The boy Samuel, called in the night — 'Speak, for Thy servant heareth' — receives the first vision against the house of Eli, and all Israel knows him a prophet.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And the child Samuel ministered to Hashem before Eli. And the word of Hashem was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision.
verse value 3627
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Verse gematria: 3627 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Eli" (עֵלִ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·word·of·Hashem" (וּדְבַר־יְהֹוָ֗ה, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·word·of·Hashem" (וּדְבַר־יְהֹוָ֗ה), "valuable" (יָקָר֙), "vision" (חָז֖וֹן). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "in·the·days" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root יקר ("valuable") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root פרץ ("widespread") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Eli', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְהַנַּ֧עַר [and·the·boy] (331) + שְׁמוּאֵ֛ל [Samuel] (377) + מְשָׁרֵ֥ת [juice] (940) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (427) + לִפְנֵ֣י [to·face·of] (170) + עֵלִ֑י [Eli] (110) + וּדְבַר־יְהֹוָ֗ה [and·word·of·Hashem] (238) + הָיָ֤ה [was] (20) + יָקָר֙ [valuable] (310) + בַּיָּמִ֣ים [in·the·days] (102) + הָהֵ֔ם [abundance] (50) + אֵ֥ין [nothing] (61) + חָז֖וֹן [vision] (71) + נִפְרָֽץ [widespread] (420) = 3627.
Rashi
was rare. It was prevented — and so (Proverbs 17:27): 'A man of understanding is of a rare spirit' — prevented from words, a man who understands.
There is no widespread prophecy. (Translation:) There is no open prophecy. 'Nefartz' — the language of (Genesis 28:14): 'and you shall spread out to the sea and to the east.'
Radak
“Who serves the Lord.” We have already explained it:
Precious. For there were no prophets in Israel, and this is [the meaning of] “there was no vision revealed,” namely that the vision was not revealed but rather concealed and hidden; and its Targum is: “In those days there was no prophecy revealed.”
Ralbag
And behold, the lad Samuel was serving the Lord before Eli, who was guiding him in this matter. And behold, the word of the Lord was rare in those days, meaning that prophecy came with difficulty, so that prophecy was not openly revealed at that time; rather, the matter of prophecy was concealed, and one could not find anyone who would prophesy.
Metzudat David
“Before Eli”: This implies that he was diligent in the service of God, performing it before Eli and ahead of him. For initially, Eli instructed him in the service of God, and after a time, he strengthened himself on his own, and finally, he rose even higher until he merited prophecy.
"And the word of the Lord." The words of prophecy were in those days a very precious thing, more so than in other days.
“Vision is not broken through.” This is as if prophecy were fenced off so that it would not go out, and its fence was not broken through.
Metzudat Zion
Precious. Esteemed, similarly (below 26:21): 'precious is my soul'.
Vision. Prophecy.
Widespread. From the word 'breach'.
Malbim
The questions (1-3): Regarding what is stated, “And the boy Samuel was ministering,” etc.—it has already been said (in chapter 2, verse 11, and there in verse 18), that there it says “before the Lord,” whereas here it says “before Eli.” And the matter of “the word of the Lord was rare” etc.—its meaning here is not known. What is meant by “It came to pass on that day”—on which day? And what is the need to inform us that Eli’s eyes had begun to fail? How is it possible that Samuel lay in the Temple of the Lord, into which no stranger enters, much less to lie down and sleep? And for what purpose is it stated, “And the lamp of God had not yet gone out”?
And the lad: These three verses are arranged in the form of a presentation to inform why the Lord chose at that time to have Samuel prophesy rather than someone else, and why the word of the Lord revealed itself to him on that night. And it recounts here six causes:
1) Due to the merit of Samuel, who served the Lord constantly in the service of the sanctuary, and was before Eli; that is to say, he was before him and preceded him in rank toward the inner sanctum (and therefore it did not say here, as it stated above (1 Samuel 2:11), "before Eli").
2) Due to the rarity of prophecy, and the prophets of that generation, for the word of the Lord was precious in those days because of its rarity. This indicates that the people of that generation were not prepared for the Divine Spirit to rest upon them. And it adds, "there was no open vision," meaning that the Divine efflux, by its nature, seeks to descend upon those who are prepared, as it is stated (Isaiah 44:3), "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit upon your seed..." as I explained in my commentary there. And when it does not find a person prepared to receive this efflux, it resembles a river full to its banks, which has no place to channel its waters. Then, when it finds a small breach, the river bursts forth from its banks with a mighty flood and strong force, filling all its channels all around, and filling valleys and fields. Likewise, since "there was no open vision"—that is to say, the efflux from the Divine vision did not find a breach to flood and channel the waters of holiness—it then found a small breach, which was Samuel, who was prepared for the efflux. Then it came upon him suddenly with abundant efflux, until it also descended around him, as it is stated (verse 21), "And the Lord appeared yet again in Shiloh," for the word of the Lord revealed itself to Samuel, as it is stated there.
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place—now his eyes had begun to wax dim, that he could not see—
verse value 2094
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "standing place" (בִּמְקוֹמ֑וֹ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: and·it·was, not. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·his·eye" (וְעֵינָו֙), "had·begun" (הֵחֵ֣לּוּ), "faded" (כֵה֔וֹת). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "in·the·day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel); "not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שכב ("lying·down") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root יכל ("is·able") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'standing place', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֔וּא [that] (17) + וְעֵלִ֖י [and·Eli] (116) + שֹׁכֵ֣ב [lying·down] (322) + בִּמְקוֹמ֑וֹ [standing place] (194) + וְעֵינָו֙ [and·his·eye] (142) + הֵחֵ֣לּוּ [had·begun] (49) + כֵה֔וֹת [faded] (431) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יוּכַ֖ל [is·able] (66) + לִרְאֽוֹת [to·see] (637) = 2094.
Radak
"And it came to pass on that day." The night is included in the day.
"In its place." In the place where the priests sleep, before the Levites.
They began to become dark. To become dark, for it is a description:
"He shall not be able to see." An additional explanation and commentary: "He shall not be able to see" means that he could not see well, but he did see, for it says "his eyes began to fail" and did not say "his eyes were dimmed." And similarly it says regarding our father Jacob, "He could not see," and afterwards it says, "And Israel saw Joseph’s sons." As for the reason for this narrative being placed here, if its meaning is according to the simple sense, I have not found a proper reason for it. And if it is an allegory, meaning the eyes of the heart, i.e., the Holy Spirit, its meaning is that the Holy Spirit was gradually ceasing from him, so that it was not accustomed to him as it was at first, because of the deeds of his sons. Therefore, this prophecy came to Samuel and not to him. And according to the homiletical interpretation, it means actual dimness, and it is said that whoever raises a wicked son, his eyes are dimmed. From where do we know this? From Isaac. And likewise from Eli. And according to the homiletical understanding, this narrative is placed here because he is about to recall the prophecy that came to Samuel concerning the sin of his sons.
