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. . On the one hand, Hannah can neither eat the worthy portion herself (because she is fasting in bitterness of soul, see 1:10) nor share it with her children (of which she has none, which is precisely the cause of her grief and the central spiritual crisis of the story). The present study relies on the LDS edition of the King James Translation of the Hebrew Bible. God, in turn, gives Hannah a man child according to her supplication, who then becomes a prophet unto all Israel. Thus, God manifests his goodness by fulfilling Hannahs vow in ways that she could not possibly have imagined beforehand or accomplished herself. Suddenly, a priest Eli came to her doorstep And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. Alter, Ancient Israel, 247 n.0 suggests that Hannahs song and Davids victory psalm echo each other and act as formal bookends to the extended narrative sequence that includes the stories of Samuel, Saul, and David., 51. And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her. But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. 45. 20. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Stephanie Holland. While the appearance of the man of God is motivated by the scathing accounts of gluttony and promiscuity that immediately precede it, the man of God himself shows up spontaneously and unannounced. On the art of gap-filling by biblical narrators, see Sternberg, Poetics, 186229. I accept the claim and will incorporate this additional sentence into this analysis, as appropriate. Flashbacks of the By the revelation of Yahweh, however, he anointed Saul king and installed him before all Israel (chapters 910). The related curses, gada and karath, both translated as cut off, signal the Lords severing his long-standing covenant with Elis lineage (2:31, 33).70. Born into slavery around 1723, Attucks was believed to be the son of Prince Yonger, a enslaved person shipped to America from Africa, and Nancy Attucks, a Natick Indian. Characterization. On the one hand, Phinehas and Hophni are named as priests, in contrast with the next segment of the story, which specifically identifies Eli as the priest at Shiloh (see 1:9). 69. WebThe significant part of his birth is that as described in the book, his mother Hannah was childless and was praying to God for a child. In this segment, the narrator reinforces Elis neglect of his parental responsibilities with the repeated use of the verb hear(d). Making sense of the rhetorical, poetic, and structural features of a scriptural text necessitates in-depth and attentive reading, the benefits of which can be enhanced by these additional interpretive skills. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 15. Children who receive responsive care are able to develop the psychological quality of hope. This narrative is the major piece in establishing the role of Samuel as a prophet, but it is questionable whether the prophet as a distinct religious figure had emerged among the Israelites at this early date. Characterization: Parents and Children. While this general biblical pattern exhibits innumerable complexities, variations, nuances, and ambiguities, its consistency spans centuries of the recorded dealings of JHWH with covenant Israel.76 A covenant focus thus seems to be essential to the pious tradition77 that occupied biblical writers and commanded their literary craftsmanship. 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. Had Samuels prophecy simply imitated the prior condemnation, he could be seen as more of a copycat than an authentic prophet.61. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. International Standard Version The LORD took note of Hannah, and she became pregnant and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. 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. This response is identical to Abrahams willing acceptance of the Lords calling at the patriarchs great test of faith.67. The United States of America vividly remembers Samuel Adams as a key member of the Founding Fathers who penned down their signatures to usher in an independent America. Her first direct speech, for example, expresses her private but poignant vow to God, which defines her lifes purpose and sacred identity: O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look upon the afflictions of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.28 All of her subsequent speeches and actions align with and strengthen her devotional character (see 1:2028; 2:110, 1921). Hannah declines, preferring instead to attend to her sons continuing needs. Prior to Samuels birth, Hannah promises to give him to the Lord (1:11). The word of God is often a technical term referring to oracular message. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord. Leitwrter: establish and cut off. 50. 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. She fasts, she prays, she bears and nurtures, she sacrifices and gives thanks, she serves, and she remains faithful to her divine calling without any desire for personal position, recognition, or recompense.27 As a result, the narrative portrays Hannah as worthy of becoming the mother of one of Israels greatest prophets and of serving as a paragon of holiness in the Hebrew Bible. Genesis 2428, 38; Ruth 14. Saul's mother Hannah had prayed to God for a son if granted she would give him to God. 1. Gender: Female. Type Scene: Victory Song. Diction. Before Samuel's time, a prophet was called a "seer." 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). Polzin, Samuel, 39, contrasts the rather neutral narrative language of the beginning of the Samuel story with the highly judgmental language on this middle portion, preparing readers for the curse of the house of Eli and corresponding rise of Samuel. Therefore, while intended as an expression of generosity, the offering reveals Elkanahs insensitivity, at the very least, to the storys central crisis and may actually be insulting to Hannah. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Alter, Ancient Prophets, 241 n.2; Alter, Art, 8283. Hence, references in this article to an author (singular) of the text are for heuristic, not documentary or analytical purposes. . In short, while Elkanahs invitation is intended to strengthen his preferred wifes status within his family, her own priority is to guarantee the survival of her firstborn, which eventually benefits all Israel., Leitwrter: give and lend. 72. In stark contrast with modern English usage, which limits conjunctions to a bare minimum, biblical narrators seem to use them incessantly, especially waw. . For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. One of many studies of this genre in the Hebrew Bible is Steven Weitzman, Song and Story in Biblical Narrative: The History of a Literary Convention in Ancient Israel (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997); see also Alter, Moses, 397 n.1. 55. I thank Steven Walker, Richard Dilworth Rust, Rex Cooper, and Fred Woods for their helpful comments on prior drafts of this article. On the complementarity of individuals physical traits and spiritual qualities in the Hebrew Bible, see Alter, Moses, xixxxiii. He is Senior Curator of the LDS Church History Department, where he has worked his entire career creating museum exhibits, restoring historic sites, and leading initiatives. 68. And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou hast weaned him; only the Lord establish his word. Birth City: London, England. Hannah makes a solemn vow to God, and God and Hannah repeatedly and mutually fulfill the terms of their covenant. 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. Yet, his roles as prophet, seer, and judge are all incredible in certain respects, apart from the fact that each of them is considerable. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them. Thus, Samuel is rightly considered to be one of the preeminent personalities of the Hebrew Bible, and his remarkable ministry makes the brief narrative of his birth, childhood, and divine calling worthy of serious examination.3, The present study argues that the literary craftsmanship of the text is as expressive of its meaning as are its descriptive contents. WebBiography. International Standard Version The LORD took note of Hannah, and she became pregnant and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. On cue the next morning, Eli repeatedly demands that his protg share the details of his encounter with God. After receiving Samuels prophecy, Eli has no recourse but to acknowledge, It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good (3:18). Moreover, metabolic dysfunction may be inherited into the following generation through non-genomic mechanisms, with epigenetics as a plausible candidate. And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest. McCarter, I Samuel, 59 n.3, mentions that both sons names are Egyptian in origin and that Elis lineage traced its right to the priesthood back to Moses. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. (19-20) Samuels miraculous conception and his birth. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the Lord God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. Shes a mom! However, in the Hebrew Bible, lay/lie with does not always connote illicit sexual relations, for example, Genesis 30:16, and know does not always imply legitimate and covenantal sexual relations, for example, Judges 19:25. This is his leadership of the sons of the prophets, a group of young men organized for ecstatic worship. Samuel is ever faithful to his consecrated responsibilities at Shiloh and eventually becomes one of Israels greatest spiritual leaders. And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. The Hebrew Bible exemplifies many different types of parallelismtoo numerous and complex to summarize here. Similar instances of this verb in the Hebrew Bible include Genesis 19:3335; 34:2; 35:22; 39:12. Author of. Structuring Devices: Exposition. . The present study emphasizes how the narrator crafts individual characters primarily in terms of their social roles in the story, in particular how they complement and contrast with other, related characters. The first specific action in the Samuel story has Elkanah sharing with Hannah a worthy portion of the offering. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord., Type Scene: Obedience to Gods Call. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. Michael D. Coogan (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 13264. 6. 2. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. 1. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill. By stark contrast, Hannah has neither formal status nor ritual position in the worship of JHWH. 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. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord. 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). . Thus, Alter observes, There is a series of recurrent narrative episodes attached to the careers of biblical heroes that . Commenting on Elis deficiencies, McCarter, I Samuel, 100, observes, It is time for the apprentice to replace the master. And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. Few individual verses in the entire Hebrew Bible use waw more frequently.36 Based on its construction, this verse properly reads as a compounding sequence of increasingly significant events, culminating in Gods remembering Hannah, in the covenant sense described above. However, Sternberg, Poetics, 32528, eloquently qualifies Alters perspective. Message. Leitwrter: give and lend. Furthermore, mood disorders are also commonly related to childhood trauma, affecting a child's functioning in many ways. While this curse represents the single most extended direct speech in 1 Samuel 13, the precise interaction between the man of God and his Master is completely omitted from the story. Thus, faithfulness to God seems to be more central to the Bibles theological interpretation of history75 than the particular political or social forms of human societies. Provo, UT 84602, USA | 2022 Brigham Young University, Birth and Calling of the Prophet Samuel: A Literary Reading of the BiblicalText, The Little Head Stones Became Monuments: Death in the EarlySamoanMission and theCreation of the FagaliiCemetery, Margaret Barkers The Lord Is Onea Response, Response to Margaret Barkers The Lord Is One, An Improvisation on Margaret Barkers The Lord Is One, An Angel or Rather the Savior at the Kirtland Temple Dedication: The Vision of FrederickG.Williams, What Is It about This Place?: Truman Madsen, ReligiousEducation, and theMissionofBYU, Catholic and Mormon: A Theological Conversation, The Mapmakers of New Zion: A CartographicHistory ofMormonism, The Polygamous Wives Writing Club: From the Diaries of MormonPioneerWomen. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is one of the most severe mental health issues from parental neglect or abuse during childhood. 1 Chronicles 6:27 identifies Jeroham, Samuels paternal grandfather, as a Levite. Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lords people to transgress.57, Leitwrter: know and lie with. Characterization: Messengers of God. 57. But Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with people. (1 Samuel 2:26). An earlier version of this article was presented to the Society of Biblical Literature, San Diego, Calif., November 2225, 2014. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. In essence, it addresses the question, What meanings did the original author(s) intend to communicate in crafting the text in this manner?. 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. His maternal grandfather who at first raised him was racist, misogynistic, and altogether abusive. . By contrast, Eli and his sons turn from their covenant obligations in multiple ways and are consequently eternally cursed. Saul was vindicated as king by his leadership of Israel in a campaign against the Ammonites (chapter 11); after this, Samuel retired from the leadership of Israel (chapter 12). He appears at first as being hostile to the monarchy and then as being favourable to it. . In fact, it places her within a small but crucial cadre of womenmost notably Rebekah, Tamar, and Ruthwhose own unprecedented spiritual initiatives eventually and distinctively transform biblical Israel.24 Traditional readers of the Samuel story would have recognized the intended craftsmanship of the text for this exceptional interpretive purpose. The account of Samuels divine calling concludes using hearing and seeing as metaphors of increased spiritual capacity: And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. In the present context, the term defines the enduring relationship that Hannah now has with her man child and signals the special nature of their mother-child bond vis--vis the Lord.42. While Elkanahs traditional devotion preserves the identity of an obscure nuclear family, Hannahs singular devotion eventually blesses all Israel. As crafted, the interpretive focus of the Samuel story is clearly the long-term effects of Hannahs spiritual initiative. . As a boy Samuel received a divine oracle in which the fall of the house of Eli was predicted (1 Samuel 13). First specific action in the Hebrew Bible, see Alter, Ancient Prophets, 241 n.2 ; Alter Art! 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