1Y ANA oró, y dijo: Mi corazón se alegra en Jehová, mi cuerno es ensalzado en Jehová, mi boca se ensanchó sobre mis enemigos, por cuanto me alegré en tu salud. 2No hay santo como Jehová: porque no hay ninguno fuera de tí, y no hay fuerte como el Dios nuestro. 3No multipliquéis hablando grandezas, grandezas: cesen las palabras arrogantes de vuestra boca, porque el Dios de las ciencias es Jehová, y las obras magníficas a él le son prestas. 4Los arcos de los fuertes fueron quebrados, y los flacos se ciñeron de fortaleza. 5Los hartos se alquilaron por pan: y los hambrientos cesaron: hasta parir siete la estéril, y la que tenía muchos hijos enfermó. 6Jehová mata, y él da vida: él hace descender a los infiernos, y hace subir. 7Jehová empobrece, y él enriquece: abate, y ensalza. 8El levanta del polvo al pobre, y al menesteroso ensalza del estiércol, para asentarle con los príncipes: y hace que tengan por heredad asiento de honra: porque de Jehová son las columnas de la tierra, y él asentó sobre ellas el mundo. 9El guarda los piés de sus santos; mas los impíos perecen en tinieblas, porque nadie con fuerza será valiente. 10Jehová, serán quebrantados sus adversarios: y sobre ellos tronará desde los cielos: Jehová juzgará los términos de la tierra, y dará fortaleza a su rey, y ensalzará el cuerno de su Mesías. 11Y Elcana se volvió a su casa en Ramata: y el mozo ministraba a Jehová delante de Elí sacerdote. 12Mas los hijos de Elí eran hombres impíos, y no tenían conocimiento de Jehová. 13Era la costumbre de los sacerdotes con el pueblo que cualquiera que sacrificaba sacrificio, venía el criado del sacerdote, cuando la carne estaba a cocer, trayendo en su mano un garfio de tres ganchos, 14Y hería con él en la caldera, o en la olla, o en el caldero, o en el pote; y todo lo que sacaba el garfio, el sacerdote lo tomaba para sí. De esta manera hacían a todo Israel que venía a Silo. 15Asimismo ántes de quemar el sebo, venía el criado del sacerdote, y decía al que sacrificaba: Da carne que ase para el sacerdote: porque no tomará de tí carne cocida, sino cruda. 16Y respondíale el varon: Quemen de presto el sebo hoy, y después tómate como quisieres. Y él respondía: No, sino ahora la has de dar; de otra manera yo la tomaré por fuerza, 17Y así el pecado de los mozos era muy grande delante de Jehová: porque los hombres menospreciaban los sacrificios de Jehová. 18Y el mozo Samuel ministraba delante de Jehová vestido de un efod de lino. 19Y hacíale su madre una túnica pequeña, y traíasela cada año, cuando subía con su marido a sacrificar el sacrificio acostumbrado. 20Y Elí bendecía a Elcana y a su mujer, diciendo: Jehová te dé simiente de esta mujer en lugar de esta petición que pidió a Jehová: y así se volvieron a su lugar. 21Y visitó Jehová a Ana, y concibió, y parió tres hijos, y dos hijas; y el mozo Samuel crecía delante de Jehová. 22Elí empero era muy viejo, y oía todo lo que sus hijos hacían a todo Israel; y como dormían con las mujeres que velaban a la puerta del tabernáculo del testimonio. 23Y díjoles: ¿Por qué hacéis cosas semejantes? Porque yo oigo de todo este pueblo vuestros negocios malos. 24No, hijos míos; porque no es buena fama la que yo oigo: que hacéis pecar al pueblo de Jehová. 25Si pecare el hombre contra el hombre, los jueces le juzgarán: mas si alguno pecare contra Jehová, ¿quién rogará por él? Mas ellos no oyeron la voz de su padre: porque Jehová les quería matar. 26Y el mozo Samuel iba creciendo, y mejorándose delante de Dios, y delante de los hombres. 27Y vino un varón de Dios a Elí, y le dijo: Así dijo Jehová: ¿No me manifesté yo manifiestamente a la casa de tu padre, cuando estaban en Egipto, en la casa de Faraón? 28Y yo le escogí por mi sacerdote entre todas las tribus de Israel, para que ofreciese sobre mi altar, y quemase perfume, y trajese efod delante de mí; y dí a la casa de tu padre todas las ofrendas de los hijos de Israel. 29¿Por qué habéis hollado mis sacrificios, y mis presentes, que yo mandé en el tabernáculo, y has honrado a tus hijos más que a mí, engordándoos de lo principal de todas las ofrendas de mi pueblo Israel? 