Ralbag
"And it came to pass on that day." This refers to the day when the man of God came to Eli to inform him of the preceding matters. In the days of Eli, he was lying in his place due to his advanced old age, and his eyes had begun to grow dim, to the extent that he could not see.
Metzudat David
"On that day." [This refers to] the day that the man of God came to Eli.
In its place. In the place where the priests lie down, inward from the Levites:
"They began to grow dim. They started to become dim and darkened:"
"He shall not be able to see." As before, and the repetition of the matter is for the sake of additional clarification:
Metzudat Zion
Began. Started.
Dim. Darkened, similarly (Leviticus 13:6): 'and behold, it is dim'.
Malbim
(Reason 3) “And it came to pass on that day, on that very day, that a man of God came to Eli.” The Lord desired to link this vision to the first vision, to indicate that the matter was firmly established by God. For every decree and heavenly announcement that is repeated indicates that it is determined and necessary, and that God will diligently pursue His word to fulfill it, as it is stated: “Because the dream was repeated twice” (Genesis 41:32).
(Reason 4) From Eli’s perspective: at that time he declined, both in his spiritual ascents—hence it says, “And Eli lay in his place,” meaning that he did not lie in the Temple of the Lord; that is to say, he did not isolate himself in his study and contemplation concerning the holy matters of the Temple and the Ark, as it is stated regarding Samuel, “And Samuel was lying in the Temple of the Lord,” as we will clarify. Rather, he lay in his physical place, truly lying down in sleep. And the priest’s duty was to guard the Sanctuary (as it is stated in three places: “The priests were guarding”). Moreover, even at night, his heart should not rest idle; rather, he should be wise enough to contemplate thoughts concerning the holy things.
He also declined in his physical constitution: his eyes began to grow dim due to old age, and suddenly weakness overtook them until he could no longer see at all. Just as Eli’s sun was setting and his service was nearing its decline toward the west, so too was it inevitable that Samuel’s sun would rise like the morning light, spreading its eastern radiance over the land. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: Before Eli’s sun had set, Samuel the Ramathite’s sun had already risen, as it is stated: “The lamp of God had not yet gone out” (1 Samuel 3:3).
and the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep in the temple of Hashem, where the ark of God was,
verse value 2610
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִים֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 2610 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "and·lamp·of" (וְנֵ֤ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Samuel" (וּשְׁמוּאֵ֖ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: God, God. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "will·quench" (יִכְבֶּ֔ה), "in·temple·of" (בְּהֵיכַ֣ל). The root אלהים appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "where" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "and·Samuel" (root שמואל, 103x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root ארון ("chest") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lying·down', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְנֵ֤ר [and·lamp·of] (256) + אֱלֹהִים֙ [God] (86) + טֶ֣רֶם [before] (249) + יִכְבֶּ֔ה [will·quench] (37) + וּשְׁמוּאֵ֖ל [and·Samuel] (383) + שֹׁכֵ֑ב [lying·down] (322) + בְּהֵיכַ֣ל [in·temple·of] (67) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֖ם [where] (841) + אֲר֥וֹן [chest] (257) + אֱלֹהִֽים [God] (86) = 2610.
Rashi
And Samuel was lying. In his place in the courtyard of the Levites who guard the Temple. And so Yonatan translated: And Samuel was lying in the courtyard of the Levites.
in the Temple of the Lord where the Ark of God was.
Radak
“And the lamp of God had not yet gone out.” If this refers to the lamps of the Menorah, then it was before dawn, for the lamps burned from evening until morning — even though at times some of them would go out in the night, and oil was put in them in the measure that they should burn from evening until morning, and in most cases they did burn until morning, and the western lamp was always found still burning. And he says that this prophecy came to Samuel before the lamps went out, while it was still night, about the time of cockcrow; for he states afterwards, “And Samuel lay until the morning.” And in the midrash it is said that he spoke of the lamp of prophecy, and they said: “The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down” — before the Holy One, blessed be He, causes the sun of one righteous man to set, He causes the sun of another righteous man to rise. Before the sun of Moses set, the sun of Joshua rose; before the sun of Eli set, the sun of Samuel rose. And this is what is meant by “And the lamp of God had not yet gone out.”
"And Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord." "In the temple of the Lord" is joined to "and the lamp of God was not yet gone out," for the lamp was in the temple of the Lord, while Samuel was lying in his own place; for Samuel was not lying in the temple of the Lord, but in the Court of the Levites. Therefore the etnachta is on "lying down," since it is not joined to "in the temple of the Lord." And so our Sages of blessed memory explained, for it is not possible to understand the verse according to its plain sense, since there is no sitting in the Court except for the kings of the house of David alone — all the more so lying down, and all the more so in the Sanctuary. And so Jonathan rendered: and the lamp of the house of the sanctuary of the Lord had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying in the Court of the Levites, and a voice was heard from the temple of the Lord, where the Ark of the Lord was. And in the midrash on "God thundereth marvellously with His voice": there we learned, the priest is within and the Levite sleeps outside — and the word skipped over Eli and spoke with Samuel outside.
“The place where the ark of God was.” Without the definite article (the letter he), and the Masorah notes there is no other instance like it.
Ralbag
And behold, before the lamp of God had gone out, and it was near the time of dawn, Samuel was lying down beside the temple of the Lord, where the Ark of God was. There was a chamber there, and at this time, which is prepared for the arrival of true dreams, prophecy began to come to him, until the Lord called to him in a prophetic vision, and he said, “Here I am.” And he ran to Eli, for it seemed to him that Eli was calling him. And so it seemed to him for three times, until Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy, and he commanded him that if He should call him again, he should answer, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” And it seems that Samuel did not perceive from this that the Lord was calling him, because the word of the Lord — that is, prophecy — was rare in those days, and he considered himself unworthy of prophecy.
Metzudat David
"Before it is extinguished." Not even a single lamp of the menorah has yet been extinguished.
And Samuel was lying down. In the place where the Levites lay.
"In the Temple of the Lord." This refers to the Holy of Holies, as he explains: "where the Ark of God is." And it is connected to the subsequent verse, to say that the voice of the cry was in the Temple of the Lord, etc.
