Characterization: Father and Sons. I thank Steven Walker, Richard Dilworth Rust, Rex Cooper, and Fred Woods for their helpful comments on prior drafts of this article. While Elkanah focuses on outward and formal family concerns and is emotionally distant from everyone in the narrative, including his wife and children, Hannah is consistently preoccupied with personal devotions to God and is emotionally connected with everyone around her, regardless of their attitude toward her. The story of Samuels birth and calling concludes with a general reference to his continuing growth in the knowledge of God (see 3:7, 21). Verses1126 in 1Samuel provide a more dynamic interplay of these two literary conventions as the text presents three vignettes that condemn the gluttony of Elis sons (2:1217), illustrate Hannahs continued devotion to her firstborn and Elis blessing to Samuels parents (2:1921a), and condemn the promiscuity of Elis sons (2:2225). And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. The always busy Keke Palmer has added a new title to her long list of credits, and this one is much more important than all the others. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 60. Visibility. The rate of decline averaged 4% from 2016 to 2021 and jumped to 8% in 2022. Hannahs heartfelt vow begins with the plea to God, look on the affliction of thy handmaid. Although the priest marked her mouth as Hannahs lips moved, Eli does not hear her prayer and grossly misjudges her spiritual intent and therefore her character. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. Characterization: Parents and Children. As part of her poignant vow, Hannah promises that if the Lord will give her a man child, then she will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life. In both instances, the verb give is translated from the Hebrew nathan. This perspective does acknowledge, however, that biblical portraits are focused, even in their depth and complexity, and include few extraneous details. Since biblical narrative characteristically catches its protagonists only at the critical and revealing points in their lives, the biblical type-scene occurs not in the rituals of daily existence, but at the crucial junctures in the lives of the heroes, from conception and birth to betrothal to deathbed. Alter, Art, 51; see also Alter, Moses, 64 n.10; 11819 n.11; 315 n.16. The reiterated and, then, plays an important role in creating the rhythm of the story, in phonetically punctuating the forward driving movement of the prose. Throughout this study, unless otherwise noted, I have relied on the following standard sources for the meaning of individual Hebrew words and phrases: James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville: Abington Press, 1890, 1973 printing); and Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody, Mass. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel continued to grow, and the LORD was constantly with him. 29. A precise chronology of the writing and redacting of the Hebrew Bible is uncertain, and the account of Samuels birth and calling certainly took shape before the writing of the Christian Gospels. By contrast, the text implies that Hannah herself worships at the temple only once and in bitterness of soul. The story implies that both types of devotion are effective. 2829; 54n; 60 nn. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. Regarding Sarah, the paragon in this set of related character types, Alter, Moses, 101 n.18, explicates the exquisite craftsmanship of the relevant passage in Genesis that immediately precedes Isaacs birth. 40. 1316, especially 13:5; 16:1620). Humanistic conventions mandate that characters be developed largely as unique individuals, complete with their own distinctive personalities, backgrounds, interests, appearances, and motivations. 31. Children who receive responsive care are able to develop the psychological quality of hope. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou hast weaned him; only the Lord establish his word. The word of God is often a technical term referring to oracular message. Moreover, metabolic dysfunction may be inherited into the following generation through non-genomic mechanisms, with epigenetics as a plausible candidate. continuing to nurture her firstborn throughout his youth, even though she sees him but once a year (2:1819). There are also two different accounts of the rejection of Saul by Samuel. But the same phrase also is used to announce prophecy, and vision is a prophetic term: the whole episode concerns the transition from priestly to prophetic authority.64 In short, Alter implies that the man of God acts as an oracle in relation to the priest, since the priest himself has lost the traditional gift of oracle through abuse and neglect. These are known by the technical German term Leitwort. and why is thy heart grieved? These details may explain why the man of God specifically refers to Pharaohs house in his condemnation of the house of Eli (2:27). Hence, references in this article to an author (singular) of the text are for heuristic, not documentary or analytical purposes. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 12. Samuel Langhorne Clemens was welcomed into the world as the sixth child of John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens. It also serves the broader narrative as the renewal of an ancient and sacred covenant with God, with Samuel serving as its object and agent.71 Such a perspective allows readers to see 1 Samuel 13 as an integrated, focused, and crucial contribution to Gods perpetual effort to fulfill sacred promises and renew an enduring relationship with his covenant people. Characterization: Husband and Wife. 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. (Read More) Topics and verses are auto-generated from user searches. He was a Nazarite, yet broke many rules of the Nazarite vow. 1. Impact. The Amalekites are destroyed by David and his men. Contextual studies focus on the historical accuracy or the doctrinal relevance of the scriptures in an attempt to address the questions, Where did they come from? and What do they mean to me? The present approach does not disparage a contextual approach to the scriptures. The biblical preference for direct discourse is so pronounced that thought is almost invariably rendered as actual speech. Alter, Art, 67. Type Scene: Victory Song. And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh: and the child was young. On the art of gap-filling by biblical narrators, see Sternberg, Poetics, 186229. . She is merely the barren co-wife of an obscure Ephraimite. The first consists of a set of rapid-fire rhetorical questions ostensibly intended to comfort his then-barren and bereft wife, Why weepest thou? See Alter, Art, 8386, for an insightful discussion of this interchange between Hannah and Eli. This study claims that the significance of the story cannot be fully appre- McCarter, I Samuel, 8693, identifies several literary features of the text which indicate that, as a result of Samuels ministry, Israels future as recounted in the Hebrew Bible will be considerably different than its past. Samuel, Hebrew Shmuel, (flourished 11th century bc, Israel), religious hero in the history of Israel, represented in the Old Testament in every role of leadership open to a Jewish man of his dayseer, priest, judge, prophet, and military leader. There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. As portrayed in the text, Elkanah believes that Hannah should be more consoled by his worthy portion than had she born him ten sons.. Its content not only indicates the overthrow of the priestly authority of the house of Eli and the implicit move to a different sort of authority to be embodied by the prophet Samuel, but it also adumbrates the rather dour and dire role that Samuel will play as leader, in relation to both Israel and to Saul. Alter, Ancient Israel, 256 nn. Yet, his roles as prophet, seer, and judge are all incredible in certain respects, apart from the and why eatest thou not? He accuses her of wanton drunkenness, a false assertion that she directly but respectfully corrects. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. 35. Despite his emotional distance from Hannah, Elkanah regularly and routinely worships at Shiloh in a manner that is consistent with the prescriptions of the Mosaic law. am I not better to thee than ten sons? Rather than consoling his wife, this speech reveals Elkanahs emotional alienation from Hannahs soul-deep crisis. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. During the indictment of Eli and his sons, the narrator sprinkles several asides on the lads prodigious service at the temple (2:11, 18, 21, 26; 3:1a) and concludes this narrative with the categorical declaration of Samuels remarkable long-term public ministry (3:194:1a). On the other hand, the language of the sons introduction bestows no honor or dignity to their priestly office. The catalytic event of this narrativeHannahs vow and the Lords favorable responsebegins and ends with the verb zakhor, translated remember. This ostensibly generous offer from a loving husband introduces other dramatic tensions of the story. This usage introduces another meaningful connotation of the verb, shakab, in relation to yada (know). Subsequent events in the narrative bear out this contrast: the sons of Eli abuse the ritual offering and are categorically rejected by the Lord, but the Lord appears to Samuel and gives him his first and subsequent prophecies. Shes a mom! The institution of kingship comes not from divine revelation but from the request of the elders of Israel, and this request is treated by Samuel as rebellion against Yahweh. The same examination reveals that none of the material in its present form was contemporary with the events; if one source is taken as controlling, then the other materials lose all historical value. Direct speech is made the chief instrument for revealing the varied and at times nuanced relations of the personages to the actions in which they are implicated. Alter, Art, 66. In contrast to the use of shakab (lie with) in the account of the promiscuity of Elis sons, discussed above, in the account of Samuels divine call, Eli instructs the lad repeatedly to shakab (lie down). Structuring Devices: Play of Perspectives. Reflecting the intimacy of Samuels first encounter with God and its profound effect, this segment of the story is recounted primarily as dialogue. By faithfully filling the crucial roles of prophet, priest, and judge, Samuel helped to transform the House of Israel from a collection of weak and often warring tribes to a relatively permanent and somewhat stable nation in the contentious ancient Middle East. As crafted, the account of Samuels calling corrects Israels general spiritual malaise (see 3:1), makes explicit Samuels newfound, firsthand knowledge of God (see 3:7), and establishes Samuels role as prophet of the Lord among all Israel (3:20, 4:1a). 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