·him" (עָלָו֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "ends·of·the·earth" (אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "will·be·shattered" (יֵחַ֣תּוּ), "his·adversaries" (מְרִיבָ֗ו), "in·the·heavens" (בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "against·him" (root על, 112x in I Samuel); "to·his·king" (root מלך, 102x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root ריב ("his·adversaries") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root שמים ("in·the·heavens") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'ends·of·the·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: יְהֹוָ֞ה [Hashem] (26) + יֵחַ֣תּוּ [will·be·shattered] (424) + מְרִיבָ֗ו [his·adversaries] (258) + עָלָו֙ [against·him] (106) + בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם [in·the·heavens] (392) + יַרְעֵ֔ם [He·thunders] (320) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + יָדִ֣ין [will·judge] (74) + אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ [ends·of·the·earth] (442) + וְיִתֶּן־עֹ֣ז [and·he·will·give·strength] (543) + לְמַלְכּ֔וֹ [to·his·king] (126) + וְיָרֵ֖ם [and·he·shall·remove] (256) + קֶ֥רֶן [horn] (350) + מְשִׁיחֽוֹ [his·anointed] (364) = 3707.
Rashi
They ascend to the heavens, He thunders. 'Alu' is written — even if they ascend to the heavens, He thunders upon them and brings them down.
He will judge the ends of the earth. He will judge them and punish them — yoshtitsi'a in the foreign tongue.
Radak
“The Lord — they that strive with Him shall be shattered.” Those who strive with the righteous are they that strive with Him.
“Upon him in the heavens He will thunder.” “Upon him” means upon each one of his adversaries. The letter bet in “in the heavens” functions as the preposition min (“from”), as it is stated: “The Lord thunders from the heavens” (II Samuel 22:14). Similarly, the bet in “he shall not eat of the holy things” (Leviticus 22:4), and “the remainder of the flesh and the bread,” and similar cases. And one could interpret it according to its plain meaning, namely, that He will cause thunder in the heavens to make them hear and to terrify them. And this is the interpretation of “upon him,” meaning “for his sake.” And the thunder is an allusion to the decrees that descend from heaven, as He said: “He sent out arrows and scattered them, lightnings, and discomfited them” (Psalms 18:15).
"He will judge the ends of the earth." According to the interpretation of "For He looks to the ends of the earth," if a person hides in secret places.
"And He shall give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed." The verse employs a double expression, for the king is the anointed one. Hannah stated this either in the manner of prophecy or in the manner of tradition, for she held the tradition that a king was destined to arise in Israel. She sealed this song with words concerning the king, because she had mentioned the downfall of the wicked, who are the enemies of Israel, and she declared that God will give strength to the king of Israel, so that Israel will be saved through him from the hands of their enemies. And if she stated this in the manner of prophecy, she alluded thereby that through her son Samuel a king would arise in Israel, and that he would anoint him.
Ralbag
And now, Hannah prayed on behalf of her son, and she said in the manner of prayer: “The Lord — the adversaries of Samuel shall be shattered,” and these are the Philistines who came to fight against him and against Israel on his account. “May God thunder in the heavens,” and indeed this occurred in the first battle in which Samuel fought against the Philistines, as it is stated: “And the Lord thundered with a great voice on that day against the Philistines, and He threw them into confusion before Israel” (1 Samuel 7:10). For he [Samuel] goes from place to place to judge Israel, and may God grant strength to the kingship that Samuel will anoint, and he will reign during his lifetime, and he is Saul, in such a way that he will defeat the enemies of Israel. And may God raise up the horn of His anointed one, whom Samuel will anoint but who will not reign during his [Samuel’s] lifetime, and he is David, whose horn shall be exalted exceedingly, to defeat all his enemies, and may He grant him the kingship and to his seed after him.
Metzudat David
The Lord, His adversaries shall be shattered. As a conclusion to the section praising the Omnipresent, she returns to pray for her son Samuel, saying, "May the Lord, please, shatter and break the adversaries of my son and his men of war," for she saw through the Holy Spirit that the Philistines would wage war against him, and she prayed that they would be shattered.
“Upon Him, in the heavens, He will thunder.” On account of her son, God, blessed be He, will thunder in the heavens against the Philistines, and her prayer was fulfilled, as it is written below (7:10): “And the Lord thundered with a mighty voice... against the Philistines.”
“The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.” This means: You, O Lord, please judge the inhabitants of the ends of the earth, to serve as Judge for Israel, and traverse their cities to judge them. And so it was fulfilled, as it is written (there, ibid. 16): “And He went... and He circled... and He judged Israel.”
"And He gave strength to His king." The Lord shall give strength and might to the king whom my son shall make king, and he is Saul.
"And he shall exalt the horn of His Anointed." This refers to David, for Samuel only anointed him as king, but did not actually crown him during his lifetime; rather, Samuel died while David was still not king, and he only became king after some time had passed. And Hannah prayed for him that his royal authority should be truly exalted.
Metzudat Zion
Are shattered. Are broken.
Thunders. From the word 'thunder' and 'trembling'.
Ends. Edges, for at the ends of the earth there is cessation and end.
Horn. That word was placed upon strengthening, for animals with horns strengthen themselves with them.
Malbim
The Lord: Until now she arranged words of praise and thanksgiving concerning the matters of God’s providence, and in this verse she prayed for the child. And as Ralbag wrote, she saw through her Holy Spirit all that would befall him, and she prayed five things: 1) “You, O Lord!”—I ask that the adversaries of Samuel, who are the Philistines, be broken; 2) “For him”—meaning on his account, let there be thunder in the heavens when he fights against the Philistines, as it is stated below (1 Samuel 7:10): “And the Lord thundered with a great voice on that day against the Philistines”; 3) “O Lord!”—she requests that Samuel judge the ends of the earth, that he be a judge throughout all the land of Israel, as it is stated: “And he judged Israel, and went around to Bethel, etc.”; 4) “And give strength to Your king”—when he anoints Saul as king over Israel, may the Lord give strength to the king to save Israel; 5) “And exalt the horn of Your anointed”—when he subsequently anoints David with the anointing oil, may the Lord exalt his horn, as it is stated there: “I will raise up a horn for David.” Behold, she included in her prayer most of the matters that occurred to Samuel, as was indeed fulfilled in truth.
And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister to Hashem before Eli the priest.
verse value 3869
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "was" (הָיָ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·his·house" (עַל־בֵּית֑וֹ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·his·house" (עַל־בֵּית֑וֹ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "and·went" (root הלך, 133x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שרת ("juice") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֧לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + אֶלְקָנָ֛ה [Elkanah] (186) + הָרָמָ֖תָה [to·Ramah] (650) + עַל־בֵּית֑וֹ [to·his·house] (518) + וְהַנַּ֗עַר [and·the·boy] (331) + הָיָ֤ה [was] (20) + מְשָׁרֵת֙ [juice] (940) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (427) + אֶת־פְּנֵ֖י [before] (541) + עֵלִ֥י [Eli] (110) + הַכֹּהֵֽן [priest] (80) = 3869.
Rashi
was serving the Lord before Eli. From here [we learn] regarding one who ministers to the countenance of students of wisdom — as one who ministers before the countenance of the Divine Presence.
Radak
"Upon his house." Just as "to his house," and likewise "and she prayed to the Lord" is like "to the Lord."
“Before the face of Eli.” This is akin to “before,” meaning that Eli was teaching him the service of God. And the Targum translates it as “during the lifetime of Eli the priest,” just as Onkelos translates “to his face” as “to destroy him during their lifetime, to their destruction.”
Ralbag
It is further stated that Elkanah went to Ramah, on account of his household; had it not been for this, he would have remained there because of the boy who stayed there to serve the Lord. He left him there under the care of Eli the priest, so that he might teach him and guide him in the service of the Lord. Alternatively, it may be understood as being for the sake of his household, just as one says “to his house,” like "shall a man look to his Maker," which is as though "unto his Maker".
Metzudat David
“Before His face.” This means: in His presence, for he was instructing him how to serve the Lord:
Metzudat Zion
Upon his home. To his home.
Malbim
"And Elkanah went" – then Elkanah went from there; his father and mother left him to the Lord. Instead of the father instructing and educating his son, the youth served the Lord. And the explanation is that he stood before the face of Eli the priest, for Eli entered in place of his father to educate and teach him, and he stood before him to serve him and to learn from him the ways of Torah and reverence. And through this, he was serving before the face of the Lord and was fit to walk before God.
Now the sons of Eli were base men; they knew not Hashem.
verse value 930
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "Hashem" (אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה, 6 letters). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel); "and·sons·of" (root בן, 69x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root בליעל ("worthlessness") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'worthlessness', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֥י [and·sons·of] (68) + עֵלִ֖י [Eli] (110) + בְּנֵ֣י [son] (62) + בְלִיָּ֑עַל [worthlessness] (142) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יָדְע֖וּ [know] (90) + אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (427) = 930.
Radak
“Sons of Belial.” Sons of wickedness. And in the midrash: sons who cast off the name of Heaven from upon themselves — they said, “There is no kingdom in heaven”; and that is what is said, “they knew not the Lord.” Or its meaning is: “they knew not the Lord” — they did not know the way of the Lord, for they did wicked deeds in their priesthood, as it goes on to recount what they were doing. And the Targum renders: wicked men who did not know to fear before the Lord.
Ralbag
And behold, the sons of Eli were wicked and did not know the Lord; for this reason, they pursued gluttony. Because of this, they took from Israel more than their prescribed portion of the flesh of the peace-offerings, namely the breast and the thigh. The priests established for themselves a statute and ordinance: they would take from the flesh that Israel cooked from the peace-offerings whatever the fork would lift up from the vessels in which they cooked the flesh. This was robbery and contempt for the sacrifices, for they took it in the manner of pursuing their lusts. They were not given the priestly gifts that the Lord had given them except for the purpose that they might strengthen themselves in the Torah of the Lord, on the grounds that they would not need to toil for their sustenance. They committed an even greater evil than this: before the peace-offerings were presented to the priests and to Israel, and while the fats were still attached to them, they would seize by force flesh from the sacrifice to eat it roasted, in place of the boiled flesh that had been established as their fixed portion to take from the sacrifices of Israel, beyond what was due to them. And behold, they placed their table before the table of the Lord, as if the service to the Lord were in vain, and the primary intention was to fill their bellies. In this manner, the sons of Eli despised the offering of the Lord.
Metzudat David
"They did not know the Lord." And due to this lack of knowledge, they were wicked in their deeds:
Malbim
And “his sons”—from here he begins to recount that the sons of Eli, although they were his sons, did not learn his ways, nor did they attain the knowledge of God; rather, they were worthless men, casters off the yoke of Heaven from upon themselves, as will be explained.
And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his band;
verse value 3892
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "sacrifice" (זֹבֵ֣חַ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·priests" (הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 17: sacrifice, sacrifice. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·right·of" (וּמִשְׁפַּ֥ט), "while·boiling" (כְּבַשֵּׁ֣ל), "flesh" (הַבָּשָׂ֔ר). The root כהן appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·he·shall·come" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel); "in·his·hand" (root יד, 99x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root משפט ("and·right·of") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root בשר ("flesh") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 12 words.
Rashi
and the law of the priests. They established for themselves this law. And they had no inheritance except the breast and the thigh of the peace offerings.
Radak
"And the judgment of the priests." They established for themselves this ordinance and judgment:
"As he cooked the meat." The meat of the peace-offering, and besides the prescribed portion, which is the breast and the thigh, the priestly apprentice would take from the remainder of the meat that belonged to the owner's share.
Metzudat David
"And the judgment of the priests": The sons of Eli established for themselves a fixed custom with the people who were sacrificing:
"Every man." Whenever one was bringing a peace-offering, the priest's attendant would come to him with a three-pronged fork in his hand, so that he might take a larger portion with it.