Malbim
5) And the lamp, and behold, he then found Samuel prepared for this great light to be revealed upon him. This preparation was due, on the one hand, to the time, which was at the end of the night, before the lamp of God—which burned from evening until morning and was near to dawn—would be extinguished. At that time, the soul is pure from the thoughts of the day, and the brain and all the organs of thought have purified themselves from the vapors that dim their radiance at the beginning of the night, as is well known. 6) And he was also prepared on account of himself, for at that time Samuel was lying in the Temple of the Lord. It is impossible to interpret this as meaning he lay in the Temple proper, for it is forbidden to lie down there. Moreover, the place of a Levite was outside. Our Sages of blessed memory explained that the phrase “and Samuel was lying” is a parenthetical remark, and the proper parsing of the verse is: “And the lamp of God, before it was extinguished, [was] in the Temple of the Lord, and Samuel was lying.” (The etnachta accent on the word “lying” indicates this, showing that it is disconnected from “in the Temple.”) Nevertheless, according to the sequential order of the words, the simple meaning is also continuous, namely that he lay in the Temple of the Lord itself. The intent is that this was a mental lying down (as also in “his heart did not lie down at night,” and “on my couches in the nights,” and so the Abarbanel explained). That is to say, his thoughts were lying down and contemplating the Temple of the Lord, where the Ark of God was, pondering the matters of the Temple and the Ark and their spirituality, in which the Lord was in the Holy of Holies. This was the opposite of Eli, concerning whom it was said that he lay in his place, as mentioned above. Due to these six preparations, the light of the Lord broke forth and shone upon Samuel.
that Hashem called Samuel; and he said: ‘Here am I.’ .
verse value 1123
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·Samuel" (אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל, 7 letters). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·Samuel" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel). Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָ֧א [and·called] (317) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל [to·Samuel] (408) + וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + הִנֵּֽנִי [they] (115) = 1123.
Rashi
And the Lord called, and a voice went out from the Temple of the Lord from the inner sanctuary of the Holy of Holies, that He called Samuel. The end of the upper verse is connected to the beginning of the lower verse. This is what the verse says (Job 37:5): 'God thunders marvellously with His voice.' Eli was the priest and the guard within, and Samuel was a Levite and was lying without. And the voice leaped through Eli to Samuel — in the tractate Tamid.
Metzudat Zion
Behold me. Behold, I am.
Malbim
Questions (4–8): Why did he answer, “Here I am,” the first time, but not the second? And why, the second time, did Eli add the word “My son”? Why does it say, “And Samuel did not yet know the Lord,” etc., and “And the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed,” etc.? Why did the prophecy come to him in this manner, so that he would err and think that Eli was calling him?
"And He called," etc. At the first, since he thought that Eli was calling to him, he answered "Here am I," so that Eli should know that he was not asleep; and also:
And he ran to Eli, and said: ‘Here am I; for you did call me.’ And he said: ‘I called not; lie down again.’ And he went and lay down.
verse value 3623
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִּ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·I·called" (לֹֽא־קָרָ֖אתִי, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "for·you·called" (כִּֽי־קָרָ֣אתָ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·Eli" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "and·went" (root הלך, 133x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root רוץ ("and·ran") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lie·down', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֣רׇץ [and·ran] (306) + אֶל־עֵלִ֗י [to·Eli] (141) + וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + הִנְנִי֙ [they] (115) + כִּֽי־קָרָ֣אתָ [for·you·called] (731) + לִּ֔י [to·me] (40) + וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לֹֽא־קָרָ֖אתִי [not·I·called] (742) + שׁ֣וּב [return] (308) + שְׁכָ֑ב [lie·down] (322) + וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + וַיִּשְׁכָּֽב [and·lay·down] (338) = 3623.
Metzudat David
"For You called me." For he thought that Eli had called him.
Malbim
And he ran swiftly to carry out his word, and Eli thought at first that this was from the activity of the imagination, which sometimes acts upon the sense to deceive it, so that it seems to him as if a voice is calling in his ears; therefore he said, "Lie down again."
And Hashem called yet again Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said: ‘Here am I; for you did call me.’ And he answered: ‘I called not, my son; lie down again.’
verse value 4514
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·I·called" (לֹא־קָרָ֥אתִֽי, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 377: Samuel, Samuel. The root קרא appears 3 times in this verse. 15 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 יסף ("and·he·continued") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 5 words.
Malbim
"And He called yet again, etc." In this instance, he did not respond with "Here I am," since he had already made it known that he was awake; nor did he run, for he had been embarrassed the first time. Now, in this instance, some doubt had already fallen in Eli's heart. Therefore, he said, "I called not, my son." He added the word "my son" as an expression of affection, so that he would not become distressed, for distress is detrimental to prophecy. And he wished to test whether He would call him yet again.
Now Samuel did not yet know Hashem, neither was the word of Hashem yet revealed to him.
verse value 1725
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "before" (טֶ֖רֶם, 3 letters) and the longest is "word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָֽה, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·before" (וְטֶ֛רֶם). The root טרם appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "and·Samuel" (root שמואל, 103x in I Samuel); "to·him" (root אל, 86x 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) + טֶ֖רֶם [before] (249) + יָדַ֣ע [knew] (84) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (427) + וְטֶ֛רֶם [and·before] (255) + יִגָּלֶ֥ה [will·be·uncovered] (48) + אֵלָ֖יו [to·him] (47) + דְּבַר־יְהֹוָֽה [word·of·Hashem] (232) = 1725.
Rashi
He did not yet know the Lord. He still did not know the matter of the voice of prophecy. All 'terem' in the Scripture is the language of 'still not' — as its translation: 'ad lo.' And it is not the language of 'before.' And this will prove it. And further: (Exodus 9:30): 'for you do not yet fear' — it is explained from it. And so (Genesis 2:5): 'no plant of the field was yet in the earth.'
Radak
“Before he knew the Lord.” Explanation: Before he knew the Lord, this was the one who called to him, and he did not understand, for he had not yet known the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not been revealed to him through prophecy. Therefore, he did not understand that the Lord was calling to a human being. Therefore, he arose three times to Eli, before he knew [the Lord].
“And before he was revealed.” This is a double expression, or it means “before he knew,” for he had not yet attained knowledge of divine wisdom, even though he had studied other sciences. For had he studied this wisdom, he would have understood and distinguished the voice of prophecy. And it appears that this is the view of Jonathan, who translated: “Until he had not learned to know the fear of the Lord.”
Metzudat David
Before he knew. He still did not know the wisdom of divinity while he was yet a youth; for had he known, he would then have recognized the voice of prophecy.
"And before He revealed Himself." Until now, the Lord had not yet revealed Himself to him to speak with him.
Metzudat Zion
Not yet. Still not, similarly (Exodus 10:7): 'do you not yet know'.
Malbim
And Samuel came to answer why Samuel did not understand on three occasions that the Lord was calling, because this was before he knew the Lord, meaning he did not have knowledge from his teacher’s house regarding matters of divinity and in what manner His visions are revealed to His prophets, and also before the word of the Lord was revealed to him, until he learned this on his own through experience, and therefore he did not understand this.