30Por tanto Jehová el Dios de Israel dijo: Yo había dicho, que tu casa, y la casa de tu padre andarían delante de mí perpetuamente. Mas ahora dijo Jehová: Nunca yo tal haga, porque yo honraré a los que me honran, y los que me tuvieren en poco, serán viles. 31He aquí, vienen dias, en que cortaré tu brazo, y el brazo de la casa de tu padre, para que no haya viejo en tu casa. 32Y verás a un competidor en el tabernáculo, en todas las cosas en que hiciere bien a Israel; y en ningún tiempo habrá viejo en tu casa. 33Y no te cortaré del todo varón de mi altar, para hacerte marchitar tus ojos, y henchir tu ánimo de dolor; mas toda la cria de tu casa morirán ya varones. 34Y esto te será señal, es a saber, lo que acontecerá a tus dos hijos, Ofni y Finees, que ámbos morirán en un día. 35Y yo me despertaré sacerdote fiel, que haga conforme a mi corazón y a mi alma, y yo le edificaré casa firme, y él andará delante de mi ungido todos los dias. 36Y será que el que hubiere quedado en tu casa, vendrá a postrársele por haber un dinero de plata, y un bocado de pan, diciéndole: Ruégote que me constituyas en algún ministerio, para que coma un bocado de pan.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 HANNAH'S SONG IN THANKFULNESS TO GOD. (
1Sam 2:1-11)
Hannah prayed, and said--Praise and prayer are inseparably conjoined in Scripture (
Col 4:2;
1Tim 2:1). This beautiful song was her tribute of thanks for the divine goodness in answering her petition.
mine horn is exalted in the Lord--Allusion is here made to a peculiarity in the dress of Eastern women about Lebanon, which seems to have obtained anciently among the Israelite women, that of wearing a tin or silver horn on the forehead, on which their veil is suspended. Wives, who have no children, wear it projecting in an oblique direction, while those who become mothers forthwith raise it a few inches higher, inclining towards the perpendicular, and by this slight but observable change in their headdress, make known, wherever they go, the maternal character which they now bear.
5 they that were hungry ceased--that is, to hunger.
the barren hath born seven--that is, many children.
6 he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up--that is, He reduces to the lowest state of degradation and misery, and restores to prosperity and happiness.
8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill--The dunghill, a pile of horse, cow, or camel offal, heaped up to dry in the sun, and used as fuel, was, and is, one of the common haunts of the poorest mendicants; and the change that had been made in the social position of Hannah, appeared to her grateful heart as auspicious and as great as the elevation of a poor despised beggar to the highest and most dignified rank.
inherit the throne of glory--that is, possesses seats of honor.
10 the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth . . . exalt the horn of his anointed--This is the first place in Scripture where the word "anointed," or Messiah, occurs; and as there was no king in Israel at the time, it seems the best interpretation to refer it to Christ. There is, indeed, a remarkable resemblance between the song of Hannah and that of Mary (
Luke 1:46).
11 the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest--He must have been engaged in some occupation suited to his tender age, as in playing upon the cymbals, or other instruments of music; in lighting the lamps, or similar easy and interesting services.
12 THE SIN OF ELl'S SONS. (
1Sam 2:12-17)
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial--not only careless and irreligious, but men loose in their actions, and vicious and scandalous in their habits. Though professionally engaged in sacred duties, they were not only strangers to the power of religion in the heart, but they had thrown off its restraints, and even ran, as is sometimes done in similar cases by the sons of eminent ministers, to the opposite extreme of reckless and open profligacy.
13 the priests' custom with the people--When persons wished to present a sacrifice of peace offering on the altar, the offering was brought in the first instance to the priest, and as the Lord's part was burnt, the parts appropriated respectively to the priests and offerers were to be sodden. But Eli's sons, unsatisfied with the breast and shoulder, which were the perquisites appointed to them by the divine law (
Exod 29:27;
Lev 7:31-
Lev 7:32), not only claimed part of the offerer's share, but rapaciously seized them previous to the sacred ceremony of heaving or waving (see on
Lev 7:29); and moreover they committed the additional injustice of taking up with their fork those portions which they preferred, while still raw. Pious people revolted at such rapacious and profane encroachments on the dues of the altar, as well as what should have gone to constitute the family and social feast of the offerer. The truth is, the priests having become haughty and unwilling in many instances to accept invitations to those feasts, presents of meat were sent to them; and this, though done in courtesy at first, being, in course of time, established into a right, gave rise to all the rapacious keenness of Eli's sons.
18 SAMUEL'S MINISTRY. (
1Sam 2:18-26)
But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child--This notice of his early services in the outer courts of the tabernacle was made to pave the way for the remarkable prophecy regarding the high priest's family.
girded with a linen ephod--A small shoulder-garment or apron, used in the sacred service by the inferior priests and Levites; sometimes also by judges or eminent persons, and hence allowed to Samuel, who, though not a Levite, was devoted to God from his birth.
19 his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year--Aware that he could not yet render any useful service to the tabernacle, she undertook the expense of supplying him with wearing apparel. All weaving stuffs, manufacture of cloth, and making of suits were anciently the employment of women.
20 Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife--This blessing, like that which he had formerly pronounced, had a prophetic virtue; which, before long, appeared in the increase of Hannah's family (
1Sam 2:21), and the growing qualifications of Samuel for the service of the sanctuary.
22 the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle--This was an institution of holy women of a strictly ascetic order, who had relinquished worldly cares and devoted themselves to the Lord; an institution which continued down to the time of Christ (
Luke 2:37). Eli was, on the whole, a good man, but lacking in the moral and religious training of his family. He erred on the side of parental indulgence; and though he reprimanded them (see on
Deut 21:18), yet, from fear or indolence, he shrank from laying on them the restraints, or subjecting them to the discipline, their gross delinquencies called for. In his judicial capacity, he winked at their flagrant acts of maladministration and suffered them to make reckless encroachments on the constitution, by which the most serious injuries were inflicted both on the rights of the people and the laws of God.
25 they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because--it should be therefore.
the Lord would slay them--It was not God's preordination, but their own wilful and impenitent disobedience which was the cause of their destruction.
27 A PROPHECY AGAINST ELI'S HOUSE. (
1Sam 2:27-35)
there came a man of God unto Eli, and said . . . that there shall not be an old man in thine house--So much importance has always, in the East, been attached to old age, that it would be felt to be a great calamity, and sensibly to lower the respectability of any family which could boast of few or no old men. The prediction of this prophet was fully confirmed by the afflictions, degradation, poverty, and many untimely deaths with which the house of Eli was visited after its announcement (see
1Sam 4:11;
1Sam 14:3;
1Sam 22:18-23;
1Kgs 2:27).
31 I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house--By the withdrawal of the high priesthood from Eleazar, the elder of Aaron's two sons (after Nadab and Abihu were destroyed, [
Num 3:4]), that dignity had been conferred on the family of Ithamar, to which Eli belonged, and now that his descendants had forfeited the honor, it was to be taken from them and restored to the elder branch.
32 thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation--A successful rival for the office of high priest shall rise out of another family (
2Sam 15:35;
1Chr 24:3;
1Chr 29:22). But the marginal reading, "thou shalt see the affliction of the tabernacle," seems to be a preferable translation.