Metzudat Zion
And judgment. And custom, similarly (below 27:11): 'and such was his custom'.
The people. With the people.
And the fork. The name of a toothed utensil, made to thrust meat with it and remove it from the pot, similarly (Exodus 38:3): 'the forks'.
Malbim
Questions (13–16): Regarding what he wrote, “and he struck it in the basin, or in the large jar, or in the kettle, or in the pot,” these are superfluous words. What is the practical difference in which vessel he struck it, since the essential requirement is that he struck it in the pot in which the meat was cooked? And regarding what he wrote, “give the meat to roast,” why did they not take this one themselves as well, just as they took the cooked meat? And he answered, “They shall offer a fire offering” and “Take for yourself,” indicating that initially they were stringent that they should give it to them.
And he reckons their sin, that they sinned concerning the offerings of the Lord, whether against the people or against the Lord. First he reckons the violence against the people: a) And the custom of the priests with the people — they established for themselves a custom and a statute that was not due to them, for the Torah had not merited them anything beyond the priestly gifts alone. Thus, this was iniquity by reason of the origin of the statute, which was not the judgment of the Lord but the judgment of the priests, who enacted decrees of injustice. b) Due to the essence of the decree itself, which was a great injustice, for every man who offered a sacrifice, the young priest would come, etc., and the fleshhook of three teeth was in his hand, for with the three teeth he would always take three pieces, which is a large quantity, upon which they would be strict, and it was not subject to forgiveness. c) There was also willfulness in this, in that they took it through the young priest, who came in a manner of violence through the presumptuous servants, and in a manner of contempt. For it is fitting that the priest should go himself to merit from the high table, the offering of the Lord and His inheritance, and not through his servants.
and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did to all the Israelites that came thither in Shiloh.
verse value 4083
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "and·he·struck" (וְהִכָּ֨ה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "or" (א֣וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·all·Israel" (לְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 7: or, or, or. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "in·the·pot" (בַכִּיּ֜וֹר), "in·the·caldron" (בַקַּלַּ֙חַת֙), "in·the·pan" (בַפָּר֔וּר). The root או appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·pot" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "who·came" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root נכה ("and·he·struck") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root או ("or") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Rashi
in the pot. A cauldron.
in the caldron. A stew pot.
in the pan. A frying pan.
Radak
"All that the fleshhook brought up." At one time. And this was a statute of injustice and robbery which the priests imposed upon Israel.
And the fork. It is well known, and it is an iron utensil that has two prongs, with which one lifts meat from the pot.
“Of three prongs, in his hand.” “Three” is an adjective in the construct, as if it said, “for the fleshhook is three-pronged.” A similar case is “great of wings,” meaning that its wings are great; so too “of three prongs” means that its prongs are three. And “three” is an adjective on the pattern of “great.” And it said shinayim in the dual form, even though they are three, because the teeth of man and beast come in pairs; therefore it spoke of the teeth of implements in the dual, even though they are not pairs.
And he would strike. With the fork in his hand, he would strike the meat that was in the basin, and all the meat that he would lift up with the fork, he would take for himself, and he would not be satisfied with the portion of the priesthood written in the Torah.
“On the laver.” A laver, a copper basin, a cauldron, and a pot are all types of cooking vessels. And Targum Jonathan renders it: “And he set it upon the laver, or upon the copper basin, or upon the cauldron, or upon the pot.” And Jonathan translates “forks” as “mashlia,” and the Jerusalem Targum translates “his forks and his pans” as “his mashlia and his machatit.”
"Ye'aleh." From the hif'il binyan:
Metzudat David
"And he struck." With that fork, he struck forcefully into the basin, etc., in order to skewer the meat; and whatever the fork brought up from the meat, he would take for himself.
In it. With the fork:
The ones who come to slaughter:
Metzudat Zion
Cauldron, kettle, pan, dish. They are cooking vessels, like a cauldron and a pot and the like.
Malbim
d) They were guilty in that they did not look to the gate of justice and to what is fitting, namely, that it is fitting to take the portion according to the value of the sacrifice and the offerer. And they equalized their measure and did not distinguish between the sacrifices: whether the priest struck in the large cauldron or in the pot, etc., for the vessel in which the sacrifice was cooked was according to the sacrifice. The large ox they cooked in a large cauldron, the small one they cooked in a pot, and the small kid they cooked in a small pan. And it is not fitting that they should take a large portion from the small pan in which the kid is cooked, just as from the large cauldron in which the large ox [was cooked]. And they equalized their measure: whether in the cauldron, or in the pot, or in the small pan, they took three large pieces that fit on the three tines of the fork. And do not say that in the small pan they did not insert the fork to its end, and small pieces came up on it. Regarding this it says, “and he shall strike,” meaning that he always struck with force, in such a way that large pieces came up on it. And they were not particular between small and large pieces; rather, whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take with it (and the word “with it” refers to the fork). e) And likewise, they did not distinguish between the offerers, whereas it is fitting that from the poor one they should not take a large quantity as from the rich one, and likewise, one whose household is numerous should reduce what he takes. And they did not distinguish, but rather they did thus to all of Israel who came there equally. And behold, this is a great robbery, with a full, heaping, and complete measure.
Indeed, before the fat was made to smoke, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed: ‘Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of you, but raw.’
verse value 4970
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּם֮, 2 letters) and the longest is "would·burn" (יַקְטִר֣וּן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 502: flesh, flesh. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "would·burn" (יַקְטִר֣וּן), "the·fat" (אֶת־הַחֵ֒לֶב֒), "to·roast" (לִצְל֖וֹת). The root כהן appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·will·say" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·the·man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·he·shall·come" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root טרם ("before") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root קטר ("would·burn") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·priest', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Radak
Also, before [the proper time]. They would take the meat and eat it prior to the burning of the fat offerings, and this was a great evil, for God had not given it to them except that they should merit from His table only after the blood had been sprinkled and the fats burned. And in a homiletical interpretation, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them: “Why do you eat the remnants of the meal-offering and leave the handful for the flies? Why do you eat the meat and leave the fats spread out in the sun?” What do the Israelites say to them? “Let the priest come and sprinkle the blood and burn the fat, and afterward let him take for himself the meat.” What does the priest say to him? “I sprinkle the blood and I burn the fat; give the meat to the priest to roast.”
"He shall not take from you." This is what he would say to him, and afterward he would take also from the cooked meat. Or sometimes he would take from the cooked meat, as it is written, "while the flesh was boiling." And sometimes he would take from the raw meat for roasting, and he would not take afterward from the cooked meat.
Metzudat David
"Also before." Also, at times he came before the burning of the fat portions, while they had not yet cooked the meat, and he demanded raw meat in place of cooked.
Metzudat Zion
Raw. Something that has not been cooked is called 'raw'.
Malbim
6) Also, regarding his transgression concerning the sacred things of Heaven: for even before they had burned the fat, the young priest came and said, “Give flesh to roast for the priest.” For the meat that they took after the burning of the fat was cooked meat, and he desired at times to take raw meat in order to roast it. And for this there was no fixed rule for him, for the priests’ portion from the people was to take with the fork from the basin and the cauldron—not raw pieces. Therefore, he said, “Give flesh,” meaning, “You yourself give it,” for in this you will gain in two ways: 1) You will give according to your own desire, which will be less than what the fork would take; 2) He will not take from you cooked meat, but only raw. And it is better for you to give raw meat than cooked, for you would have to trouble yourself with the labor of cooking it and add salt and spices to it.
And if the man said to him: ‘Let the fat be made to smoke first of all, and then take as much as your soul desires’; then he would say: ‘Nay, but you shall give it me now; and if not, I will take it by force.’
verse value 5399
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" ((לו)) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "not" (לֹא֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "shall·burn" (יַקְטִיר֤וּן, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "surely" (קַטֵּ֨ר), "shall·burn" (יַקְטִיר֤וּן), "and·take·for·yourself" (וְקַ֨ח־לְךָ֔). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "as" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root לו ("to·him") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root עתה ("now") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 9 words.
Radak
“Like this day.” The kaf is the kaf of certainty; and likewise, “swear to me this day,” [and] “for ye shall find him this day.”
And he said to him. It is written with a vav and read with an aleph, and both are correct in this matter.
Metzudat David
"Let them surely burn." They shall burn the fat first, as at all times, and thereafter you may take for yourself as you wish, whether raw or cooked.
"For now." Give it to me immediately; and if it [was given] before the burning:
Metzudat Zion
As on the day. He means, just now, similarly (Numbers 3:13): 'in the day that I smote'.
By force. By power and against your will.
Malbim
And it says, “And the man said to him,” meaning that he did not desire this delay, for since the fat had not yet been burned, it was not fitting to prioritize the portion of man over the portion of the Most High. Furthermore, why should you hasten? Will they not burn the fat today? Indeed, they will burn it today and not leave it until tomorrow. And you shall have meat today to roast, and take for yourself as your soul desires; you may take it cooked or raw, and you may also take the portions according to your will. And he replied that he did not wish to wait, but rather that it be given now. And if you do not give it willingly, I will take it by force, even without law and judgment. And by this he showed that they were prepared to oppress and plunder according to their own desire.
And the sin of the young men was very great before Hashem; for the men dealt contemptuously with the offering of Hashem.
verse value 3382
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·servants" (הַנְּעָרִ֛ים, 6 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): "purgation·offering·of" (חַטַּ֧את), "have·spurned" (נִֽאֲצוּ֙), "gift" (מִנְחַ֥ת). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root חטאה ("purgation·offering·of") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root גדול ("great") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words.
Rashi
For they treated contemptuously. The language of disgrace.
Radak
"For they despised." Like "thou hast greatly blasphemed" — a matter of loathing and contempt. And so Jonathan rendered it: for they despised.
"The offering of the Lord." As the Targum renders: "The sacrifices of the Lord."
Metzudat David
“The young men”: the attendants of the priest.
"For they have despised." For the sons of Eli despised the offering of the Lord, and from them the youths learned to sin even more in the matter of contempt for the sacred things.
Metzudat Zion
They despised. It is a matter of anger, similarly (Nehemiah 9:18): 'great despisings,' and it was borrowed for contempt, for one who despises another angers him.
The offering. That word includes all the sacrifices which are for an offering and a gift.
Malbim
Questions (17): He should have said, “For they despised the offering of the Lord,” meaning the youths whom he mentioned. Why did he say “the men”?
"And the sin of the young men" means that even though this was merely an inadvertent transgression (which is the distinction between a "sin" and an "iniquity"), for in truth it was permitted for them to take the flesh to roast it before the burning of the fats, since there is no prohibition except in the eating, and the transgression lay only in the taking, for they had no right to it except after the offering of the portions; and before the burning they had no right at all, as it is stated, "Their portion I have given them from the fire offerings," and our Sages of blessed memory expounded in Torat Kohanim: "They have no right except after the offering of the portions." And furthermore, that it was the sin of the young men, not the sin of the priests, for the young men, who were their servants, did this of their own accord. Nevertheless, it was a great matter before the Lord, for through this the men despised the offering of the Lord, and the people thereby treated the holy things with contempt, and their honor became light in their eyes.
But Samuel ministered before Hashem, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
verse value 2524
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "linen" (בָּֽד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Samuel" (וּשְׁמוּאֵ֕ל, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "girded" (חָג֖וּר). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "and·Samuel" (root שמואל, 103x in I Samuel); "boy" (root נער, 54x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root חגר ("girded") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root אפוד ("ephod") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּשְׁמוּאֵ֕ל [and·Samuel] (383) + מְשָׁרֵ֖ת [juice] (940) + אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י [before] (541) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + נַ֕עַר [boy] (320) + חָג֖וּר [girded] (217) + אֵפ֥וֹד [ephod] (91) + בָּֽד [linen] (6) = 2524.