And Hashem called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said: ‘Here am I; for you did call me.’ And Eli perceived that Hashem was calling the child.
verse value 4293
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 72 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·call·Samuel" (קְרֹֽא־שְׁמוּאֵל֮, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 156: and·he·continued, and·arose. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·call·Samuel" (קְרֹֽא־שְׁמוּאֵל֮), "the·third·time" (בַּשְּׁלִישִׁת֒). The root קרא appears 3 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). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Radak
“And Eli perceived.” For on the two previous occasions, Eli supposed that it had seemed to Samuel that a person was calling him — out of his sleep it so seemed to him, but no person was calling him. However, when he saw that he heard the voice three times in succession, after he had shaken off his sleep, he knew that Samuel was not mistaken, and that he was truly hearing the voice, and that it was not the voice of a person, because there was no other person there who was calling him. Therefore, Eli understood that it was the voice of the angel of the Lord. And the sage Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that since Samuel alone was hearing the voice, and Eli was not hearing it, Eli knew and understood that it was the voice of prophecy, which the Holy One, blessed be He, causes to be heard to whomever He wishes. And similarly, “And he heard the voice speaking to him,” and so said our Sages of blessed memory: “Speaking to him” — the voice is to him, the voice is to him; Moses hears, but Israel does not hear.
Metzudat David
On the third. On the third time:
Metzudat Zion
And he understood. From the word 'understanding'.
Malbim
And Eli then understood clearly that the Lord was calling him, for the overpowering of the imagination in a healthy person happens only rarely. And the later philosophers have already explained that prophecy sometimes comes in an intellectual manner, whereby clear knowledge is influenced upon the intellect of the prophet; and sometimes it comes in an imaginative manner, through forms that the imaginative faculty sees; and sometimes it comes in a sensory manner, through a voice that reaches the prophet’s ear or through terrifying forms that they see with their eyes in actuality (and not as the Guide of the Perplexed states in Part II of his book). And this last type was the calling that called to Samuel. And the Abarbanel has already explained that therefore the prophecy came to him in this manner, so that he would be mistaken and run to Eli, and Eli would be aware of the matter and force him in the morning to tell him the vision, for otherwise Samuel would have concealed the matter from him, as it is stated, “And Samuel feared to tell the vision to Eli.” And my opinion in this matter is that this prophecy did not come to Samuel in the nature of a mission, but only in the nature of notification. For if it had come to him in the nature of a mission, would he not have been compelled to tell it to Eli? For a prophet who suppresses his prophecy is liable to death at the hands of Heaven. And why did Eli need to make him swear before telling him? Only the truth is that the Lord did not send him to him. And the reason for this is that every prophet who is an envoy is for some need and purpose, namely, that the people or the man upon whom he prophesies should take it to heart and return in repentance, and through this the decree will be annulled. Not so here, where there was a decree accompanied by an oath, as it is stated, “Therefore I have sworn concerning the house of Eli,” wherein repentance is of no avail at all. There was no need for an envoy, and it was only a notification to Samuel alone, and he had the choice to tell or not to tell. And the Lord orchestrated the matter so that Samuel was compelled to tell him by means of Eli making him swear.
Therefore Eli said to Samuel: ‘Go, lie down; and it shall be, if you be called, that you shall say: Speak, Hashem; for Your servant hears.’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
verse value 3975
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֣ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Samuel" (לִשְׁמוּאֵל֮, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "if·he·calls" (אִם־יִקְרָ֣א). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root עבד ("Your·servant") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Your·servant', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 4 words.
Metzudat David
"If He calls." If He continues to call again:
Malbim
“And he lay down in his place” – this means in the conceptual place where he had initially lain, as it is stated, “And Samuel was lying in the house of the Lord,” as explained above, for he was now preparing himself for prophecy. This is not the case with the verse, “The Lord spoke, and he went and lay down.”
And Hashem came, and stood, and called as at other times: ‘Samuel, Samuel.’ Then Samuel said: ‘Speak; for Your servant hears.’
verse value 3412
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·time·in·time" (כְפַֽעַם־בְּפַ֖עַם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 377: Samuel, Samuel, Samuel. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "as·time·in·time" (כְפַֽעַם־בְּפַ֖עַם). The root שמואל appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "and·came" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root יצב ("and·he·stood") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root פעם ("as·time·in·time") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Samuel', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֤א [and·came] (19) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + וַיִּתְיַצַּ֔ב [and·he·stood] (518) + וַיִּקְרָ֥א [and·called] (317) + כְפַֽעַם־בְּפַ֖עַם [as·time·in·time] (402) + שְׁמוּאֵ֣ל [Samuel] (377) + שְׁמוּאֵ֑ל [Samuel] (377) + וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שְׁמוּאֵל֙ [Samuel] (377) + דַּבֵּ֔ר [speak] (206) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + שֹׁמֵ֖עַ [hears] (410) + עַבְדֶּֽךָ [Your·servant] (96) = 3412.
Rashi
And Samuel said, 'Speak.' And he did not mention the name of the Omnipresent as Eli had commanded him — he said: perhaps it is another voice.
Radak
"And the Lord came and stood." It appears that on this occasion, a vision appeared before his eyes in the prophetic vision; therefore, it says "and stood," similar to "and the angel of the Lord stood" on the way.
“Speak, for your servant is listening.” And he did not say “the Lord,” as Eli had said to him, because Samuel was still afraid to mention the Name in the prophetic vision. And there is a midrashic interpretation: he was still concerned that perhaps it was the voice of a demon, but this is far-fetched.
Ralbag
And behold, God, blessed be He, informed him by way of prophecy of the evil that was to befall Israel in the future: the time of the war with the Philistines, in which many of Israel died and the Ark of God was taken, and Hophni and Phinehas died; and the evil that was to befall Nob, the city of the priests, for the house of Eli died there, save for Abiathar, at the hand of Saul. And it seems that this is why he said “beginning and ending” , for the beginning of the calamity was in the war in which Hophni and Phinehas died, and the ending of the calamity was in the matter of Nob, the city of the priests.
Metzudat David
“Speak.” And he did not say, “The word of the Lord,” as He had instructed him, for he thought that perhaps, despite all this, the Lord had not spoken to him.
Metzudat Zion
As each time. He means, as in previous times.
Samuel, Samuel. The repetition comes to urge the one being called.
Malbim
“And the Lord came and stood.” The terms “stood” and “standing” are borrowed from those who deal with physical matter and applied to the upper spiritual realm, meaning upon that which resembles Him in His image, namely, the spirit of the prophet who was prepared for this, upon whom the Spirit also came and rested, as it is said, “And behold, the Lord stood over him.” And our Sages of blessed memory stated in Midrash Rabbah that for the righteous, their God remains upon them, because all adheres to the divine portion and rests upon it. This is a matter of elevation and cleaving. And you already know the difference between “standing” (omed) and “standing firmly” (natzev): “standing firmly” refers to something that requires strengthening in order to remain in that place. Since human corporeality is a veil separating the spiritual light that flows upon the prophet’s soul, strengthening and firm standing are required in order to remain cleaved to it. And we have already explained elsewhere the reason why the prophets are called twice—“Abraham, Abraham,” “Moses, Moses,” “Samuel, Samuel”—which is to arouse their two aspects, the spiritual and the physical, so that they may be prepared for the utterance. There is no place here to elaborate. And Samuel did not say, “Speak, for your servant is listening,” because he was still in doubt, lest it be the voice of another.
