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. I accept the claim and will incorporate this additional sentence into this analysis, as appropriate. The phrase were there identifies only that they are present at the temple, not that they are functioning worthily. In Poland, birth counts were steady or increasing in the first years of this century, but declined steadily after 2016. This study claims that the significance of the story cannot be fully apprehended without an in-depth understanding of the expressive qualities of the text. Structuring Devices: Play of Perspectives. This section of the story consists entirely of dialogue, in large measure because it is the storys dramatic fulcrum.60 While both messages condemn Eli in similar ways, they are not interchangeable. (Samuel I, 1) Samsons Life. 53. The narrative, as crafted, implies that Elkanah is either unaware or dismissive of Hannahs emotional needs and performs little or no nurturing role vis--vis their firstborn or any of their other children. When Hannah presents herself to Eli as a barren woman who has finally given birth because the Lord answered her prayer, she not only thanks the Lord for His favor to her, she also bears public witness to His mighty deeds, of which she has personal experience. Simon, Prophetic Narratives, 28. 11. And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb. 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). Robert Longley. Hannahs promise to God that there shall no razor come upon [her sons] head draws an explicit parallel with Samson, Israels most noteworthy judge (Judg. For example, is Eli, the father, the chief priest in the hereditary office? Then Eli called Samuel, and said Samuel, my son. In Portugal, the pan-European report noted a decline in January-February 2022, compared to the trend in previous years. Hannahs song of exultation on an auspicious occasion elicits positive comparison with Moses, Miriam, and David in the Hebrew Bible (Exodus 15, Deuteronomy 3132, 2 Samuel 22) and Zacharias, Mary, and Simeon in the Christian Bible (Luke 12).50, And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. Gender: Female. The central thesis of this study is that the literary craftsmanship of this account focuses the readers attention on JHWHs abiding covenant with biblical Israel. JPS Tanakh 1917 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. Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord. 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. The paradigm serves as a frame of reference that allows us to examine each component in the context of the expectations aroused by its parallels in the other stories. 71. And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. Birth City: London, England. The childhood of Samuel is of great significance as seen when he is See, for example, McCarter, ISamuel, 1214; Richard R. Losch, All the People in the Bible: An AZ Guide to the Saints, Scoundrels, and Other Characters in Scripture (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2008), 36870. Scholars recognize that genealogies perform at least three complementary roles in the Hebrew Bible: (1)introducing and declaring the identity of a distinctive group or individual, (2)demarcating one significant narrative from others in the larger text, and (3)schematizing complex historical evolution. Alter, Moses, 34n; 53 nn. 62. 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. Polzin, Samuel, 19. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Recognizing this difference, Alter offers a crucial perspective on the complementary roles of the man of God and Samuel. Author of. Background: Preterm birth continues to be a leading cause of death for children under the age of 5 globally. Rather than accepting her husbands invitation that she privilege her spousal role and enjoy its intended personal benefits (the worthy portion), Hannah chooses instead to focus on her maternal role: nurturing Samuel at home while he remains dependent on her for life and sustenance. So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. In their first encounter, Eli accuses Hannah of wanton drunkenness, which she respectfully denies with the plea, Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial (1:16). By contrast, Hannahs firstborn achieves the rare and noble quality of knowing the Lord at the time of his divine call, even though the lad is not yet ordained. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the Lord God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 1. Structuring Devices: Play of Perspectives. Prior sections of the Samuel story are devoted to contents that are primarily narrative or primarily dialogue. Sternberg recognizes that biblical narratives are distinguished by the dynamic interplay of competing and complementary perspectives: Insofar as the Bible has a poetics as well as a genesis of composition, it establishes a set of norms by which we not only interpret the action but also evaluate the actors by reference to the narrators perspective as artist. Sternberg, Poetics, 155. From the simplest and most direct perspective, the story of Samuels birth and calling can be best understood in covenant terms. Throughout her victory song, no phrase is independent of another: all combine into either couplets or triads, creating a complex and meaningful unity of the whole and distinguishing the song from the surrounding prose narrative.46, Structuring Devices: Narrative Bridge. (1:2028). Humanistic conventions mandate that characters be developed largely as unique individuals, complete with their own distinctive personalities, backgrounds, interests, appearances, and motivations. And they went unto their own home. There must have been some reason why Samuel was important enough to be remembered for a major role in the establishment of the monarchy. Nevertheless, everything that she says and doesindeed, everything that she is in the storymanifests supreme devotion to her sacred roles of wife and mother and to her covenant relationship with the Lord. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The exposition also identifies the ritual officials at the temple of the Lord at Shiloh but in a casual, even offhand manner: And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. While this simple declarative sentence names the personnel with the greatest spiritual status at Shiloh, its specific language implies two concerns. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel continued to grow, and the LORD was constantly with him. And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. The second way that Hannah continues to nurture her firstborn is mentioned below in the discussion of 1 Samuel 2:19. Similar instances of this verb in the Hebrew Bible include Genesis 19:3335; 34:2; 35:22; 39:12. While it is possible to read the narrative of Samuels birth in other ways, a covenant perspective allows readers to interpret many, perhaps most, of its details from a single, unified point of view, thus revealing great interpretive depth to the text. If they do so, they are strengthened, enlarged, blessed, and sustained. Samuel thus appears as a leader in all Israel; his leadership is exercised in war and law, but his authority is basically religious, mostly prophetic, although with some features of priestly authority. 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. Theodore J. Lewis, Belial, in Freedman, Anchor Bible Dictionary, 1:65456; Bible Dictionary, LDS edition of the Bible (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979), s.v. See Genesis 30:2224 for a similarly structured sequence of events regarding childbirth. If so, why is he not introduced as such at the outset and why does he play such a passive role in the services at Shiloh? He was to warn them to repent and believe in the Savior. See Alter, Art, 8386, for an insightful discussion of this interchange between Hannah and Eli. english literature timeline. (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 5:52829. That the narrator of 1Samuel 13 instructively employs this convention is evident from the paired customary behaviors of eating/drinking and fasting, on the one hand, and hearing and seeing, on the other. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Elis house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever. Genesis 16:5; 18:915; 21:15; 25:21; 29:31. Genealogy.15 Consistent with the convention of genealogies throughout the Hebrew Bible, the brief genealogy that launches the story of Samuels birth identifies Samuels ancestors as Ephraimites,16 distinguishes the account from the long but unremarkable reign of the judges, and introduces the auspicious but problematic reign of the kings in ancient Israel. The Hebrew verb describing the union that results in Hannahs miraculous conception is yada, translated knew. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. While Eli properly identifies the source of Samuels call, he does not hear the voice himself; only the lad does. 1 Chronicles 6:27 identifies Jeroham, Samuels paternal grandfather, as a Levite. Stephanie Holland. While fascinating in their own right, the historiography and aesthetics of Hannahs song do not concern the present study; rather, my interest is in the songs extensive use of poetic couplets45 and its interpretive role in the structure of the larger narrative. Steven L. Olsen received a bachelors from BYU and a masters degree and PhD from the University of Chicago. His novels include The Adventures Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord revealed unto him. 5. 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. 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. Within the context of the Samuel narrative, these verbs repeatedly indict Elis sons. 1 Samuel 30. Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob & Esau, Perez, There is no wickedness in this pitiable old man, but neither is there the strength to combat wickedness, and Yahweh has found himself a strong man to lead Israel aright.. Regardless of her initial vow, following his birth she cannot not be his mother; that is, she cannot give him up in the usual senses of the verb.43 Attempting to do so would be a repudiation of her sacred maternal role.