Rashi
A boy girded with a linen ephud. (Translation:) a linen cloak — and it is the language of a cloak, for Yonatan translated (II Samuel 13:18): 'my cloak' — 'for so the king's virgin daughters shall wear, cloaks' (II Samuel 13:18): kardoton.
Radak
“Serving before the Lord.” Why is this written, when it was already stated above, “Serving the Lord”? Rather, because the text recounted the censure of the sons of Eli, it also recounts the praise of Samuel, that he did not learn from their deeds to engage in eating and drinking and the pleasures of this world, but rather served before the Lord. And what was his service? He engaged in the study of Torah, in knowing the Lord, and in learning the service of the Levites—singing with the mouth and with instruments. And all of this is the service of the Lord.
“Girded with a linen ephod.” The Targum translates it as “a girdle of fine linen,” and it rendered “Thus shall the virgin daughters of the king wear” as “mantles of fine linen,” and it translated “a small mantle” according to its plain meaning, “small.” It seems to me that the mantle was made in different forms: there was a mantle for wrapping, and likewise the mantle of Samuel, as it is stated, “And he was wearing a mantle,” and likewise the mantle of the High Priest was the upper garment that he wore. And the mantle that the daughters of the king wore was a garment made in the style of women’s clothing. Likewise, the ephod was made in different forms: that of the High Priest was made in the manner described in the Torah, and the linen ephod was girded by those who served the Lord, and by it they were distinguished from other people. That ephod was girded by priest, Levite, and Israelite alike, as it is written concerning the priests: “And on that day eighty-five men bearing a linen ephod died,” and likewise in the case of Samuel, who was a Levite, “girded with a linen ephod,” and likewise David, when he was in the service of God before the Ark, was “girded with a linen ephod,” as it is written: “And David was girded with a linen ephod.”
Ralbag
And behold, Samuel was serving the Lord; and behold, from his youth he was girded with a linen ephod, for the purpose of distinguishing himself for the service of the Lord similar to the matter concerning the priests of Nob, the city of the priests, where there were eighty-five men, each wearing a linen ephod.
Metzudat David
And Samuel served, etc. And he did not learn from their actions.
“Before the Lord.” And above it said, “Before Eli,” to teach that after he grew up, he no longer needed Eli to instruct him.
A youth. This implies that while he was still a youth, he was girded with a linen ephod, as was the custom of the distinguished servants of God.
Metzudat Zion
Ephod. A garment, somewhat like the ephod of the high priest, and the servants of the LORD would gird themselves with it to distinguish themselves from the rest of people, similarly it is said of David when he went before the ark (II Samuel 6:14): 'and David was girded with a linen ephod'.
Linen. Flax.
Malbim
The Questions (18): Why did the text interrupt here to recount the matter of Samuel out of its proper place, when this should have been written after Hannah’s prayer?
And Samuel stands in opposition to what is stated that the sons of Eli were men of Belial and despised the sanctities of the Lord; even though they were the sons of Eli and were priests, and were advanced in years, in contrast to this it is said that Samuel, even though he was not the son of the High Priest and not a priest, nevertheless served before the Lord (and here it did not say "before Eli" as stated above in verse 11, for he had already begun to recognize the Divine Presence in Himself); and even though he was a young boy tender in years, nevertheless he was girded with an ephod of linen, which the servants of the Lord wore at the time of the sacred service, for he walked before the Lord in holiness.
Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
verse value 3770
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 3770 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "would·make·for·him" (תַּעֲשֶׂה־לּ֣וֹ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 105: day, day. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·a·robe" (וּמְעִ֤יל), "would·make·for·him" (תַּעֲשֶׂה־לּ֣וֹ), "his·mother" (אִמּ֔וֹ). The root יום appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "her·husband" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "from·days" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel); "and·brought·up" (root עלה, 81x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root מעיל ("and·a·robe") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root קטן ("young") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'day', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּמְעִ֤יל [and·a·robe] (156) + קָטֹן֙ [young] (159) + תַּעֲשֶׂה־לּ֣וֹ [would·make·for·him] (811) + אִמּ֔וֹ [his·mother] (47) + וְהַעַלְתָ֥ה [and·brought·up] (516) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + מִיָּמִ֣ים [from·days] (140) + יָמִ֑ימָה [day] (105) + בַּֽעֲלוֹתָהּ֙ [when·she·came·up] (513) + אֶת־אִישָׁ֔הּ [her·husband] (717) + לִזְבֹּ֖חַ [to·slaughter] (47) + אֶת־זֶ֥בַח [the·sacrifice·of] (418) + הַיָּמִֽים [day] (105) = 3770.
Rashi
and his mother would make for him a little cloak. Year by year.
Radak
"And a little robe she would make him." The robe that she would clothe him in when he stood [in service], for the honor of the day. And when it says "little," it means in its measure; and it needed to say this, because it was not their custom for any but adults to wear a robe, and not children — and this was from her great love for him. And since he ministered before the Lord, she made him a robe. But its resting place was not with him, so that he should not wear it on ordinary weekdays, but only from festival to festival, for the honor of the day; and he was a lad, and would not be careful about wearing it. Therefore she would bring it up to him at the festival and take it back until the next festival.
"Make." Just as it says "she made," and there are many instances like it. Or perhaps it means: "Make" because she did not make for him a single cloak alone, but rather, as he continued to grow, she was to make for him a cloak according to his measurements.
"Va'alatah." The he and the ayin are opened [with a patach] to facilitate the reading, and the word is read with the accent on the final syllable, for the cantillation mark is on the tav.
Ralbag
And his mother would make for him each year a little coat, and upon him he would be girded with a linen ephod. And each year Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, that God should grant them seed from the woman in place of the request which each of them had asked of the Lord. And they went after this to Elkanah’s place. And it appeared that this blessing was [given] year by year because of Eli seeing the good character of the boy, and that he was growing and was good both with God and with men, as is mentioned later on.
Metzudat David
From year to year. Each year she would bring him up a new cloak, according to the needs of his body, which grew each year:
"The sacrifice of the days" – that which is customary to sacrifice every year:
Metzudat Zion
And a robe. A garment somewhat like the robe of the high priest.
Malbim
And a mantle: And every year his mother brought him a mantle, which he would wear over his garments, like the manner of nazirites and those who serve God in holiness.
And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say: ‘Hashem give you seed of this woman for the loan which was lent to Hashem.’ And they would go to their own home.
verse value 6129
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֥, 2 letters) and the longest is "Elkanah" (אֶת־אֶלְקָנָ֣ה, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·He·will·bless" (וּבֵרַ֨ךְ), "Elkanah" (אֶת־אֶלְקָנָ֣ה), "and·his·wife" (וְאֶת־אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ). The root אשה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·will·say" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "which" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root ברך ("and·He·will·bless") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root שום ("let·him·put") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 2 words.
Rashi
And Eli would bless. It is the language of the present — he used to bless him every year.
in place of the petition which he asked. For a son for him. And he said to him: 'May the Lord give you seed,' etc. — May it be Your will that all the sons that will be yours, they be from that righteous woman. And behold, this is an inverted verse.
Radak
"And he blessed them." This was what he did at all times: whenever they would come up [to the Temple], he would bless them and say to them, "May the Lord grant them offspring to be with them," for Samuel had already been given to the Lord, and in his place He would grant them offspring. And this is [the meaning of] "in place of the request which they requested" – Elkana and his wife. And the "request" is Samuel, and "to the Lord" means "from the Lord." Or its interpretation is: "in place of the request which they requested," for they had already given him to the Lord, and they needed other children who would grow up with them and serve them in their old age. And the Targum [translates] "offspring" as "righteous children."
"To his place." And it did not say "to their place." It appears that Ramah was his place and not her place, for Hannah’s family was from another city.
Metzudat David
And Eli blessed. When he saw Samuel growing and advancing in the service of God, he blessed Elkanah his father and his wife, that God would grant him further offspring from her, and that he would be like Samuel.
"In return for." On account of the merit of the request, that each of you asked him of the Lord, as it is written above (1:28): "He is lent to the Lord"; in reward for this you shall have further offspring.
“And they went to their place.” Immediately after the blessing of Eli, and they did not remain there any longer, so as not to neglect the commandment of procreation, for a guest is forbidden from marital relations, and they were confident in the blessing of Eli that they would still have offspring.
Malbim
And he blessed. And through this Eli blessed them. After he saw that Samuel was prepared for the Divine Spirit, he said to them: "Even though this son is not designated for your household, but rather for the Lord, may the Lord give you another offspring designated for your household." And so was the blessing of Eli fulfilled.
So Hashem remembered Hannah, and she conceived, and bore three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before Hashem.
verse value 4557
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "three·sons" (שְׁלֹשָֽׁה־בָנִ֖ים, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "for·he·remembered" (כִּֽי־פָקַ֤ד), "three·sons" (שְׁלֹשָֽׁה־בָנִ֖ים), "daughters" (בָנ֑וֹת). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "Samuel" (root שמואל, 103x in I Samuel); "the·boy" (root נער, 54x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root פקד ("for·he·remembered") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root גדל ("and·grew") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'daughters', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־פָקַ֤ד [for·he·remembered] (214) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + אֶת־חַנָּ֔ה [Hannah] (464) + וַתַּ֛הַר [and·conceived] (611) + וַתֵּ֥לֶד [and·she·bore] (440) + שְׁלֹשָֽׁה־בָנִ֖ים [three·sons] (737) + וּשְׁתֵּ֣י [two] (716) + בָנ֑וֹת [daughters] (458) + וַיִּגְדַּ֛ל [and·grew] (53) + הַנַּ֥עַר [the·boy] (325) + שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל [Samuel] (377) + עִם־יְהֹוָֽה [with·Hashem] (136) = 4557.
Radak
"For [the Lord] remembered." This is the reason for what was said, "and they went to his place" — that is to say, they went confident in the blessing of Eli, who had blessed them. And so it was for them, for the Lord remembered her.
“With the Lord.” It is used in the sense of its Targumic translation: “Before the Lord.”
Metzudat David
"For the Lord visited." This means: And just as He had blessed, so it came to pass, for the Lord visited, etc.
"And the lad Samuel grew up." This means: However, only Samuel grew up with the Lord and in His house, but not so his brothers, for they grew up with their father and did not attain the stature of Samuel.
Metzudat Zion
Remember. A matter of remembrance and providence.
Malbim
"For the Lord visited..." and he grew. In this respect, Samuel was as if he were not at all the son of Elkanah, but rather, "he grew with the Lord," meaning he was planted in the house of the Lord, and there he sprouted and grew in years and in wisdom.
Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they lay with the women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting.
verse value 6061
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "tent" (אֹ֥הֶל) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "old" (זָקֵ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·they·lay" (אֲשֶֽׁר־יִשְׁכְּבוּן֙, 9 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "they·shall·do" (יַעֲשׂ֤וּן), "that·they·lay" (אֲשֶֽׁר־יִשְׁכְּבוּן֙), "that·served" (הַצֹּ֣בְא֔וֹת). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "they·shall·do" (root עשה, 79x in I Samuel); "to·all·Israel" (root כל, 71x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root זקן ("old") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root פתח ("opening") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'very', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 13 words.
Rashi
that they would lie. According to its plain meaning. And our Sages said (Yoma 9b): Because they delayed their offerings — and they were waiting until they saw their offerings being brought — it is counted against them as if they had lain with them.
Radak
“Very old.” This is stated to inform us that Eli no longer served in the priesthood due to his advanced age; therefore, his sons performed the duties of the priesthood. Even though a priest is not disqualified by age, if he has grown very old, so that he trembles, he is disqualified. Regarding Eli it is stated “very old,” teaching that he had reached the time of trembling.