And Hashem said to Samuel: ‘Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that hears it shall tingle.
verse value 4292
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֧ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Samuel" (אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "all·who·hear·it" (כׇּל־שֹׁ֣מְע֔וֹ), "will·tingle" (תְּצִלֶּ֖ינָה), "his·ears" (אׇזְנָֽיו). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·Samuel" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אזן ("his·ears") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל [to·Samuel] (408) + הִנֵּ֧ה [they] (60) + אָנֹכִ֛י [I] (81) + עֹשֶׂ֥ה [doing] (375) + דָבָ֖ר [word] (206) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [in·Israel] (543) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [that] (501) + כׇּל־שֹׁ֣מְע֔וֹ [all·who·hear·it] (466) + תְּצִלֶּ֖ינָה [will·tingle] (585) + שְׁתֵּ֥י [two] (710) + אׇזְנָֽיו [his·ears] (74) = 4292.
Rashi
doing a thing. It is the taking of the Ark into the hands of the Philistines.
will tingle. The language of bells — tintini'r in the foreign tongue.
Radak
"Who does a thing." This is the exile of the Ark.
"Shall tingle." It is of the hifil conjugation, its root being tzalal, and it denotes a sensation, as in "at the voice my lips quivered."
"On that day." On the day when this hard thing shall be — at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle — on that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house by the hand of the man of God, as is written above; for on that day will be the beginning of the punishment that comes upon the house of Eli, that his sons shall die; and so the evil shall consume the house of Eli for ever.
To his house. It is like "upon his house"; and likewise, "unto the mountains he hath not eaten."
Ralbag
And he said, “For everyone who hears it, his two ears shall tingle due to the extreme difficulty of this matter; that voice will shake people, and as if the reader is strengthened by that voice, the clarity and articulation will penetrate the ear.”
Metzudat David
"His two ears shall tingle." His ears shall tremble from the magnitude of the terror, and the intent is regarding the taking of the Ark.
Metzudat Zion
Will be shaken. A matter of movement and trembling, similarly (Habakkuk 3:16): 'at Your voice my lips trembled'.
Malbim
"Behold, I do a thing." It is that which is said, "and He delivered His strength into captivity," and "He gave His people over to the sword," and the death of Eli and his sons. (Tetzilenah is hif'il from the root tzalal, that it should be heard in his ears like the sound of clashing cymbals.)
In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even to the end.
verse value 2488
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "begin" (הָחֵ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·his·house" (אֶל־בֵּית֑וֹ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "I·will·establish" (אָקִ֣ים), "and·ending" (וְכַלֵּֽה). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Eli" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "all·that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "in·the·day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words.
Rashi
beginning and ending. That day My decree will begin upon the house of Eli — that Hophni and Phinehas will die. And from here and onward I will complete My decree and fulfill it upon them, generation after generation — to kill them, men of eighteen years.
beginning and ending. Akomiints't ashplayimt in the foreign tongue.
Metzudat David
"I will establish." I will begin to fulfill the words of the man of God, which he spoke in the name of the Lord:
“Begin and make an end.” Then, at the time of the taking of the Ark, the calamity will begin, for his two sons will die in that war, and so I will make an end, to fulfill all the words of the prophecy.
Malbim
"On that day I will raise up..."—this is what it stated above (above, 2:34): "And this is the sign to you that which shall come upon your two sons." He gave this as a sign for the fulfillment of His words, beginning with this: that the first curse will be fulfilled, "and all the rest of your house shall die, men," and then afterward the other two curses will be fulfilled in the days of David, as stated above.
For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity, in that he knew that his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he rebuked them not.
verse value 3228
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֔וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·cursing" (כִּֽי־מְקַלְלִ֤ים, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "that·judging" (כִּֽי־שֹׁפֵ֥ט), "his·house" (אֶת־בֵּית֖וֹ), "in·the·iniquity·of" (בַּעֲוֺ֣ן). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·he·knew" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "and·not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel); "his·house" (root בית, 75x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root נגד ("and·I·will·tell") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root שפט ("that·judging") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'until·forever', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וְהִגַּ֣דְתִּי [and·I·will·tell] (428) + ל֔וֹ [to·him] (36) + כִּֽי־שֹׁפֵ֥ט [that·judging] (419) + אֲנִ֛י [I] (61) + אֶת־בֵּית֖וֹ [his·house] (819) + עַד־עוֹלָ֑ם [until·forever] (220) + בַּעֲוֺ֣ן [in·the·iniquity·of] (128) + אֲשֶׁר־יָדַ֗ע [that·he·knew] (585) + כִּֽי־מְקַלְלִ֤ים [that·cursing] (280) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + בָּנָ֔יו [his·sons] (68) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + כִהָ֖ה [he·rebuked] (30) + בָּֽם [in·them] (42) = 3228.
Rashi
For his sons brought a curse upon themselves. It ought to have said 'cursing to me' — but the verse spoke euphemistically.
cursing. Making light of — and so is all 'curse' — the language of lightness and contempt.
And he did not dim. He did not dim their faces to remove them from their greatness.
Radak
“For I am the Judge.” My judgment will not cease against his seed until a fixed time; rather, I will judge them forever, so that they will be disgraced and their days will be shortened.
“Because of the sin that he knew.” The word “sin” is adjacent to the word “that,” as if it said, “Because of the sin of the matter that he knew, and in his sin his seed shall be smitten forever,” as it is written, “And He repays the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them.” And even though the children were righteous, the Holy One, blessed be His Name, calls forth the generations from the beginning and knows what is destined to be. He knew that there would not be among his sons, forever, one so righteous that the sin of his fathers would not be remembered against him.
"Because his sons brought a curse upon themselves." It is a scribal emendation, for it does not mean to say [that they cursed] God, may He be blessed; rather Scripture used a euphemism. And this is one of eighteen verses that are scribal emendations. And this cursing is a matter of contempt, as He said of them, "and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed." And the Targum renders: for his sons brought anger upon themselves.
“Not darkened in them.” He did not restrain them nor prevent them, even though he said to his sons, “For the report is not good.” This was in his old age, when they did not fear him. From the beginning, when they started doing evil, he should have prevented them and contended with them forcefully, but he did not do so.
