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21. SAMUEL AT SHILOH.

(1) THE FAITHLESS PRIESTS.

1 Samuel 2: 12-17.

12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. 13 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 fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; 14 and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took & therewith. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. 15 Yea, before they burnt the fat, 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 thee, but raw. 16 And if the man said unto him, They will surely burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then / he would say, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 17 And the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD. (2) ELI'S EXPOSTULATIONS WITH HIS SONS. I Samuel 2: 22-25.

22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did unto all Israel, and how that they lay with the women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting. 23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people. 24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD'S people to transgress. 25 If one man sin against another, God shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.

(3) SAMUEL'S MINISTRY BEfore the Lord. 1 Samuel 2: II.

II And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.

26 And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with

men.

1 Samuel 2:18-21.

18 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. 19 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. 20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman 'for the loan which was lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home. 21 And the LORD visited Hannah and she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

(4) THE FALL OF ELI'S HOUSE FORETOLD.
1 Samuel 2: 27-36.

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27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I reveal myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt " in bondage to Pharaoh's house? 28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up unto mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? 29 Wherefore kick ye at my a Or, "wicked men." worthlessness." cOr," they knew not the LORD, nor the due of the priests from the people. When any man," etc. d Some ancient authorities read, "for himself." e Or, "first." Another reading is, "he would say unto him, Thou," etc. Or, "the men despised." See Exodus 38: 8. Or," which I hear the LORD'S people 7 Or," for the petition which was asked for the LORD." m The Hebrew has, "For.' And I chose." Or, "offer upon." 9 Or," and gave." r Or, trample ye upon

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do spread abroad." Or," the judge.' n Or, "in Pharaoh's house." o Or, and upon."

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I Samuel 2.

sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? 30 Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. 32 And thou shalt behold a the affliction of my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever. 33 And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. 35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. 36 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine 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 thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

(5) SAMUEL'S CALL.

1 Samuel 3: 1-18.

I "And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no ƒ open vision. 2 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,) 3 and the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was; 4 that the LORD called Samuel: and he said, Here am I. 5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. 6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. 8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. 9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times,

Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel said, Speak; for thy servant heareth. II And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not. 14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever. 15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. 16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he said, Here am I. 17 And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he spake unto thee. 18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.

etc.

a Or." an adversary in my habitation." b Or, "Yet will I not cut off every man of thine from mine altar, to consume," c Heb.when they be men.' The Sept. has, "by the sword of men.' dCf. § 21, (3), above. The first word of this division might, with equal propriety, be translated "Now." It is better so to regard it, than to place the verse in subsection (3), parallel with vv. 11 and 18 of 1 Samuel 2. e Or, "rare." fOr, "frequent." Heb. "widely spread." g The Sept. has," speak evil of God." h Or, "expiated."

(6) SAMUEL ESTABLISHED AS A PROPHET.

I Samuel 3: 19–4: 1a.

19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD. 1a And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

II. The Period of National Disaster.

22. ISRAEL'S DEFEAT AND LOSS OF THE ARK.
1 Samuel 4:16–11a.

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16 Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. 2 And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. 3 And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies. 4 So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which sitteth upon the cherubim and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. 7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. 8 Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness. 9 Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you quit yourselves like men, and fight. 10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 11a And the ark of God was taken.

23. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF ELI.

1 Samuel 4: 116-22.

116 And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. 12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. 13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon his seat by the way side watching for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. 14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man hasted, and came and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were set, that he could not see. 16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army. And he said, How went the matter, my son? 17 And he that brought the tidings answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. 18 And it came to pass, when he

d

d

¿ Cf. 1 SamHeb. "smiting."

alt is to be remembered that this period of disaster had begun fully forty years before the time of the text. uel 7:12. See $27 c Or, "the battle was spread." d Heb. array. eOr, dwelleth between." The Sept. has, "beside the gate, watching the way." h Cf. 1 Kings 14:4. See $142, (5), A.

I Samuel 4.

20 And

made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. 19 And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and brought forth; for her pains came upon her. about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast brought forth a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. 21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. 22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel; for the ark of God is taken.

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(1) THE CHASTISEMENT OF THE PHILISTINES FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE Ark.

1 Samuel 5:1-12.

I Now the Philistines had taken the ark of God, and they brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod. 2 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. 4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, unto this day.

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6 But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with tumours, even Ashdod and the borders thereof. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god. 8 They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. 9 And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great discomfiture: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and tumours brake out upon them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people. I They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and they said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly discomfiture throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 12 And the men that died not were smitten with the tumours: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

(2) THE RESTORATION OF THE ARK WITH EXPIATORY GIFTS.

I Samuel 6:1-11.

I And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? shew us wherewith we shall send it to its place. 3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a guilt offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. 4 Then a I. e.. "There is no glory." Or, "before it." cOr, "plague boils." As read by the Jews, "emerods." d The Sept. has instead," and in the midst of the land thereof mice were brought forth, and there was a great and deadly destruction in the city." e Heb. "field." The Sept. adds, " and their land swarmed with mice." gOr, trespass offering."

I Samuel 6.

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said they, What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden tumours, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on "you all, and on your lords. 5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your tumours, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. 6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? 7 Now therefore take and prepare you a new cart, and two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: 8 and take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a guilt offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. 9 And see, if it goeth up by the way of its own border to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us. IO And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: 11 and they put the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their tumours.

(3) THE RECEPTION AND SETTLEMENT OF THE ARK IN ISRAEL.
I Samuel 6:12-7:1.

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12 And the kine took the straight way by the way to Beth-shemesh; they went along the high way, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh. 13 And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered up the kine for a burnt offering unto the LORD. 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD. 16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

17 And these are the golden tumours which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; 18 and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities and of country villages: even unto the great stone, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD, which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite. 19 And he smote of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand men and the people mourned, because the LORD had smitten the people with a great slaughter. 20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us? 21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you. I And the men of Kiriath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.

25. THE TWENTY YEARS OF WAITING.

I Samuel 7:2.

2 And it came to pass, from the day that the ark abode in Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

a Heb. "them."

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bOr, made a mock of." c Heb. one raised way.' dSo the Sept. and Targum. The Hebrew text has, "Abel" (i. e., a meadow"). e The Sept. has, "And the sons of Jeconiah rejoiced not among the men of Beth-shemesh, because they saw the ark of the LORD; and he smote among them seventy men, and fifty thousand men.' Or," Gibeah." g Or, was drawn together."

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