"Yeshkavon" (They shall lie down). According to its plain meaning. And there are among our Sages of blessed memory who interpreted it not according to its plain meaning, and they said that they did not actually lie down with them, but rather because they brought their sacrifices to Shiloh, and they (the priests) detained them and caused them to remain outside their homes for one night, the Scripture credits this as if they had lain down with them.
"The women who assembled." The women who had given birth and came to Shiloh with an offering, as it is written in the Torah that a woman who has given birth requires an offering — they were called by the term tzava (host). And likewise, of the Levites who came to the service of the Tent of Meeting it says "to perform the service," because those who come to the service of God, to His house, come as a host and an army, gathered from here and from there to come there; and so the women who had given birth would gather to bring their offerings, and therefore it says "the women who assembled." And likewise it says "the mirrors of the women who assembled." The Targum renders both as "who came to pray." And the reason it says in both places "at the door of the Tent of Meeting" is that the women did not enter the Tent of Meeting. And it called the House of the Lord that was in Shiloh a Tent of Meeting because it had no roof, but only the curtains above.
Ralbag
He further relates that Eli was an old man and heard of the violence that his sons were committing against all Israel, concerning their taking from them the cooked or raw meat in the aforementioned manner. And he heard also how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting. You should know that the intention in this matter is not sexual intercourse, for if that had been the case, it would have been fitting for the prophet who came to Eli to rebuke the sons of Eli for this great sin. Yet we do not find that he rebuked them except for the sin mentioned first. Therefore, the meaning here is that the women gathered at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, due to bringing their offerings—namely, the zavot (women with abnormal discharges) and those who had given birth—were lazy in bringing their sacrifices, such that they would lie down and their offerings were not brought. And in this manner, they would lie down with the women who had not brought their sacrifices, in a way that enabled them to go to their homes. And this is a very fitting explanation according to the language and according to the context. And in this manner our Sages of blessed memory understood this verse, meaning that they did not lie with them sexually, but rather they delayed their offerings.
Metzudat David
"And Eli was very old." He said this to justify Eli somewhat for not disciplining his sons, because since he had grown old and his strength had weakened, he was no longer able to discipline them.
"For all Israel." [This teaches that one] takes from the flesh of the sacrifice by force.
"And those who lie down, etc." This means that they were negligent in bringing the offerings of the women who had given birth and those who had experienced a flow, who came in great numbers to the Tent of Meeting, and they delayed their offerings, and did not return to serve their households, but lay down in the place of their arrival. If so, they were causing them to lie down in the place of their arrival, and this would be counted as a sin for them, because their husbands had neglected the commandment of procreation.
Metzudat Zion
Lie down. He means cause to lie down.
The troops. From the word 'army,' and he means, many at once.
Malbim
The Questions: (22) Was it not the case that when the sin of Eli’s sons was first mentioned, this sin of lying with the women was not mentioned at all, but rather that they despised the offering of the Lord? And likewise, in the reproof of the man of God to Eli below, nothing of this was mentioned.
"And Eli." He relates that Eli was already old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel — that is, the violence they did in taking flesh by force, which they did to all Israel (as above, verse 14); "and also he heard that which they lay with." Our Sages of blessed memory differed in this: some say they sinned according to the plain sense, and some say they did not sin. And in his opinion it appears that the verb "yishkavun" refers back to Israel — that is to say, that Israel lay at the door of the tent of meeting with the women that did service there. For inasmuch as they despised the holy things of Heaven, and also delayed the women's bird-offerings from being offered, they were "assembling" — that is to say, gathering in a great host at the door of the tent of meeting, whither they had brought their bird-offerings; and they had no lodging, and men and women lay together before the court of the tabernacle, and through this they sometimes came to a matter of transgression — the more so because the priests did not watch over the people to sanctify them and keep them as was fitting.
And he said to them: ‘Why do you such things? for I hear evil reports concerning you from all this people.
verse value 4181
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "these" (אֵֽלֶּה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֔ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·words" (אֶת־דִּבְרֵיכֶ֣ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: to·them, why. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "you·shall·do" (תַעֲשׂ֖וּן), "your·words" (אֶת־דִּבְרֵיכֶ֣ם). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "as·the·words" (root דבר, 113x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root הם ("to·them") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root אלה ("these") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לָהֶ֔ם [to·them] (75) + לָ֥מָּה [why] (75) + תַעֲשׂ֖וּן [you·shall·do] (826) + כַּדְּבָרִ֣ים [as·the·words] (276) + הָאֵ֑לֶּה [these] (41) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + אָנֹכִ֤י [I] (81) + שֹׁמֵ֙עַ֙ [hear] (410) + אֶת־דִּבְרֵיכֶ֣ם [your·words] (677) + רָעִ֔ים [evil] (320) + מֵאֵ֖ת [from] (441) + כׇּל־הָעָ֥ם [all·the·people] (165) + אֵֽלֶּה [these] (36) = 4181.
Radak
"The people are these." Those who came to sacrifice, even the inhabitants of the city of Shiloh.
Ralbag
And Eli said to them concerning this that the report was not good — the report and the rumour that they were spreading concerning them among the people of the Lord; for they were sinning in this against the Lord and spurning His offerings, in the manner we have mentioned.
Metzudat David
"Your words." That is, the evil words that are spoken about you:
“From all the people.” The phrase is construed with the preceding clause, to say: “that which I hear from all these people,” namely, those who are coming to sacrifice.
Malbim
Questions (23–25): Initially, [God] said, “Do not do,” indicating that He believed they had actually done so. Subsequently, He stated that “the report is not good,” indicating that He did not believe it, but rather rebuked them due to the bad reputation that had arisen about them. And regarding the statement, “If a man sins against the Lord, who will pray?”: if one follows the commentators who derive it from the language of “reproof” and “judgment,” why did God not judge them for the sin they committed against Him? And if it pertains to the matter of prayer, it makes no sense at all.
And he said unto them, “He reproved them from two sides. On the first side, He seized upon the fact that the report was true and that they had indeed done this, and regarding this He said, ‘Why do ye such things?’ (And in this He grasped the word ‘like’ [ka] with the preposition ‘kaf’ of comparison, as if saying: ‘Even if you did not intend to do evil by acting according to the entire rumor of the multitude, of necessity you did like these things’—meaning, things similar to these—so that from this it came to magnify your guilt in proportion to your greatness.) ‘Which I [intend]’—his meaning is: and you cannot claim that it is all false, for behold, I hear your evil words from all this people. And if this had been a false accusation, it would have been impossible for all the people to agree in their testimony, and for there not to be found among them someone who would teach in your favor.”
Nay, my sons; for it is no good report which I hear Hashem’S people do spread abroad.
verse value 2092
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "nay" (אַ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·good" (לֽוֹא־טוֹבָ֤ה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "not·good" (לֽוֹא־טוֹבָ֤ה), "report" (הַשְּׁמֻעָה֙), "spreading" (מַעֲבִרִ֖ים). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "people·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "which" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root עבר ("spreading") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 8 words. Full calculation: אַ֖ל [nay] (31) + בָּנָ֑י [my·sons] (62) + כִּ֠י [for] (30) + לֽוֹא־טוֹבָ֤ה [not·good] (59) + הַשְּׁמֻעָה֙ [report] (420) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [which] (501) + אָנֹכִ֣י [I] (81) + שֹׁמֵ֔עַ [hear] (410) + מַעֲבִרִ֖ים [spreading] (362) + עַם־יְהֹוָֽה [people·of·Hashem] (136) = 2092.
Rashi
that which I hear the people of the Lord spreading. A report that the people of the Lord are spreading about you — the language of 'va'yaviru' (Exodus 36:6): a voice in the camp — they are putting out upon you a voice, a report, not good.
Radak
“Pass over with the Lord.” This means that you are passing over with the Lord, preventing Him from entering the Tabernacle of Meeting because of the violence you commit against them in their sacrifices. And the Targum renders it: “The people of the Lord will lament over you,” meaning: “Pass over with the Lord”—a cry rises up against you, and they lament after you.
Metzudat David
Nay, my sons. Do not do such things from now on:
"For it is not good, etc." The report that I hear—what the people of God are saying about you—is not good; it will be counted as a sin. Therefore, restrain yourselves from doing them again.
Metzudat Zion
Proclaiming. A matter of sound emission, similarly (Exodus 36:6): 'and they caused a proclamation to pass through the camp'.
Malbim
"Nay." And from the other side: even if the report be false, he reproved them concerning "the report is not good." That is to say: even if the thing be false, "nay, my sons" — this is not seemly for you, since you are my sons; for at all events "the report is not good," seeing that there is in this a profanation of the Name, whether by reason of the report itself or by reason of the one who tells it, for it is the people of the LORD who spread this abroad and tell it.
If one man sin against another, God shall judge him; but if a man sin against Hashem, who shall entreat for him?’ But they hearkened not to the voice of their father, because Hashem would slay them.
verse value 3483
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "sins·a·man" (יֶחֱטָא־אִ֔ישׁ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "if·he·sins" (אִם־יֶחֱטָ֨א), "and·shall·judge·him" (וּפִֽלְל֣וֹ), "sins·a·man" (יֶחֱטָא־אִ֔ישׁ). The root חטא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root חטא ("if·he·sins") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root מי ("who?") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·entreat·for·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
and he shall judge him. The language of judgment — like (ibid. 21:22): 'and he shall give as the judges determine.'
God. A judge.
For the Lord desired to kill them. For their sentence of judgment was already sealed. But before their sentence of judgment was sealed, it is said (Ezekiel 18:32): 'For I have no pleasure in the death of the dead.'
Radak
"And God shall judge him." The judge shall judge him. And the Targum renders: If a man is liable to another man, shall they not come before the judge, and he shall hear their words and decide between them? It appears that the meaning of pillel is from the Targum of "and thou shalt put away," which is u-tfalei.
“Who will pray for him?” – “Who will pray on his behalf?” That is to say, who will enter into judgment on his behalf before God, blessed be He? And it can be interpreted as the language of prayer and supplication, according to the view of Jonathan, who rendered it in the Targum: “Who will seek mercy for him, and it will be forgiven him.”
"For the Lord desired to put them to death." This is in the manner of the verse, "Make the heart of this people fat," where it says, "until cities be desolate"; and likewise, "And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh," and likewise, "For the Lord your God hardened his spirit and strengthened his heart." The meaning is that when a person becomes great in sin, God withholds from him the paths of repentance so that he will receive his punishment, and those who remain will see and be afraid. But the wicked person who has not sinned greatly — the paths of repentance are opened for him if he wishes to return, and concerning him it is said, "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies... return, and live." And even if the wicked person has sinned greatly, if he returns to the Lord with all his heart, and also shows people that his repentance is complete, and holds fast to the good path with all his soul and with all his might — truly his repentance will be accepted as complete, and he will have divine assistance in his repentance. But the Examiner of hearts knows the truth, and He saw concerning the sons of Eli that their heart was not whole — even if they were to heed their father's voice and turn from their evil way, He knew that they would not do this with all their heart. Therefore He desired that they not heed their father's voice, and that they be punished and die in their wickedness, so that people would say, "These were wicked men, and they were deserving of this punishment," and would justify the judgment upon them. And our Rabbis raised a difficulty from these verses, saying: it is written, "For the Lord desired to put them to death," and it is written, "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies." And they resolved it: here — before the decree of judgment; here — after the decree of judgment.
Ralbag
"If one man sin against another, God shall judge him." This means that a human judge will adjudicate him, and through this means he will rectify what he has transgressed, for the human judge does not don jealousy regarding this sin, since the offense was not against him; rather, he will seek out merit for the defendant as much as possible. However, if a man sins against the Lord, there is no such rectification, for there is no judge there other than the Lord and He will punish him, for the sin was against Him, and He will metaphorically "don jealousy" over this, as it is said, "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God." And in this sin of idolatry, the offense was against the Lord.
Now, they did not heed their father's voice to accept reproof, for the Lord desired to put them to death for these sins, so that those who would come after them would distance themselves from such behavior and not ruin the intent of the Torah regarding sacrifices, just as He killed Nadab and Abihu for this reason, as we have explained in our commentary on the Torah. Or, perhaps this matter of their failure to accept reproof is attributed to the Holy Name in a contingent manner, because He is the cause of all things, as it is said, "And a woman shall be for the son of your master, as the Lord has spoken."
Alternatively, the intention here may be that the sons of Eli had another sin for which the Lord deserved to put them to death, even if they were to repent from the sin regarding which Eli had reproved them. This other sin was that "they did not know the Lord," contrary to what was intended in the matter of the service. And behold, even if they were to repent from the sin regarding which Eli had reproved them, death was still due to them, for they did not perceive in the matter of the sacrifices what pertains to the service of the Lord and they did not consider any ultimate purpose in them other than the fattening of their own bodies. The Torah has already been precise in requiring that the intention in these sacrifices be directed to the Lord; therefore, it distanced wine-drinkers from the offering, since it is impossible for their intention to be complete, let alone those who "did not know the Lord," who should be distanced from the offering. For this reason, it was the will of God, Blessed and Exalted be He, that the sons of Eli should die, so that those who would come after them would be precise in the intention of the sacrifices and would know that the intention in them is not the fattening of their bodies, as these men had thought.
Metzudat David
"If he sins, etc." And his meaning is: Consider, when a person sins against his fellow, who complains before the judge and judgment is executed, and thus he was not destroyed without judgment, and even so God judges him—if he misled the judge and the verdict came out distorted:
"And if to the Lord." This means: all the more so when a person sins against the Lord. For who is there to judge the sinner? Surely he himself is the one who judges his case. How then can you not stand in awe of Him, since He is both the litigant and the judge?
"For the Lord desired to put them to death." Because they had multiplied their transgressions, and for this reason He hardened their hearts.
Metzudat Zion
And judge. He will judge, a matter of judgment, similarly (there 21:22): 'and he shall pay as the judges determine'.
Malbim
The Questions (25): How is it possible that because God desired to kill them, they did not heed their father’s voice, as if God had nullified their free choice so that they would not return in repentance? This contradicts the foundational principle of the faith that free choice is always present.
If it refers back to "the people of the LORD that spread it abroad": that is to say, the people spread the report abroad and add to it complaints, and speak rashly like the piercings of a sword, saying: How can this be — that "if one man sin against another, God shall judge him"? That is to say: are not Eli and his sons judges in the land, who adjudicate every sin that a man sins against his fellow? And now, "if a man sin against the LORD," henceforth who shall adjudicate and judge him, seeing that the judges themselves, the sons of Eli, are they that sin against the LORD? And who shall execute his judgment and plead his cause, when the priests, the judges in the land, have trampled the holy things and rob God? And he said "yitpallel" in the hitpa'el, because they need to adjudicate themselves, for they are the sinners.
"And they hearkened not," etc., "because the LORD would slay them." And our Sages of blessed memory said that what is written, "because the LORD would slay them" (although it is written, "Have I any pleasure at all in the death of the wicked?" — Ezekiel 18:23), refers to what is after the decree. And he means that after the decree the ways of repentance are withheld from him — that is to say, that He does not assist him with a divine arousal to awaken his heart and incline it toward the good, but leaves him entirely to his own choice. For if this reproof (at which they were certainly abashed by their father's words) had been before the decree, they would have found heavenly assistance to awaken their hearts then, to hearken to the voice of their righteous father and to turn from iniquity. But after the LORD would slay them, since their sentence was already determined (as will be explained from verse 27 onward), He did not awaken their hearts concerning this.
And the child Samuel grew on, and increased in favour both with Hashem, and also with men.
verse value 1568
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֚ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "with·men" (עִם־אֲנָשִֽׁים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 43: and·becoming great, also. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·becoming great" (וְגָדֵ֖ל), "with·men" (עִם־אֲנָשִֽׁים). The root גם appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "with·men" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "going" (root הלך, 133x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·choice', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהַנַּ֣עַר [and·the·boy] (331) + שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל [Samuel] (377) + הֹלֵ֥ךְ [going] (55) + וְגָדֵ֖ל [and·becoming great] (43) + וָט֑וֹב [and·choice] (23) + גַּ֚ם [also] (43) + עִם־יְהֹוָ֔ה [with·Hashem] (136) + וְגַ֖ם [and·also] (49) + עִם־אֲנָשִֽׁים [with·men] (511) = 1568.
Radak
"He goes and grows and is good." Just as he grew, so too he improved his ways. And the Targum [renders]: "And good, and his name is good."
“Both with God and with men.” As its Targum renders it: “And his ways were pleasing before the Lord, and his deeds were upright among the children of men.”
Metzudat David
He grows and increases. In wisdom and in the fear of God:
And also with people. His mind was intertwined with humanity and he was accepted by them, and they relied on this here, to say that he was also accepted by Eli’s sons, and they did not suspect him that he was the one bringing their bad report to their father.
Malbim
And the youth, after having stated (in verse 18) that Samuel’s ways were the opposite of the ways of Eli’s sons in the service of God, now informs us that this was likewise the case regarding their being hated and having a bad reputation in the eyes of the people, whereas Samuel was good in the eyes of God and men, beloved by all, and he continued to grow in this regard from one level to the next.
And there came a man of God to Eli, and said to him: ‘Thus says Hashem: Did I reveal Myself to the house of your father, when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house?
verse value 3867
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "man·of·God" (אִישׁ־אֱלֹהִ֖ים, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "did·surely·reveal" (הֲנִגְלֹ֤ה), "I·was·uncovered" (נִגְלֵ֙יתִי֙), "when·they·were" (בִּֽהְיוֹתָ֥ם). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·Eli" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root כה ("thus") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root גלה ("did·surely·reveal") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Eli', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 13 words.
Rashi
And a man of God came. This is Elkanah.
I revealed Myself to the house of your father. From here [we learn] that Aaron prophesied in Egypt. And what is the prophecy? It is what is said (Ezekiel 20:7): 'And I said to them, cast out each man the abomination of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.'
I revealed Myself. Do you know that this goodness and this greatness I gave to Aaron?
Radak
“And there came a man of God.” Our Sages said that this was Elkanah, the father of Samuel, for he was a prophet and was included among the forty-eight prophets who prophesied to the Children of Israel.
"Did I reveal Myself?" It is an infinitive in its full form, with the nun of the nifal, like nishal in "David earnestly asked leave of me"; and the heh is interrogative. And the commentators explained the heh as affirming the matter, according to the plain sense of the passage — and likewise the heh of "Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?" But my master, my father, of blessed memory, explained it as interrogative, and connected it with the end of the passage: and so the heh of "Did I reveal Myself unto the house of thy father?" and "and did I choose him... that ye should kick at My sacrifice and at Mine offering" — why do ye kick at My sacrifice? And what seems right to me is that this heh comes at the opening of a speech in order to elicit the answer, even though the matter is known. And so with the words of asking, such as "Where is Abel thy brother?"; "and He said unto him: Where art thou?"; "What is that in thy hand?"; "What doest thou here, Elijah?"; "What aileth thee, O thou sea?" And so too the heh that is likewise interrogative, as in "Did I reveal Myself?"; and likewise "Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?"; "Are we to bring you forth water out of this rock?"; "Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself?"
“To your father’s house.” Aaron and Moses, who were the prophets of the Lord in Egypt.
To the house of Pharaoh. As its Targum renders: “And they were enslaved to the house of Pharaoh.”
Ralbag
“And a man of God came to Eli.” They said that this was Elkana. Perhaps it was accepted among them [that he was the prophet], yet we do not find any prophecy attributed to him elsewhere. It is possible that it is stated that he was Pinchas, similar to the matter of the prophecies mentioned in the Book of Judges. And it seemed that the prophecies had ceased from Eli due to his old age, and therefore it was necessary for a man of God to come to him.
"I have revealed Myself to the revealed." The initial he is not a he of interrogation, but rather the true he, just as in the phrase "white-haired for a hundred years," as we explained there. And already God, blessed be He, had revealed Himself to Aaron while the Israelites were in Egypt, and he used to reprove Israel, as is mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel. Therefore, God, blessed be He, said: "Behold, I have bestowed upon Aaron the abundance of prophecy, yet this was not sufficient; but I chose him as a priest from all the families of Israel, to offer upon the altar and to burn incense upon the inner altar, and to bear before Me the garments of the High Priesthood, in order to cause the spirit of prophecy to rest upon them through the Urim and Thummim. And I have granted them all this good. Why, then, do you spurn My sacrifices and My offerings, which I commanded to be placed in the dwelling place, namely in the known dwelling place? And afterward, you will merit the gifts from those who bring them. Yet you honor your children more than Me, in that they take first from the sacrifice and the offering before they offer any of them, as if the intention were to fatten you from the choicest parts of all the offerings of Israel, which were meant to be Mine for the sake of My people, so that they might derive benefit therefrom, as we have explained in our words regarding the words of the Torah. And you are directing the benefit intended for My people in this matter toward fattening yourselves. Behold, Israel will derive benefit from the fact that the priests eat [the portions], when they utilize them in the proper manner, for they shall teach the judgments of God, blessed be He, to Jacob, and His Torah to Israel."
Metzudat David
"A man of God." Our Sages of blessed memory said (Sifrei on Deuteronomy 33:1, "This is the blessing") that this refers to Elkana, the father of Samuel.
"Did I plainly reveal Myself?" This is to say: If the truth is that which is revealed, then "I revealed myself," etc. This is to say: Is it not known to all?
"To your father's house." This refers to Aaron, who prophesied in Egypt, as it is said (Ezekiel 20:7): "And I said to them: Let every man put away the detestable thing that is before his eyes..." and "the idols of Egypt..." (Shemot Rabbah 3:16):
"To the house of Pharaoh." Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translates: "And they were enslaved to the house of Pharaoh."
Metzudat Zion
The revealed. It is with the heh of question.
Malbim
The Questions (27–29): The commentators did not find a solution to this difficulty regarding the phrase “Did I indeed reveal Myself,” to the extent that they were compelled to say about it that it is a rhetorical question that is affirmed. And the wording “to the house of Pharaoh” is incomprehensible, and he ought to have said “in the house of Pharaoh.” And the wording “which I commanded in My habitation” is difficult to understand. And the word “to My people” is superfluous, and its grammar is also difficult.
"And there came a man of God": Our Sages of blessed memory stated (in Seder Olam) that this was Elkana, for it is impossible that Pinchas would have been sent for this matter, since he had a personal interest in the affair, namely that the prophecy had been made that the priesthood would pass from the house of Itamar to the house of Eleazar.
The revealed text says in a questioning tone: “Have I revealed Myself to your father’s house while they were in Egypt? Or have I revealed Myself for the sake of Pharaoh’s house?” This means that even in Egypt there were priests, namely the priests of Pharaoh, who were neither the priests of Israel nor the priests of the Lord. My intention is that the priests, the sons of Aaron, are our agents and the agents of the Merciful One. They are the agents of Israel to serve as intermediaries between them and their God, to perform their worship; and they are the agents of the Merciful One to serve as His ministers, doing His will. (Therefore, our Sages of blessed memory raised a doubt in Nedarim as to which of the two roles is primary; see there.) But the priests in Egypt were neither the priests of the people of the Lord nor the priests of the Lord; they were only the priests of Pharaoh, appointed by him, and they received their stipend from Pharaoh, as it is stated: “For a statute was for the priests from Pharaoh, and they ate their statute which Pharaoh gave them.” But when I revealed Myself to your father’s house to appoint him to the priesthood, this did not occur in Egypt to make him a priest for the people of Egypt, but rather upon their departure from there, to make him a priest for the people of Israel. And not for the sake of Pharaoh’s house, but to be a priest to the Supreme God.
And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to go up to Mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me? and did I give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?
verse value 6780
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 87 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִי֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·all·tribes·of" (מִכׇּל־שִׁבְטֵ֨י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·did·I·choose" (וּבָחֹ֣ר), "from·all·tribes·of" (מִכׇּל־שִׁבְטֵ֨י), "upon·my·altar" (עַֽל־מִזְבְּחִ֗י). The root ישראל appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 102x in I Samuel); "to·my·face" (root פנים, 93x in I Samuel); "to·go·up" (root עלה, 81x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root בחר ("and·did·I·choose") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root שבט ("from·all·tribes·of") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·my·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Radak
"To go up upon My altar." Properly it should be le-haalot, of the hifil conjugation — that is to say, to offer up burnt-offerings.
Metzudat David
And I chose him. Furthermore, I dealt favorably with him, in that I chose him to be a priest unto Me.
Metzudat Zion
To ascend. To bring up.
My offerings. They are priestly gifts, which are the remainder of the fire of the altar.
Malbim
And “I chose him” explains that I did not reveal Myself to him in Egypt on account of the Egyptian people; rather, I chose him from all the tribes of Israel in this respect, to be our agent to serve under them and in their agency. Likewise, I did not reveal Myself to him on account of Pharaoh’s household; rather, I chose him for Myself as a priest, to be the Agent of the Merciful One. And it explains what is stated, that He chose him for Himself as a priest, for three things: 1) To ascend upon My altars to offer sacrifices, and “to ascend” is like “to cause to ascend” in the causative binyan, like “to lead them” the way (Exodus 14); 2) To burn incense; 3) To bear the ephod before Me, to wear the holy garments in which he serves his God. And against what is stated that He chose him from all the tribes of Israel, it says that because of this, “I will give to your father’s house all the fire-offerings of the children of Israel.” Because he is their agent and the angel of the covenant standing between the Lord and them, I elevated his reward from the fire-offerings. However, even in this matter, He stated a condition that He gave him only the fire-offerings, meaning items designated for the fire. As if, from the sacrifice, there is a portion fitting for the owner of the sacrifice, such as the flesh of the peace-offerings, in which the priests have nothing; and there is a portion fitting for the Almighty, such as the flesh of the sin-offering and the guilt-offering, and the remnants of the meal-offerings, which were fitting to be offered up to the fire and to be burned with the fats and the limbs. And the Lord waived His portion so that they not be given to the fire, but rather the priests shall eat them, and their eating is regarded in His eyes as if they had offered them upon the fire, as it is stated, “I have given it to you as your portion from the fire-offerings” (Leviticus 6:10), and likewise it says, “This is the anointing of Aaron and the anointing of his sons from the fire-offerings of the Lord” (Leviticus 7:35). And if so, what they established as a statute for themselves to take with a fork from the owner’s portion is robbery in their hands.
Wherefore kick you at My sacrifice and at Mine offering, which I have commanded in My habitation; and honour your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel My people?
verse value 5843
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "why" (לָ֣מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·make·yourselves·fat" (לְהַבְרִיאֲכֶ֗ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 516: and·in·my·grain·offering, I·commanded. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "you·will·kick" (תִבְעֲט֗וּ), "in·my·sacrifice" (בְּזִבְחִי֙), "and·in·my·grain·offering" (וּבְמִנְחָתִ֔י). The root מנחה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "to·my·people" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 102x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root צוה ("I·commanded") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root מעון ("dwelling") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'dwelling', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
which I commanded, a dwelling. Which I commanded in My dwelling.
to fatten you from the beginning, and so on. This is an inverted verse: And you honored your sons above Me, to My people — before My people you honored your sons above Me. And what is the honor? 'To fatten you from the beginning of all the offering of Israel' — your meal preceded My meal, as it is said (above, verse 15): 'And before they burned the fat,' etc.
to feed you. The language of a meal — like (II Samuel 13:5): 'Come, let Tamar my sister come and prepare food for me.'
to My people. It refers to 'and you honored your sons above Me' — you showed to My people that you are more honorable than Me. And in what did you show it? 'To feed you from the beginning of My offering.'
Radak
"Why do you kick at My offerings?" For one who despises a thing kicks it with his feet. So too, you will despise the sacrifice and the meal-offering. You will see that the sacrifices and meal-offerings are not brought for their own sake, but rather to fatten you. And behold, this is a desecration of the holy things, as if you were kicking them and pushing them away, for because of you the Israelites are prevented from bringing [their offerings].
"Which I commanded, [in] the habitation." That is to say, in My habitation. And likewise, "that is found [in] the house of the Lord" is like "in the house of the Lord."
"and you honored them." This means that you did not rebuke them, nor did you prevent them from committing these evils.
"To make you healthy." And it did not say "to make them healthy," because it is impossible that Eli was not eating from what his sons were eating. And the meaning of "to make you healthy" is "to make you fat," and similarly, "and Eglon was a very fat man."
"to My people." The lamed [in "to My people"] is like the lamed in "they killed Abner" and the third [lamed] in "to Absalom."
Metzudat David
"To what end do you kick?" He means to say: "If indeed I have done all these good things for your father's house, why do you kick at My sacrifices? Is this the reward?"
"As I commanded" – the dwelling place: to offer sacrifices in My dwelling place, and this is the Tabernacle.
And you honor. You bestow honor upon your sons more than upon Me.
"To make you healthy." To fatten you from the beginning, etc., and you should not wait until the fat is burned, as it is written above (verse 15):
To My people. Which was brought for the sake of My people, to appease them, and not to fatten you [and because He did not reprove His sons as He ought, He included them with them]:
Metzudat Zion
You have kicked. It is a matter of contempt, and he compared it to an animal that kicks with its feet, similarly (Deuteronomy 32:15): 'and Israel grew fat and kicked'.
My dwelling. In My dwelling, meaning in the Tabernacle, the place of My dwelling, similarly (Psalms 26:8): 'I love the dwelling of Your house'.
To make you fat. A matter of fatness, similarly (Judges 3:17 et al.): 'and Eglon was a very fat man'.
Malbim
Why does He now contend with them regarding these two matters? 1) Against what was stated, that he is an emissary of the Merciful One, who chose him for Himself as a priest. If so, all the honor of their priesthood derives solely from the fact that they are priests of the Lord, offering sacrifices of acceptance, not on account of themselves. Therefore, it is fitting that their entire desire should be to honor the sacrifices, since their honor is a contingent and secondary matter, derived from "fire-offerings of the Lord," which is the essential intention. If so, why do you spurn My sacrifices and My offerings, which I commanded? "Maon" refers to the part of the sacrifice that I commanded should be in the sanctuary, namely the portion offered upon the altar. Why do you despise it? By taking their portion before the Lord's portion, before they burn the fat, as if their honor is primary and the honor of the Lord is secondary, which is the opposite of the truth. For if they diminish the honor of the sacrifice, all the more so is their honor, which is dependent upon it, considered as nothing. 2) Against the aspect that they are our emissaries. Regarding this it is said, "And I will give to your father's house all the fire-offerings of Israel," which we explained means that they are entitled only from the portion belonging to the fire-offerings, not from the portion of the owners. He says, "And why do you honor your sons more than Me, by taking more than what is due to the table on high?" And He explains, "To make you fat" (meaning, to fatten and strengthen your bodies), "with the first of all the offerings of Israel," which you take with the fork, the primary portion of the sacrifices of Israel, from the portion belonging to My people, meaning from the portion of the owners. This I did not designate for the fire-offerings; rather, it belongs to the owners. How then do you merit it, since the priests merited only from the table on high? And how do you elevate your honor above the honor of the Lord, as if you are entitled to a special portion in addition to "fire-offerings of the Lord"?
Therefore Hashem, the God of Israel, says: I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before Me for ever; but now Hashem says: Be it far from Me: for them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.
verse value 4471
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 93 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִּ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "utterance·of·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה֮, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 117: utterance·of·Hashem, utterance·of·Hashem. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "say" (אָמ֣וֹר), "for·those·who·honor·me" (כִּֽי־מְכַבְּדַ֥י), "I·will·honor" (אֲכַבֵּ֖ד). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "say" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "utterance·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "would·walk" (root הלך, 133x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root חלל ("far·be·it") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root בזה ("and·those·despising·me") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'until·forever', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 8 words.
Rashi
I said, I spoke. Two times I decreed greatness for the sons of Itamar. In the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari it is said (Numbers 4:28, 33): 'at the hand of Itamar son of Aaron the priest.' And Eli was from the sons of Itamar. This I saw in the Midrash Samuel. And a proper language from this I heard: 'I said, I spoke, your house and the house of your father' — at first I gave the high priesthood to Eleazar the priest, as it is said (ibid. 20:26): 'And he shall strip Aaron of his garments,' etc. And in the days of the concubine, when Israel transgressed in most of the commandments — and who caused them to do so? Pinchas and his like, who had the obligation to go from city to city and rebuke them — I took the high priesthood from them and gave it to you, for you are from the sons of Itamar. And I said: 'they shall walk before Me forever' — for when one decrees greatness for a person, he decrees it for him and for his generations, forever.
For those who honor Me I will honor. The sons of Pinchas, who honored Me in Shittim (Numbers 25:11). And so it was in the days of Solomon, when the Temple was built (I Kings 2:27): 'And Solomon drove out Abiatar from being priest to the Lord, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to the house of Eli.' And Tzadok became high priest in his place, for he was from the sons of Pinchas — so they are traced in Chronicles (I Chronicles 6:38).
But those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed. Of themselves, once I withdraw from them.
Radak
“Speak, I said.” In the Midrash: Initially, I gave the priesthood to Eleazar the priest and his sons, as it is stated, “And you shall clothe them upon Eleazar his son” (Numbers 20:26). But in the days of the concubine at Gibeah, when Israel transgressed in the majority of the commandments, who caused them to do so? It was Pinchas, Eleazar, and the rest of the priests, who ought to have gone from city to city and removed them [from sin], yet they did not do so. Therefore, I took the High Priesthood from them and gave it to you, for you are among the descendants of Itamar. And I said that your house and your father’s house shall walk before Me forever. Now, far be it from Me [to revoke this], for I will honor those who honor Me; the sons of Pinchas honored Me in Shittim.
“Those who despise shall be diminished.” As it is stated: “And Solomon drove out Abiathar from being a priest...” (1 Kings 2:27), in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke concerning the house of Eli. And Zadok became the High Priest, for he was from the descendants of Phinehas. Far be it from Me that they should walk before Me. Since they are despisers, it is fitting that they be diminished. This statement was said concerning the seed of Eli, and not concerning the other priests, even though initially it was said, “Your house and the house of your father” (1 Samuel 2:31), and the “house of your father” includes the other priests, as it is stated, “I revealed Myself to the house of your father” (1 Samuel 2:27), referring to Aaron the priest. He and his sons, who sinned in their priesthood, were stripped of the honor of the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood. The honor of the priesthood is the position of High Priest, and there was no High Priest among his descendants; rather, they were subordinate to others, as it is stated, “Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priestly offices” (1 Samuel 2:36). And the covenant of the priesthood is life and peace, as He said concerning Phinehas, “Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace” (Numbers 25:12), and it is said, “My covenant with him was life and peace” (Malachi 2:5). Concerning the seed of Eli, it was said, “All the males of your house shall die” (1 Samuel 2:33)—men, in contrast to the covenant, just as they profaned the covenant and the honor of the priesthood.
"Shall be lightly esteemed." A matter of disgrace; and to distinguish the two senses, the kuf here comes without a dagesh, whereas the kuf of "your pursuers shall be swift" — which is a matter of swiftness — is dageshed. And both are of the nifal conjugation, from the doubled verbs. And He said "they shall be lightly esteemed" and did not say "I will make light," as He said "I will honor," because they will bring the disgrace upon themselves when I hide My face from them. And in the midrash: Rabbi Jeremiah said in the name of Rabbi Samuel — we find that the Holy One, blessed be He, was more stringent about the honor of a righteous man than about His own honor. Concerning the honor of a righteous man, what is written? "And him that curseth thee will I curse." Concerning the honor of the Holy One, blessed be He, it is written, "and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed" — they shall be lightly esteemed at the hands of others.
Ralbag
"I will honor those who honor Me." This means Pinchas, who honored God, blessed be He, by zealously guarding His honor at Shittim; therefore He restored the High Priesthood to him in the days of Solomon, for Zadok was High Priest in place of Abiathar, who was from the house of Eli, who was from the descendants of Ithamar, as is stated in Chronicles, that Ahimelech son of Abiathar was from the descendants of Ithamar.
Metzudat David
And the house of your father. They are the sons of Itmar:
"Let them walk before Me." This implies that they shall serve in the office of the High Priesthood.
"For those who honor Me." One who honored Me, I too will honor him. This means: I will return the office of the priesthood to the sons of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, who honored Me at Shittim, when he was zealous with My zeal.
"And those who despise Me" – these are the sons of Eli, who despised the Omnipresent; may their honor be lightened. And so it was in the days of Solomon, for he banished Abiathar from the priesthood before the Lord, as he was of the lineage of Eli (1 Kings 2:27), and Zadok served as priest in his place (ibid., v. 35), as he was of the lineage of Phinehas.
Metzudat Zion
Far be it. Trifles and disgrace.
They will belittle. It is the opposite of honor.
Malbim
Therefore, behold, until now I said and thought in my heart: since it is your house, and you are the head of the thousands of Israel, and since it is your father’s house, the house of Aaron the priest, therefore they shall walk before Me — they shall be righteous men who walk before the Lord continually (as it is written: “Walk before Me and be perfect”). And because of this, they will remain in their greatness forever. However, now that it was not according to my thought and they turned away from My service, far be it from Me to maintain My covenant with them. For “I will honor those who honor Me,” for the honor of those who serve the Lord is not a matter of chance, but of My providence; because they honor Me, so I will honor them. And consequently, “they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed,” meaning I will remove My providence from them and not honor them, and they will be diminished from themselves, after I have withheld My honor from them.
Behold, the days come, that I will cut off your arm, and the arm of your father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in your house.
verse value 3585
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·cut" (וְגָֽדַעְתִּי֙, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·I·will·cut" (וְגָֽדַעְתִּי֙), "your·arm" (אֶת־זְרֹ֣עֲךָ֔), "and·the·arm·of" (וְאֶת־זְרֹ֖עַ). The root זרע appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·being" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "going·in" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel); "days" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root הן ("they") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: הִנֵּה֙ [they] (60) + יָמִ֣ים [days] (100) + בָּאִ֔ים [going·in] (53) + וְגָֽדַעְתִּי֙ [and·I·will·cut] (493) + אֶת־זְרֹ֣עֲךָ֔ [your·arm] (698) + וְאֶת־זְרֹ֖עַ [and·the·arm·of] (684) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + אָבִ֑יךָ [your·father] (33) + מִֽהְי֥וֹת [from·being] (461) + זָקֵ֖ן [old] (157) + בְּבֵיתֶֽךָ [in·your·house] (434) = 3585.
Rashi
And I will cut off your arm. The strength that you have in My house — that you say, 'Did I not take by force?'
Radak
"Behold, days are coming." For the curse did not take effect upon the seed of Eli until Zadok became High Priest.
"And I will cut off." Explanation: And I will sever.
"Your arm" – Your strength, namely, longevity.
From the verse “an elder” (Zaken). The young men shall die, and many commentators explained that “wise man” (Chacham) is akin to “and you shall revere the face of an elder” (Zaken), meaning that he should not be from the house of Eli, who was a member of the Sanhedrin.
Ralbag
“From having an old man in your house.” This means that there should be no one among them who grows old, but rather they should die as young men.
Metzudat David
"And I will cut off." I will uproot the very strength of your dominion.
“From being an elder.” This means: a ruler and a prince, for the rulers and princes were called the elders of the people.
Metzudat Zion
And I will cut off. I will destroy, similarly (Deuteronomy 7:5): 'and hew down their Asherim'.
Your arm. A matter of strength, for strength is in the arm.
Malbim
The Questions (31–33): Why is there a repetition of “an old man in your house,” and it is stated a second time (verse 32) “and there shall not be an old man in your house,” and a third time (verse 33) “and all the multitude of your house shall die men,” and what is stated, “and you shall look upon the enemy’s dwelling,” the commentators were hard put to explain, and what is stated, “and I will not cut off from you a man from My altar,” is not a curse according to reason.
"Behold, days are coming" — He decreed his punishment in three matters: 1) that his honor would be taken away; 2) that his sustenance and livelihood would diminish; 3) that the days of his sons would be shortened. Regarding the first, it says, "And I will cut off your arm from being an elder in your house." This means: the arm [i.e., power] that you had by virtue of being an elder (that is, by judging Israel), I will cut off your strength in this regard, and there will no longer be from your house a judge, an elder, and a prince of Israel. And so our Sages of blessed memory explained in Sanhedrin (page 14). Regarding the second, concerning the diminution of his sustenance, it says, "And thou shalt behold an adversary in the habitation, and you shall look continually, and thou shalt see that the habitation, which is the Temple, will be straitened before thee from finding therein thy livelihood." And this will be so in all that He does good to Israel; His intention is that even at a time when goodness increases for Israel, as it was in the days of Solomon, nevertheless you will not profit from their goodness; rather, you will see only narrowness and distress. Regarding the third, concerning the shortening of the days of his sons, it says, "And there shall not be an elder in your house all the days" — an elder in the literal sense.
And you shall behold a rival in My habitation, in all the good which shall be done to Israel; and there shall not be an old man in your house for ever.
verse value 3227
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "flint" (צַ֣ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "which·shall·benefit" (אֲשֶׁר־יֵיטִ֖יב, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·you·will·look" (וְהִבַּטְתָּ֙), "flint" (צַ֣ר), "which·shall·benefit" (אֲשֶׁר־יֵיטִ֖יב). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which·shall·benefit" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "and·not·will·be" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "all·the·days" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root נבט ("and·you·will·look") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root צר ("flint") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהִבַּטְתָּ֙ [and·you·will·look] (422) + צַ֣ר [flint] (290) + מָע֔וֹן [dwelling] (166) + בְּכֹ֥ל [in·them] (52) + אֲשֶׁר־יֵיטִ֖יב [which·shall·benefit] (542) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (942) + וְלֹא־יִֽהְיֶ֥ה [and·not·will·be] (67) + זָקֵ֛ן [old] (157) + בְּבֵיתְךָ֖ [in·your·house] (434) + כׇּל־הַיָּמִֽים [all·the·days] (155) = 3227.
Rashi
And thou shalt behold an adversary in the habitation. And you will see your rival at your side within My dwelling — like a woman who sees her rival with her in the house.
in all the good that He will do to Israel. When the Eternal House is built in the days of Solomon, and the goodness of Israel is complete, as it is said there (I Kings 8:56): 'Not one word of all His good word has fallen,' (ibid. 5:1): 'Yehuda and Israel were many, like the sand that is by the sea,' etc. (ibid. 5:5): 'And Yehuda and Israel dwelt safely, each under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon' (ibid., verse 5).
And there will not be an old man in your house. Measure for measure: you ate sacrificial foods before their time — before they burned the fat. So you too will die before your time.
Radak
“A rival in the habitation.” “Habitation” refers to the House of the Lord. And the meaning of “rival” is like “and her rival provoked her” — for just as two women married to one man are rivals to one another, so two priests in the Temple are rivals to one another, since each one takes his portion and begrudges his fellow his own. And “rival” stands in construct with “habitation,” or its meaning is “a rival in the habitation.”
"In all that He will do well." And all the good that the Lord will do for Israel, when He builds the Temple, your seed will be "light" there, meaning that another will be greater than them, and they will be subordinate to others. And the Targum: "And you shall look upon the distress that shall come upon the men of your house because of the sins they committed in My Temple, and afterwards He will bring good upon Israel."
Ralbag
“And you shall look upon a narrow dwelling in all wherein He shall do good to Israel.” This means: You will already find a place that is narrow and cramped for yourself in all the good that the Lord will do for Israel, and you will have no portion in it to rejoice in.
"And there shall not be an old man in your house all the days." This means that no wise man shall be found in his house for all the days, as is the case now, for there was in it Eli, who was a wise man and a prophet.
Metzudat David
"And you shall look upon the distress of his dwelling." This means: Your seed shall see his distress in the dwelling, for there will be another High Priest, not from among them. (And they call him "enemy" in a figurative sense, for they will not be in the same time, for there is no High Priest but one.)
"In all that He will do good." In all the days that the Lord will do good to Israel, so that the Temple will be in its proper place, the enemy will look upon the dwelling.
Metzudat Zion
And You will look. A matter of seeing and observation.
A rival. Just as two women to one man are called rivals, so too two high priests are called to each other in the language of 'rival'.
Dwelling. In a dwelling.
Yet will I not cut off every man of your from Mine altar, to make your eyes to fail, and your heart to languish; and all the increase of your house shall die young men.
verse value 5200
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 67 letters. Verse gematria: 5200 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·increase·of" (וְכׇל־מַרְבִּ֥ית, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "not·I·will·cut·off" (לֹֽא־אַכְרִ֤ית), "My·altar" (מִזְבְּחִ֔י), "to·make·fail" (לְכַלּ֥וֹת). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "with" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel); "your·house" (root בית, 75x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root כרת ("not·I·will·cut·off") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root כלה ("to·make·fail") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאִ֗ישׁ [and·man] (317) + לֹֽא־אַכְרִ֤ית [not·I·will·cut·off] (662) + לְךָ֙ [to·you] (50) + מֵעִ֣ם [with] (150) + מִזְבְּחִ֔י [My·altar] (67) + לְכַלּ֥וֹת [to·make·fail] (486) + אֶת־עֵינֶ֖יךָ [your·eyes] (561) + וְלַאֲדִ֣יב [and·to·grieve] (53) + אֶת־נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ [your·heart] (851) + וְכׇל־מַרְבִּ֥ית [and·all·increase·of] (708) + בֵּיתְךָ֖ [your·house] (432) + יָמ֥וּתוּ [die] (462) + אֲנָשִֽׁים [man] (401) = 5200.
Rashi
and to cause languishing. Like 'v-ladeiv.'
men will die. Young men — the mourning of a young man is not like the mourning of an infant.
Radak
"To consume your eyes" means the eyes of your children's children who will be in that time. And likewise, "to grieve your soul" refers to the soul of your children's children who will be in that time. This is the "destruction of eyes" [mentioned in Scripture], that they will see in the Temple a priest who is a prince over them. And this punishment will be greater than if He had annihilated them all, leaving no remnant of them. Therefore, He said, "And I will not cut off from My altar any man" (1 Samuel 2:33). The matter is like what David said: "Slay them not, lest my people forget" (Psalms 59:12), and "make them wander to and fro by Thy power, and bring them down" (Psalms 59:12). For this is the great punishment: that they will live and see their evil. And similarly, Moses our teacher, of blessed memory, asked: "Please kill me, if I have found favor in Your sight, and let me not see my affliction" (Numbers 11:15).
"To languish your soul." This is a transposition of "the anguish of the soul," and likewise its Targum renders it, "to afflict your soul." And similarly, it translates "the languishing of the soul" as "the affliction of the soul."