Ralbag
They cursed his sons, yet he did not rebuke them. The intent here is that he knew that Israel was cursing his sons on account of the oppression with which the house of Eli was oppressing them, by seizing from them portions of the sacrifices, and because of their negligence in offering the sacrifices that were brought to them, to the point that the women who were standing at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting would already lie down to sleep, yet their sacrifices had still not been offered. And behold, Eli did not reprove them for this in a manner that would prevent them from continuing to act thus; rather, he said to them, “My sons, for the report is not good that I hear,” etc., and he did not pursue the matter further so that they would be disciplined for these sins.
Metzudat David
And I will declare it to him. This means: Have I not already declared it to him through a man of God that I will judge his house?
“Because of the sin.” Because of the sin that he knows: that his sons are lenient and despise My honor, and he did not protest against them as he ought to have. And the word “to them” is a correction of the Scribes, and it is as if it were said “to me.” Or one might wish to say that they curse themselves through the evil of their deeds, for they will be punished, and the curse will come upon them.
"And he did not darken their faces." This means: Even upon hearing the words of the man of God, nevertheless, he did not feel it necessary nor did he reprimand his sons to darken their faces, that is, to shame them in public.
Metzudat Zion
Cursing. A matter of contempt, similarly (I Kings 2:8): 'a bitter curse.' Or it is from the word 'curse' itself.
Dark. A matter of darkness.
Malbim
The questions: (13-15) What is the meaning of “and I have told him,” since according to grammatical rules he should have said “and I will tell him” in the future tense? It is astonishing, for God did not command Samuel to tell him. If so, why did Samuel not tell him until Eli adjured him? Is it not true that a prophet who suppresses his prophecy is liable to death? Furthermore, it must be explained truthfully why Samuel intended to conceal this prophecy, for it is forbidden for a prophet to conceal his prophecy.
"And I have declared" — He explained to him the reason why he repeats this prophecy a second time, after that on the very same day a man of God came to Eli and prophesied this. He says that at the time the man of God prophesied during the day, the decree was still one without an oath attached to it, and there was still a remedy for him through repentance and good deeds. Not so is it now. After I have already declared to him through the prophet who came during the day that "I will judge his house forever for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons cursed themselves" (meaning that they were cursing themselves, in that their honor was turned into disgrace and everyone cursed them because of their deeds), behold, I have declared to him and warned him that for the iniquity that he knew, that his sons were cursing themselves, I will judge his house forever, as the man of God prophesied at length regarding this matter. And despite all this, he did not rebuke them. For surely it was fitting that immediately upon hearing the words of the man of God, he should have rebuked them and cried out against them with a bitter, shouting voice, yet he did not pay heed to the words of the prophet.
And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering for ever.’
verse value 3239
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "Eli" (עֵלִ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "if·it·shall·be·atoned" (אִֽם־יִתְכַּפֵּ֞ר, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·therefore" (וְלָכֵ֥ן), "I·swore" (נִשְׁבַּ֖עְתִּי), "if·it·shall·be·atoned" (אִֽם־יִתְכַּפֵּ֞ר). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·house·of" (root בית, 75x in I Samuel); "in·sacrifice" (root זבח, 31x in I Samuel); "I·swore" (root שבע, 24x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root כפר ("if·it·shall·be·atoned") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Eli', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְלָכֵ֥ן [and·therefore] (106) + נִשְׁבַּ֖עְתִּי [I·swore] (832) + לְבֵ֣ית [to·house·of] (442) + עֵלִ֑י [Eli] (110) + אִֽם־יִתְכַּפֵּ֞ר [if·it·shall·be·atoned] (751) + עֲוֺ֧ן [perversity] (126) + בֵּית־עֵלִ֛י [house·of·Eli] (522) + בְּזֶ֥בַח [in·sacrifice] (19) + וּבְמִנְחָ֖ה [and·in·grain·offering] (111) + עַד־עוֹלָֽם [until·forever] (220) = 3239.
Radak
“With burnt-offerings and meal-offerings.” Since they were priests who offered burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, He said this, meaning: Their priesthood will not be of benefit to them before Him, or because they transgressed with regard to the burnt-offering and the meal-offering, even if they strive with burnt-offerings and meal-offerings to atone for their transgression, it will never atone for them. And our teachers of blessed memory expounded: It is only with burnt-offerings and meal-offerings that they will not be atoned for, but they will be atoned for through Torah study and acts of loving-kindness. And some of them said: But they are atoned for through prayer.
Ralbag
And therefore, the Lord swore to the House of Eli that their sin would not be atoned for through such sacrifices, as though one should say, “sacrifice and meal-offering” (for all of them come for atonement). And for this reason, the laying on of hands was performed on the head of the peace-offering, to indicate that even they come for atonement. From this passage, our Sages of blessed memory deduced that atonement would not be achieved for the House of Eli through sacrifice and meal-offering; rather, it would be achieved through that which is superior to them, namely, the engagement in Torah study and acts of loving-kindness. From this passage the difficulty is resolved: how did God punish individuals who had not sinned because of the sins of their fathers? The answer is that this punishment applied only to those who did not know God among the priests, namely, those who bore the guilt of their fathers’ sins. However, whoever among them engaged in knowing God would be saved from this punishment. Nevertheless, a certain consequence would still befall him due to his fathers’ sins, namely, that he would not hold authority in matters of the priesthood, because it had been removed from his entire family due to the fathers’ sin.
Metzudat David
“With sacrifice and with meal-offering.” For the prosecutor cannot become the defender; since their sin was in the matter of the sacrifices, yet through repentance their iniquity shall be atoned for.
"Forever." This sin is kept in store for them forever, for their offspring after them, to fulfill in them all the words of the prophecy:
Malbim
And therefore, this caused that now the decree is that there is an oath with it; therefore, I swore to the house of Eli that in this matter they have no remedy at all, and the oath is that the sin of the house of Eli will not be atoned for by sacrifice and meal-offering forever. This means that the sin they committed regarding sacrifices and meal-offerings, as it is written, “Why do you kick at My sacrifices and My meal-offerings?”—this will not be atoned for them forever (whereas their other sins will be atoned for through repentance, for the prophet did not issue a decree of irrevocability concerning them).
And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of Hashem. And Samuel feared to tell Eli the vision.
verse value 4728
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "feared" (יָרֵ֔א, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·doors·of" (אֶת־דַּלְת֣וֹת, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·opened" (וַיִּפְתַּ֖ח), "the·doors·of" (אֶת־דַּלְת֣וֹת), "from·telling" (מֵהַגִּ֥יד). The root שמואל appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·Eli" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "Samuel" (root שמואל, 103x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root דלת ("the·doors·of") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root ירא ("feared") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'house·of·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁכַּ֤ב [and·he·slept] (338) + שְׁמוּאֵל֙ [Samuel] (377) + עַד־הַבֹּ֔קֶר [until·the·morning] (381) + וַיִּפְתַּ֖ח [and·opened] (504) + אֶת־דַּלְת֣וֹת [the·doors·of] (1241) + בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֑ה [house·of·Hashem] (438) + וּשְׁמוּאֵ֣ל [and·Samuel] (383) + יָרֵ֔א [feared] (211) + מֵהַגִּ֥יד [from·telling] (62) + אֶת־הַמַּרְאָ֖ה [the·vision] (652) + אֶל־עֵלִֽי [to·Eli] (141) = 4728.
Radak
"And he opened." This means that he rose in the morning and opened the doors of the House of the Lord, as was his custom, and did not go to Eli upon rising to recount the vision to him, for he was afraid to tell him.
Metzudat David
And he opened. He opened the doors as was his custom, and did not go to deliver the prophecy to Eli, for he feared him, to announce to him a harsh tidings.
Metzudat Zion
The appearing. The appearance of prophecy.
Malbim
And Samuel lay there. Samuel did not tell this to Eli immediately upon coming in the night, for he lay until morning; nor did he tell him at the time of his rising, for he went to his service and opened the doors of the House of the Lord. And he explained the reason why he did not tell him, namely, that Samuel was afraid to reveal the vision. And I have already explained that this was not suppressing his prophecy, for he was not sent to Eli; it was merely a vision and an announcement, not a mission. And this is what is stated: "afraid to reveal the vision."
Then Eli called Samuel, and said: ‘Samuel, my son.’ And he said: ‘Here am I.’
verse value 2273
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "Eli" (עֵלִי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Samuel" (אֶת־שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Samuel" (root שמואל, 103x in I Samuel); "my·son" (root בן, 69x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·son', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָ֤א [and·called] (317) + עֵלִי֙ [Eli] (110) + אֶת־שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל [Samuel] (778) + וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שְׁמוּאֵ֣ל [Samuel] (377) + בְּנִ֑י [my·son] (62) + וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + הִנֵּֽנִי [they] (115) = 2273.
Malbim
“And Eli called”—he understood that there was some vision concerning his house, since already a prophet had come to him on that day, and his heart knew the bitterness of his soul.
And he said: ‘What is the thing that He has spoken to you? I pray you, hide it not from me, God do so to you, and more also, if you hide any thing from me of all the things that He spoke to you.’
verse value 4566
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 84 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִים֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "what" (מָ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·all·the·thing" (מִכׇּל־הַדָּבָ֖ר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 206: he·spoke, a·thing. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "you·hide" (תְכַחֵ֖ד), "may·he·do·to·you" (יַֽעֲשֶׂה־לְּךָ֤), "will·He·add" (יוֹסִ֔יף). The root דבר appears 4 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "do·not·pray" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root כחד ("you·hide") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 11 words.
Rashi
So may God do to you. Like that very same curse — that there not be for you fitting sons. And so it happened to him. And even though he told him and did not conceal — from here they said (Makkot 11a): the curse of a sage, even on condition, comes to pass.
Radak
“Thus may God do to you.” This is the customary usage of the language to state a matter under oath; similarly, “Thus may God do to me.” And in the Midrash: “Thus may God do to you”—just as my sons do not inherit my place, so too your sons shall not inherit your place.
Ralbag
“So may God do to you, and so may He add.” This is a language of cursing, and the intention is that God may do evil to you, because Eli did not know that this prophetic matter would be a matter of cursing. And what indicates the truth of this interpretation is what Ben-Hadad said, “So may God do to me, and so may He add.” However, our Sages of blessed memory derived from this that the curse of a sage, even if conditional, comes to pass according to the method of homiletical interpretation.
Metzudat David
What is the matter? He means to say: There is no doubt that the Lord has called you again. Therefore, I ask you: What is the matter with you? Do not withhold from telling me.
"Thus shall God do to you." He uttered a threat without specifying it, and similar instances are found many times in the Bible. The phrase is equivalent to saying, "God will do such and such evil to you, and furthermore, He will add such evil to you," if you conceal from me even a single matter from all the matters of God.
Metzudat Zion
Be hidden. A matter of withholding and hiding, similarly (Genesis 47:18): 'let it not be hidden from my lord'.
Malbim
And he said: a) Let him inform him what the matter is; b) He made him swear to tell him all the details and not to conceal anything.
And Samuel told him all the words, and hid nothing from him. And he said: ‘It is Hashem; let Him do what seems Him good.’
verse value 2193
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֥א, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·words" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים, 10 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "all·the·words" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים), "he·hid" (כִחֵ֖ד), "with·his·eyes" (בְּעֵינָ֖ו). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "all·the·words" (root דבר, 113x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיַּגֶּד־ל֤וֹ [and·he·told·him] (59) + שְׁמוּאֵל֙ [Samuel] (377) + אֶת־כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים [all·the·words] (712) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + כִחֵ֖ד [he·hid] (32) + מִמֶּ֑נּוּ [from·him] (136) + וַיֹּאמַ֕ר [and·he·said] (257) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + ה֔וּא [it] (12) + הַטּ֥וֹב [the·good] (22) + בְּעֵינָ֖ו [with·his·eyes] (138) + יַעֲשֶֽׂה [will·do] (385) = 2193.
Rashi
The Lord, He is. He is the Master, and everything is His.
Radak
And he hid nothing from him. And in the exposition: “Nevertheless, his curse came upon him.” From here they said: The curse of a wise man, even if it is conditional, comes to pass.
“The Lord is He.” In the midrash, it was said to him: “He is the Master, He is the Lord; whatever is good in His eyes, He shall do.”
Metzudat David
And he did not conceal. Even a single matter:
"The Lord is He." This means: Is He not the Lord, and does not everything belong to Him? He will do what is good in His eyes, for who can say to Him, "What are You doing?"
Malbim
"And He told him" (vayiggad) — He revealed to him all the details. And behold, although he had heard that the anger had been aroused against him, and now it was because he had not heeded the words of the prophet, nevertheless he replied: "The Lord will do what is good in His eyes." For apart from its simple intention, which is to justify the judgment of Heaven, he also said: Is there not a difference between a decree that does not have an oath accompanying it, in which case the Lord may desire that the decree not be fulfilled but rather be nullified through repentance, and this is not good in His eyes? Not so is this decree, which has an oath accompanying it; it is good in His eyes that it be fulfilled, and He will certainly not annul it. Therefore, He will surely do it, and there is no remedy or escape.
And Samuel grew, and Hashem was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
verse value 1368
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. Verse gematria: 1368 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "was" (הָיָ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·all·his·words" (מִכׇּל־דְּבָרָ֖יו, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·not·let·fall" (וְלֹא־הִפִּ֥יל), "from·all·his·words" (מִכׇּל־דְּבָרָ֖יו). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "with" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root נפל ("and·not·let·fall") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Samuel', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּגְדַּ֖ל [and·grew] (53) + שְׁמוּאֵ֑ל [Samuel] (377) + וַֽיהֹוָה֙ [and·Hashem] (32) + הָיָ֣ה [was] (20) + עִמּ֔וֹ [with] (116) + וְלֹא־הִפִּ֥יל [and·not·let·fall] (162) + מִכׇּל־דְּבָרָ֖יו [from·all·his·words] (312) + אָֽרְצָה [land] (296) = 1368.
Radak
And none of his words fell to the ground. Whatever he would say, it would come to pass, and the Holy One, blessed be He, would fulfill it through him—even the things that he said not in the spirit of prophecy. And by this matter all Israel knew that Samuel was faithful as a prophet of the Lord. And its Targum is: “And none of his utterances were nullified to the ground.”
Metzudat David
"And he grew up." In wisdom and in the fear of the Lord:
And He did not cause them to fall, etc. This means: Even his words that he spoke on his own, not in prophecy, the Omnipresent did not nullify them so that they would fall to the ground and not be fulfilled [and he said in a parable: Like one who throws something and does not miss, causing it to fall to the ground]:
Malbim
“And Samuel grew up” — the text expounds on the exalted stature of Samuel’s prophecy, which comprised three levels: 1) From his own side, he grew, and the Lord was with him, meaning that the Divine Spirit dwelled upon him constantly, and he did not let any of his words fall to the ground (i.e., none of his prophecies failed to come to pass). This serves as proof that he is a true prophet, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 18:21): “And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’” — namely, the matter that the prophet shall speak in the name of the Lord, and the matter shall not come to pass...
And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Hashem.
verse value 2127
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·Israel" (כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "from·Dan" (מִדָּ֖ן), "and·even·to·Beer" (וְעַד־בְּאֵ֣ר). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "that" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "Samuel" (root שמואל, 103x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root נביא ("to·prophet") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'seven', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֙דַע֙ [and·knew] (90) + כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [all·Israel] (591) + מִדָּ֖ן [from·Dan] (94) + וְעַד־בְּאֵ֣ר [and·even·to·Beer] (283) + שָׁ֑בַע [seven] (372) + כִּ֚י [that] (30) + נֶאֱמָ֣ן [faithful] (141) + שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל [Samuel] (377) + לְנָבִ֖יא [to·prophet] (93) + לַיהֹוָֽה [to·Hashem] (56) = 2127.
Ralbag
For Samuel is trustworthy as a prophet to the Lord. From this we learn that one who does not let any of his words fall to the ground—that is, whose words all come to pass—will not need to provide a sign or miracle to prove that he is a prophet. For this is a matter unique to prophecy, and one does not scrutinize other forms of divination, such as dreams, sorcery, and astrology, in the same way. For if these sometimes speak the truth, they often lie, whereas this is not the case with prophecy, for all its words are true. And it will yet be clarified in what category of matters this principle holds true for prophecy, and in which it does not hold true. For it may appear that what prophecy declares regarding certain human good or evil events will not be fulfilled when the people to whom the prediction was addressed change their ways, thereby averting the good that was destined for them due to the favorable prediction, or averting the evil that was destined for them due to the unfavorable prediction.
Metzudat David
For Samuel is trustworthy. For sometimes, even if prophecy comes to a person, it returns and ceases, but Samuel was established as a prophet whose prophecies are fulfilled.
Metzudat Zion
Faithful. Established, similarly (above 2:35): 'a faithful house'.
Malbim
b) And he knew – this means that he was not a prophet for his own sake alone, like most of the children of the prophets, upon whom the spirit descended to enlighten them and inform them of truths concerning divinity and providence; rather, he was a prophet and an emissary for all Israel, until all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was trustworthy as a prophet of the Lord, that he was a trustworthy member of His household and an emissary from Him, serving as an intermediary between the Lord and them.
And Hashem appeared again in Shiloh; for Hashem revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of Hashem.
verse value 1884
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·he·added" (וַיֹּ֥סֶף, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·Samuel" (אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֛ל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem, Hashem. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·be·seen" (לְהֵרָאֹ֣ה), "for·he·revealed·himself" (כִּֽי־נִגְלָ֨ה). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·Samuel" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "in·word·of" (root דבר, 113x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Shiloh', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥סֶף [and·he·added] (156) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + לְהֵרָאֹ֣ה [to·be·seen] (241) + בְשִׁלֹ֑ה [in·Shiloh] (337) + כִּֽי־נִגְלָ֨ה [for·he·revealed·himself] (118) + יְהֹוָ֧ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֛ל [to·Samuel] (408) + בְּשִׁל֖וֹ [in·Shiloh] (338) + בִּדְבַ֥ר [in·word·of] (208) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1884.
Rashi
For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel. Because it said above 'and the word of the Lord was rare in those days' — here it says: from now on, because of Samuel, He revealed Himself and repeated and accustomed Himself to reveal.
Radak
“to appear”: with a cholam vowel. And similarly, “to appear to Manoah,” as it is written in the context of the peace-offerings: “that which is given shall be given.”
“for it was revealed.” The meaning of the word “for” is that since it had stated, “And He continued,” the first vision that came to Samuel was in Shiloh, in the House of the Lord, and likewise now He added to show it to him in Shiloh. And this vision was for him to command the children of Israel to go out to meet the Philistines for war, and this is what it said, “as the word of the Lord,” and likewise it said, “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.”
Ralbag
And behold, it is mentioned that the Lord had already added to show Himself to Samuel at Shiloh, and Samuel’s word was to all Israel during the lifetime of Eli in matters of prophecy. In this manner, he also led them during the lifetime of Eli, since it had already become known to them that he was a true prophet.
Metzudat David
And he added, etc. He means to say: Previously, the word of God was rare, but after this, God continued to appear in Shiloh also to the rest of the sons of the prophets.
"For He was revealed." The reason for this was that the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel, and because of him the abundance of prophecy came into the world, and it also affected the other sons of the prophets with the word of the Lord. This means: not that he saw any vision, but rather that He revealed Himself to him through His words and the voice which he heard.
Malbim
The question: That which is said, "And the LORD appeared again," "for the word of the LORD was revealed," etc. — this is a repetition of language.
c) And it increased: His prophetic abundance was so great that, due to the excess of the abundance that passed over him, it also emanated to the sons of the prophets who were lesser than him, as it is written, “And I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and put it upon them.” However, their prophecy was lower in rank than his; for them, it was only a vision, like lightning that appears and then returns to be obscured, as it is written, “And the Lord continued to appear at Shiloh.” This was not the case with Samuel, to whom it was revealed in complete revelation and through the word of the Lord that sends. The measure of the verse is that, since the word of the Lord was revealed to Samuel at Shiloh in great abundance, the abundance also passed over his disciples, and thus the Lord continued to appear at Shiloh.
Rashi
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim