Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 1 · 1 Samuel · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
THe Word of the Lord was precious in those dayes, and there was no open vision. V. 1.For the wickednesse of the Priests, saith Lyra, there had been no revelations or visions a long time; wherefore it is said, The Word of God was precious, that is, rare, for rare things are precious, seldome did the Word of God come to any extraordinarily, to shew what should bee done afterwards; thus also Comestor. Schol. Histor. Hugo Cardin.Hugo saith, it was both for the sinnes of the Priests and the people, that God sent no Prophets, nor Angels, and alledgeth Esa. 13. A man shall be more precious then gold, to prove, that rare things are precious. But whereas som… hereupon, that preaching seldome is precious, and often preaching sho… bee, because this vilifieth it, hee alledgeth, Hebr. 6. 7. of the often falling, of raine to make the ground fruitfull, and the glosse of Jerome thereupon against Hieron. Praedicatio si rara est non sufficit, si assidua, vilescit.it, If preaching bee rare, it is not sufficient, but if it bee daily, it is vilified: so that both by the glosse and text, although through the corruption of people, the Word being often preached be sleighted, yet rare preaching, as insufficient, is to be condemned.
Peter Martyr here noteth how Samurl was rewarded for his faith fulnesse and diligence in his place according to that, Thou hast been faithfull in little, I will Peter Martyr.make thee Ruler over much; and therefore to make way unto the relation of the word of God comming to Samuel, it is first said, The childe Samuel ministred to the Lord; and then see how the Lord dignified him, although hee were yet very young, for hee is generally held to have been but 12. Revelations, that Josephus.were then very rare, were yet made unto him, so great grace and favour did hee come into with the Lord, none had that name and fame for a Prophet since Moses, as hee had. There was no manifest vision in those dayes; that is, saith Junius, although there were some private revelations, yet the publike office of prophecying failed.
And it came to passe at that time, when Eli was laid downe in his place, and his eyes V. 2.waxed dimme, that he could not see. V. 3. Yet the lamp of God went out in the Temple where the Arke was, and Samuel was laid downe to sleep. Being about to set forth the revelation made to Samuel, hee first describeth the time. For these words, at that time, Junius hath, that day, that is, the day in which the Prophet Junius.had come to Eli, to threaten him, Chap. 2. 27. at night when Eli and Samuel were both in bed, in the Priests and Levites chambers, neare the Tabernacle in the Court thereof, for in the Tabernacle no man might lye; this of that day, is taken out of Ben Gerson, and disliked by Peter Martyr, because it is Hebr. in those dayes; so that it is not necessary to hold it to have been done precisely the night following that day. Yer the lampe went out, that is, before morning, for it burnt all night, and in the morning was ordered againe continually, Exod. 27. 20, 21. the lamps were seven, which burnt all night, and from thenceforth three of them onelyonly being renewed all day, and then all the seven againe at night, according to some; but according to others, five of them were lighted againe in the morning before the morning sacrifice, and that being ended, the other two also; see my exposition there. So that here is a description of the night season, it being yet towards the dawning of the day, for then the lampe began to goe out. A lampe is spoken of in the singular number, because there was onelyonly one golden candlestick with seven branches, wherein seven lampes burned. For these words inserted touching Eli, His eyes waxed dimme that hee could not see; they serve onelyonly to shew, of how great an age Eli was at this time, and that, as Peter Martyr hath it, the reason of Samuel's so Peter Martyr.readily running to Eli when he called, might appear, because they that cannot see, have need of helpe oftentimes, especially when this commeth upon them by age: yet hee thinketh not but that Eli could see a little, as Jacob being dimsighted, yet could see the two sonnes of Joseph to put his hands upon them, as hee would. Hee also saith, that the Rabbins note hereupon the great providence of God to bee pointed at, when one light went out, to set up another in his Church, after Eli, Samuel, as after Moses, Joshua; but whereas by Eli's eyes waxing dimme, they say it is not to bee understood of his bodily eyes, but of the eyes of his minde, because it had been to no purpose here to make mention of his bodily blindnesse, but to intimate, that hee had in times past the sight of Divine things, but now had lost it for the sinnes of the people, this he disliketh as not being said according to the meaning of this place. I thinke that both blindnesses may bee understood here: 1 Of the body, to shew why Samuel was so ready to runne to Eli, as being a thing to which hee had been used. 2 Of minde, to shew what need there was that God should now raise up another Seer in his Church. The Vulg. Latine joyning the next verse unto this, Eli his sight was dimme, and hee could not see the lampe before it went out, hath given occasion to Lyra, and others to inquire how this could bee properly spoken, forsomuch as the dimmest fight, if it can see any thing, can see the light Lyra.of a candle, or lampe by night: but he resolveth it well, that the Latine translation is herein corrupt, as also in many other places, for in Hebr. it is both distinguisht by another verse, and the words are, And before the lampe of the Lord went out, &c. Samuel was laid downe, &c. but as in confounding these two verses there is an error in the Vulg Latine, so in our new Translation, and in Junius it is gone from the order of the words in the latter part of the verse, and the Vulg. Latine keepeth the right order, for in the Hebrew it is, And Samuel lay downe in the Temple of the Lord, where the Arke of God was, and so the Vulg. Latin; but Junius and our new Translation, Yer the lamp was gone out in the Temple, &c. and Samuel was laid downe, inverting the order happily, that it might not be thought that any man lay in the house of the Lord. But the order of the words being kept, Ben Gerson saith, it may bee rendred, besides the Temple, where there were chambers for the Priests and Levites to keepe in, and R. L. B. Gerson.watch the Tabernacle, and this is followed by Peter Martyr, who noteth, that P Martyr.all the families of Levi were placed neare about the Tabernacle, east, west, north, and south; not that Gods house had any need to bee watched, but to Note. teach us to watch alwayes, and to bee sober, and to have our conversation in heaven, seeing wee are a royall Priesthood now so many as bee true Christians. There is a note of distinction under foreign called athnab, shewing that the next words, in the house of the Lord, &c. are to be distinguished, and not to bee read, as shewing the place where Samuel lay.
The Lord called Samuel, and bee answered, Here am I, and hee ranne to Eli, &c. V. 4.The Lord called Samuel three severall times, and every time hee thinking that Eli had called him, ranne to him; and the reason is rendred, v. 7. Samuel yet knew not the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. Hebr. And Samuel before hee knew the Lord, and before his word was revealed unto him. Which is followed by the Sept. being thus supplyed, Thus did Samuel before Septuag. Chald. Arias Mont. Ʋulg. Latin.he knew the Lord, &c. but the other is followed by the Chaldee, Arias, and Vatab. Vulg. Latine, &c. The sense is all one, but because foreign terem, signifieth, before that, it is best to follow the Hebrew. Now Samuel is not said, not to have known the Lord, as the wicked sonnes of Eli, Chap. 2. 12. but as the last clause expresseth, hee knew not that the voice which came to him was his, because hee had not yet been used to it; the Chaldee, he knew not the word of prophesie. Gregory, lib. 3. c. 1. saith, the Lord spake in a voice like unto Eli's, so that Samuel knew it not to bee the Lords voice, but thought it had been Elies. Samuels running to Eli, shewed his diligence, and God ordered it so by his providence, P. Martyr.that hee should run unto him three times, that Eli might surely know that it was a Divine revelation, and be affected with it, whereas otherwise hee might happily either not have heard of it, or have sleighted it as a childish dreame; so Martyr. But now hee perceived that the Lord had called him, V. 8, 9.and instructeth him when hee called againe, what answer hee should make.
Then the Lord came and stood, and called, as at other times, Samuel, Samuel, and V. 10.hee answered, Speake, for thy servant heareth; For these words, as at other times, Hebr. foreign, in the Vulg. Latine, secundo, most unaptly, for it was the fourth time of his calling. Peter Martyr, semel at que iterum; Junius, ut antea; but the Hebrew signifieth, hac vice, sicut alia vice, at this time, as at the other, or, againe and againe, for now he doubled his calling, so as hee had not yet done. Touching his comming and standing, Kimhi thinketh that it was in some R Kimhivisible shape, because the same word is here used that was used in setting forth his standing in Balaams way. Whereas in answering, Samuel speaketh not all the words put into his mouth by Eli, for Eli bade him say, Speake Lord, for thy servant heareth, but hee leaveth out the word Lord; Kimhi noteth it to have been done for reverence to the name Jehovah, because it ought not to be spoken by every one. But this is rightly taxed by Martyr as frivolous, because if R. Kimhiso, the High-priest would not have instructed him to speak so: It is more probable, that Samuel through feare forgat part of his answer, as a man being terrified with majesty may easily doe. Samuels being thrice called, saith Josephus, intimated his threefold dignity to come, of a Prophet, a Judge, and a Josephus.Priest, in that he offered sacrifice. But Hugo saith, hee offered, because Iebakod Hugo Card.was then too young, but hee was not for this a Priest; wherefore it is said, Moses and Aaron amongst his Priests, and Samuel amongst, &c. Moreover, any Psal. 99. 6.man extraordinarily called might offer sacrifice, and in any place, although ordinarily, the Priest onelyonly comming of Aaron might doe it.
And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold I doe a thing in Israel, at which every V. 11.one that heareth it, both his eares shall tingle, that is, it shall make him to stand amazed at it: for upon vehement astonishment, certaine commotions and humors are stirred up in the head, and descend with great force into the eares, making them to tingle; so Peter Martyr. Hee meant hereby the great judgement that should shortly come upon all Israel by the Philistims, when the Arke Peter Martyr.of God should bee taken and carryed away, of which who could heare without astonishment? that the Arke so sacred that none but the Priests might touch it, should bee suffered to come into the hands of barbarous enemies, and Lyra.so bee scorned and triumphed over, as Lyra partly hath it.
In that day I will performe against Eli, all that I have spoken, &c. that is, V. 12.saith Hugo, all that I have spoken by my Prophet, whom I sent unto him; and V. 13. I have told him, That I will judge his house for ever, is spoken also with reference to the same. This was the destruction of his two sonnes, and the cutting off of all the rest of his family in their youth, and the putting downe of the survivers from the Priesthood: When I begin, I will also make an end; Hebr. beginning and perfecting; whereby is not meant, that all things spoken of should come to passe at one time, for the removall of his family from the Priesthood was not till 80 yeares after, as hath been already shewed. Mart. I will begin and perfit it, but for these words, I have told him that I will judge V. 13.his house, hee hath it, I will shew that I judge, &c. as if they had no reference to any former threatening, whereas indeed in Hebrew they plainly have, Because his sonnes made themselves vile, and hee restrained them not; the Vulg. Latine, Vulg. Lat.Because hee knew that his sonnes did unworthily, and hee corrected them not: the Sept. they cursed God, and hee admonished them not. Junius, hee repressed Septuag. Iunius.not his sonnes, bringing a curse upon himselfe, or themselves: Mart. his sons contemned themselves, and hee prohibited them not. The word used in Hebrew, properly signifieth they cursed themselves, as A. Mont. readeth it, but hereby, as Junius hath it, is meant, that they brought a curse upon themselves by their wickednesse, and hee was not severe enough against them to prevent it, or hee stopped them not in their wicked course time enough, but let them alone till they were so hardened, as that no admonition would doe them good; which is meant, when it is said, Hee restrained them not, so Borrhaeus.
Therefore I have sworne to the house of Eli, That the iniquity of his house shall V. 14.not bee purged with sacrifice for ever. For the preterperfect tense, I have sworn, Junius hath it, I sweare, because in that which was said before by the Prophet, Chap. 2. there is no mention made of an oath. That the Lord did sweare for confirmation, is no new thing, for hee sware of old to Abraham, Gen. 22. 16. to confirme his promise, and Numb. 14 28. to the rebellious Israelites to confirme his threatening: The forme used is Hebr. If the iniquity of Eli's house shall bee purged, &c. somewhat being lest to bee understood; as, let mee not live, as Junius, or, let mee not bee God, as Peter Martyr. Our translation and the Iunius. Peter Martyr.Vulg. Latine respecting rather the sense, then the rendring of it verbatim, have it, shall not bee purged. But how is it thus said? was their sinne then altogether Qu. unpardonable? The Hebrews answer, it could not bee purged by sacrifice, but Rabbini.by prayer, almesdeeds, and teaching and living according to the Law it might, and hereunto they therefore ascribed more vertue then to sacrificing; wherein they were not deceived, if by sacrificing they understood no more then the ceremony of killing and offering up a beast upon the Altar by the Priest to make atonement for the sinner: for this might bee done, and yet the wicked bee still in his sinnes, as is shewed Isa. 1. and Isa. 66. but prayers being penitently made, and the life being reformed, sinnes past are forgiven, see Ezok. 18. Psal. 50 & 51. Dan. 4. 27. But whereas they ascribe more vertue for the expiating of sinne to almesdeeds, prayer, &c. then to sacrificing, if it bee rightly understood, they foully erred. For the shedding of the blood of a beast in sacrifice, was nothing else but a figurative representation of the shedding of Christs blood to come, whereby alone wee are purged form all sin, and therefore 1 Ioh. 1. 6.in such as had faith in this blood, sin was certainly by sacrificing done away. But because a true and a lively faith was never without penitent prayer, charity, and reformation of life, these are chiefly insisted upon, and sacrificing without these rejected, as insufficient, nad plainely arguing one either without faith, or whose faith was dead. The true answer to the question propounded then is, that neither by sacrifice, nor by any other meanes could their sin be purged, in respect of the punishment threatened, but so many of Eli's house as truly repented, should be purged from the guilt binding over to everlasting Lyra Peter Martyr.condenmation, so Lyra and Peter Martyr.
In the morning when Samuel arose, hee fearing to shew Eli of these things, V. 15, 16, 17was charged and adjured by him to tell him, and then hee told him all that the Lord had said. One thing is questioned here upon these words, And hee opened the doores of the bouse of the Lord, seeing the Tabernacle was compassed in Exod. 26. Pellican.onelyonly with curtaines, and had no doores; what doores are meant here? Pellican thinketh that some other house of God is here meant, and not the Tabernacle, because it is called the house of God and the Temple. But that of Osiander Osiander.is more probable, that although a curtaine served in stead of a doore all the time that the Tabernacle was carryed about in the wildernesse, yet being now setled in Shiloh, they made doores unto it, and to the Levites it belonged to open and shut these doores; so that Samuel, as Peter Martyr noteth, was 1 Chron. 26. Peter Martyr.still as humble as before, and as attentive about his duty in serving the Priests, although hee were now called to bee a Prophet of the Lord, extraordinary revelations did not puffe him up, neither should knowledge or any other gifts bestowed upon us, puffe up us.
For his not shewing his revelation to Eli, it was a fault, saith the same Author, because revelations are made to the men of God, that they might shew them to others, but because hee was not bidden to shew it to Eli, it was the lesser; but I thinke it was no fault at all, because although revelations must bee shewed, yet it is not necessary that they bee shewed immediately, but in due order, and about this Gods order was, that Eli should first aske about it, and then Samuel shew it unto him. Hee told it not to Eli, till hee asked to know it, because the judgement was so great, that he feared to shew or speake of it, contrary to the manner of those who rejoyce to see and to speake of the faults and miseries of others. But the reverence which hee bare towards Eli being Lyra.High-priest, also wrought with him, as Lyra hath it.
God doe so to thee, and more also, if thou hidest any thing from mee, &c. that is, God bring as great judgements upon thee, as ever hee did upon any, and V. 17.greater, if thou shew mee not all, so Lyra. Or, God bring those evills upon thee, which hee hath threatened against mee, if, &c. as Hugo. This adjuring Hugo Cardin.by superiours, was often used in those dayes, and the inferiour being thus adjured, was bound, as the people by Saul, and Micaiah by Ahab, and Christ by 1 King. 22. 15.Caiaphas. And hee said, it is the Lord, let him doe what seemeth good in his eyes. Herein Eli shewed himselfe truly penitent, in that hee submitted himselfe patiently to beare his punishment, hee refused not the chastening of the Lord, and Prov. 3. 12. Heb. 12. 9.chastenings borne patiently worke good unto the bearer, and shew Gods love towards him; which are things not incident, but onelyonly to the penitent, so Aaron was patient, when his two sonnes were smitten, and David, and Job, and Mauritius, when the Empire was taken from him by Phocas and his wife and children slaine before his face, he said nothing, but justa sunt judicia tua Domine; thus Theod. Chrysost. Procopius, Lyranus, Tostatus; but Gregor. Magn. Rabanus, Rupert, thinke that these were not the words of true penitency, because hee amended not the fault, nor punisht his wicked sonnes, as they deserved; wherefore his words shewed one inordinately trusting in Gods mercy; for hee trusteth ordinately herein, who amends his fault. Peter Martyr acknowledging that the fathers generally hold Eli to have been truly P. Martyr.penitent, and so although hee were punisht temporally, hee escaped eternally; yet calleth it in question, because hee might say so in hypocrisie; but seeing this is not revealed touching him, wee are not to question, but to imitate him in his humble submission when we are judged, for happily he sought to correct his sons, but they were now growne incorrigible.
And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and let none of his words fall V. 19.to the ground, &c. After the revelation made to Samuel, the confirmation of his words are set downe, and then the divulgation, so that all Israel from Dan to Beershebah, that is, from the north-boundary of Canaan, to the south, V. 20.knew that hee was a Prophet, v. 20. and another apparition in Shiloh made unto him, v. 21. but what was then revealed, is not here set downe. None of V. 21.his words fell to the ground, that nothing which hee spake failed, but all came to passe. Hugo saith also, it may bee understood thus, hee spake nothing of heavenly things, but of earthly, applying it against those that speake altogether Hugo Card.of earthly things: but the first is most proper. It is a Metaphor, saith Peter Martyr, taken from liquid things, which perish by falling to the ground, P. Martyr.or from buildings ruined: and his words may bee understood either of the Lords, or of Samuels speaking by his inspiration. The scope of all this is to shew that Samuel was famous all over Israel, as before him revelations had been rare, v. 1. so now they began againe to bee frequent, v. 21. which was a great comfort to the people.
Mystically by the blindnesse of Eli, who could not see the light, the blindnes The Mystery. Rabanus.of the Jewes, was set forth, till their Priesthood and Temple, and all were destroyed; so Rabanus.