"And all the increase of thy house." In the sense of "those whom I have dandled and reared" (Lamentations 2:22) — trimint in the foreign tongue.
"Men shall die." [This refers to] young men. And so did Jonathan render it: "Youth." And similarly, the term "men" in "men" [refers to] old men. Each instance is interpreted according to its context.
Ralbag
“And I will not cut off from My altar a man.” So that they may see their evil state, being under the rule of a priest who governs them, unlike the authority they would have had were it not for this sin. And for this reason, your sons will not die while they are still young, but they will die when they are grown men, in such a way that they will see their lowliness and poverty in the service of the priesthood.
Metzudat David
"And I will not cut off a man." Completely and utterly, without any of them serving upon the altar; rather, they shall serve upon the altar and see their evil, so that there may be for them destruction of the eyes and sorrow of the soul (and although He spoke to Eli in the second person singular, He was speaking concerning the seed, for the seed of a person is reckoned as himself).
"And all the multitude." All the great ones of your house shall die as men, not old men nor young children, but rather young men, whose mourning is great.
Metzudat Zion
To consume. One who awaits something and it does not come, is called 'consumption of eyes' in the language of Scripture.
And la-adiv. The letters are transposed, as though 'and to grief,' and it is from the matter of sorrow and anguish, similarly (there 28:65): 'and anguish of soul'.
The increase. A matter of greatness, similarly (Lamentations 2:22): 'which I have nourished and raised'.
Malbim
"And a man" – Now he explains these three curses again in their order and clarifies their details: a) Regarding what was said, "I will cut off your arm," he clarifies that one should not think that his sons will not be the judges and elders of Israel, but rather that they will have other livelihoods and occupations. Not so; for "I will not cut off from you a man from My altar," meaning that nevertheless they will remain servants of the altar, but they will be lowly and despised. b) Regarding what was said, "And thou shalt behold an adversary in the habitation," he clarifies that they will remain at the altar always in such a manner that your eyes will be consumed watching his greatness in the hands of others, who are the sons of Eleazar, while he will be in poverty and lacking everything. c) Regarding what was said, "There shall not be an old man in your house," he clarifies that they will not die when they are young, for the grief is not so great; rather, "all the increase of your house shall die as men," meaning grown men, for which the mourning is great and the grief is severe.
And this shall be the sign to you, that which shall come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them.
verse value 2798
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "will·go·in" (יָבֹא֙) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֤ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Hophni" (אֶל־חׇפְנִ֖י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 13: will·go·in, one. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·this·for·you" (וְזֶה־לְּךָ֣), "will·go·in" (יָבֹא֙), "to·two" (אֶל־שְׁנֵ֣י). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·two" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "will·go·in" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אות ("sign") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root פינחס ("and·Phinehas") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Phinehas', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְזֶה־לְּךָ֣ [and·this·for·you] (68) + הָא֗וֹת [sign] (412) + אֲשֶׁ֤ר [that] (501) + יָבֹא֙ [will·go·in] (13) + אֶל־שְׁנֵ֣י [to·two] (391) + בָנֶ֔יךָ [your·sons] (82) + אֶל־חׇפְנִ֖י [to·Hophni] (179) + וּפִֽינְחָ֑ס [and·Phinehas] (214) + בְּי֥וֹם [in·day] (58) + אֶחָ֖ד [one] (13) + יָמ֥וּתוּ [die] (462) + שְׁנֵיהֶֽם [two] (405) = 2798.
Rashi
And this is the sign to you. That the matter will be fulfilled: on one day your two sons will die. And it will be for you a sign that all the calamity that was said to you will be fulfilled — 'and you shall behold an adversary in the habitation' — and all the multitude of your house, men will die.
Radak
And this shall be the sign for you: When you see that your two sons die on the same day, it will be made clear to you that the prophecy I spoke concerning your sons will be fulfilled.
Metzudat David
"And this shall be the sign for you": That all the words of the prophecy shall be fulfilled.
"Which shall come." The sign is the event that will come to your two sons, that they will die on the same day, and by this you will know that everything will be fulfilled.
Malbim
And this is now explained: the time when the three decrees mentioned will be fulfilled. It says, "And there shall be no elder in your house"—this will be fulfilled immediately. And this is what is written, "And this shall be the sign to you, that shall come upon your two sons"—and from this time onward, this curse took effect upon his seed.
And I will raise Me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in My heart and in My mind; and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before Mine anointed for ever.
verse value 4453
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 72 letters. Notable word values: "for·him" (לוֹ֙) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִי֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "before·my·anointed" (לִפְנֵֽי־מְשִׁיחִ֖י, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 141: faithful, faithful. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·I·will·maintain" (וַהֲקִימֹתִ֥י), "in·my·heart" (בִּלְבָבִ֥י), "and·in·my·soul" (וּבְנַפְשִׁ֖י). The root אמן appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "according·as" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "all·the·days" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel); "and·walks·about" (root הלך, 133x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אמן ("faithful") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·do', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
A faithful priest. He is Tzadok.
Radak
"And I will establish for myself a faithful priest" (1 Samuel 2:35). They said that this was Zadok, for the curse did not take effect upon the seed of Eli until Zadok became High Priest. This occurred when David was fleeing from Absalom, when Abiathar was removed and Zadok became High Priest, as it is stated: "And Abiathar went up" (2 Samuel 15:24). And afterward it is stated: "And the king said to Zadok, 'Return the ark of God to the city'" (2 Samuel 15:29). And on that day he was appointed High Priest. But he was not [fully] High Priest until Solomon was anointed, and he too was anointed as High Priest. Prior to this day, the seed of Eli had not been removed from the High Priesthood, for Ahijah son of Ahitub was bearing the ephod in the war of Saul, and Ahimelech was High Priest in Nob, and his son Abiathar was High Priest until Zadok was established.
"He shall do according to that which is in My heart and in My mind." Its meaning: that he shall do all that is according to My will. And so Jonathan rendered it: who shall act according to My word and My will.
“Beit Ne’eman.” This means “enduring,” similar to the phrase “makom ne’eman” (a reliable place), for the descendants of Zadok served as High Priests, and you will find their lineage recorded in the Book of Chronicles down to Ezra.
"And He shall walk before My anointed one." He and his seed. And it says, "before My anointed one," for the priest would come before the king to instruct him in the good way, and the king would not come before the High Priest except when he would inquire through the Urim and Thummim, as it is written, "And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, and inquire for him by judgment of the Urim" (Numbers 27:21). But at any other time, whenever the king desired to see the High Priest and speak with him, the priest would come before him. And so said the prophet Zechariah: "And he shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (Zechariah 6:13). And the explanation of "and he shall be a priest upon his throne" is like "before his throne," similar to "standing upon him" or "standing before him," which is like "before him." And the Targum [Yonatan] [translates]: "And he shall serve before My anointed one." And it appears that his meaning is as we have explained.
Ralbag
"A priest is trustworthy." This refers to Zadok, who was appointed as priest in place of Abiathar during the days of Solomon.
“And He shall walk before My anointed one all the days.” This means: before the king who will restrain My people.
Metzudat David
"A priest is trustworthy"—this refers to Zadok, who will perform according to what is in My heart, in accordance with the Torah and the commandment.
A faithful house. A house established for him and for his seed after him:
"And He shall walk." He will stroll before the king to entertain him, and there will be a counsel of peace between them.
Metzudat Zion
Faithful. Established, similarly (Isaiah 22:23): 'a nail in a reliable place'.
And He will walk. A matter of walking about, similarly (Leviticus 26:12): 'and I will walk among you'.
Malbim
And I will raise up. Now he explains that the first two curses will be fulfilled in the days of David, for then Abiathar, who was from the sons of Itamar, was removed from the priesthood, and Zadok entered in his place. This is what is written: “And I will cut off your arm,” and “I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest.” This refers to Zadok the priest, who was faithful to his God, as it is stated: “And the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me” (Ezekiel 44:15). Just as he will perform his deeds and his service according to that which is in My heart and in My soul, they will not be solely in accordance with the external commandment, but rather in accordance with the divine intention and his thoughts, for the intention of the commandments is to increase the honour of the Lord, and to sanctify oneself with His holiness; this is the soul of the commandments and their inner spirit. For the deed alone is a material body to this soul, which is the conceptual intention. And “I will build him”—just as he will be faithful to his God, so too will I build for him a faithful house. And this will be at the time when the King of Israel is anointed, in the days of David. This is what is written: “And he shall walk before My anointed.”
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in your house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say: Put me, I pray you, into one of the priests’offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.’
verse value 5570
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·remaining" (כׇּל־הַנּוֹתָר֙, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "all·the·remaining" (כׇּל־הַנּוֹתָר֙), "for·a·piece·of" (לַאֲג֥וֹרַת), "and·loaf·of·bread" (וְכִכַּר־לָ֑חֶם). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·will·say" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·one·of" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root יתר ("all·the·remaining") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root נא ("please") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·loaf·of·bread', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
to hire for a silver coin. In order to earn a ma'ah of silver.
For a piece of silver. From weights: twenty gerah is (Exodus 30:13).
attach me. Gather me.
Radak
"To bow down to him." As Targum Jonathan renders it, "to humble oneself before him," meaning that one should humble oneself before him and request from him one's livelihood.
"For a gerah of silver." On account of a gerah of silver; and the aleph is added. It is from "twenty gerahs," and its Targum is "for a ma'ah of silver," as the Targum of "twenty gerahs" is "twenty ma'in." And some explain it from the Targum of sachar (wage), which is agra.
“And a loaf of bread.” As its Targum [translates it]: “a piece of bread,” meaning, a portion of bread.
"Attach me, I pray." "Join me, I pray," just as it is written, "and they attached themselves to the House of Jacob." From the term "attached" in the phrase "in the inheritance of the Lord," the matter of joining and clinging is derived.
To one of the priestly divisions. To one of the divisions of the priests; and so did Jonathan render it: "From now on, to one of the divisions of the priests."
Ralbag
That he may come to bow down to him for a silver shekel and a loaf of bread. This means that he will request that he be appointed to one of the priestly watches for a small benefit that will accrue to him from that priesthood, namely a silver ma'ah and a loaf of bread, and this will suffice for him, so that they will assign him to one of the priestly watches in order that he may receive from it a little bread to eat. And this is the punishment fitting for the house of Eli, in exchange for their taking that which was not theirs, to fatten themselves; and God, blessed be He, will remove from them that which ought to be theirs, in such a way that nothing will remain for them except a little, from which they will be able to live with difficulty.
Metzudat David
to bow down to Him. To the High Priest who shall be established from the seed of Zadok:
For a silver gerah. On account of a silver gerah and a loaf of bread that he receives from him as a gift:
And it says: “That which remains in your house.” He should say to him: “I beg you, gather me and join me to one of the priestly offices, so that I may eat a morsel of bread there, for I lack bread elsewhere.”
Metzudat Zion
To a gerah. The alef is added, and it is like 'gerah,' which is a coin of silver, and it is a small coin.
And a loaf. So a whole loaf is called.
Attach me. A matter of gathering and clinging, similarly (Isaiah 14:1): 'and they shall attach themselves to the house of Jacob'.
Bread. It is a slice, similarly (Leviticus 2:6): 'you shall break it into slices'.
Malbim
"And it shall come to pass" — and then the second curse also shall be fulfilled, which he said, "and thou shalt behold an adversary in the habitation" (1 Samuel 2:32): that everyone left of the house of Eli shall come to bow down to the High Priest for a piece of silver, and shall ask of him that he attach him to one of the priestly courses, so that he may have a morsel of bread to eat. (And "agorat" is from the sense of gerah, a coin; and so Yonatan rendered it "for a ma'ah of silver"; and the aleph is added.)
Rashi
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim