PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible — I Samuel
Gill, John, 1697-1771 · 188,900 words · 450 reading sections
1 Samuel 1:1
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. 1 Samuel 1:1 INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL OTHERWISE CALLED THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS This book, in the Hebrew copies, is commonly called Samuel, or the Book of Samuel; in the Syriac version, the Book of Samuel the Prophet; and in the Arabic version, the Book of S…
1,138 wordsSECTION 21 Samuel 1:2
1 Samuel 1:2 Ver. 2. And he had two wives,.... Which, though connived at in those times, was contrary to the original law of marriage; and for which, though a good man, he was chastised, and had a great deal of vexation and trouble, the two wives not agreeing with each other; perhaps not having children by the one so …
233 wordsSECTION 31 Samuel 1:3
1 Samuel 1:3 Ver. 3. This man went up out of his city yearly,.... From year to year; or, as the Targum, from the time of the solemn appointed feast to the solemn appointed feast, from one to another; there were three of them in the year, at which all the males in Israel were to appear at the tabernacle; and being a Le…
697 wordsSECTION 41 Samuel 1:4
1 Samuel 1:4 Ver. 4. And when the time was that Elkanah offered,.... That is, brought his offering to the priest, to offer it for him, which was at one of the three festivals. According to R. Joshua Ben Levi {f}, this was at the time of Pentecost; but Abarbinel thinks it was at the time of the ingathering of the fruit…
164 wordsSECTION 51 Samuel 1:5
1 Samuel 1:5 Ver. 5. But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion,.... Or, one choice portion, as the Targum; the best part or portion in the peace offering, of what the priest had not; he had the breast and the right shoulder, the next best piece he gave to Hannah; and the word being of the dual number, some render it a …
257 wordsSECTION 61 Samuel 1:6
1 Samuel 1:6 Ver. 6. And her adversary also provoked her sore,.... That is, Peninnah, the other wife of Elkanah; for when a man had more wives, two or more, they were usually at enmity to one another, as the two wives of Socrates were, being always jealous lest one should have more love and respect than the other from…
230 wordsSECTION 71 Samuel 1:7
1 Samuel 1:7 Ver. 7. And as he did so year by year,.... Elkanah went up every year to Shiloh, and offered sacrifices, taking his family with him, and gave to Peninnah and her children their portion, and to Hannah a double portion, or if but one yet the best: when she went up to the house of the Lord; that is, Peninna…
246 wordsSECTION 81 Samuel 1:8
1 Samuel 1:8 Ver. 8. Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou?.... Since it was a time of rejoicing, as every festival was, especially at the ingathering of the fruits of the earth: and why eatest thou not? since they were at a feast, and she had the best part and portion of the provision: and …
166 wordsSECTION 91 Samuel 1:9
1 Samuel 1:9 Ver. 9. So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drank,.... After dinner, after Elkanah and Peninnah, and their children, had eaten heartily, and drank freely, and made a comfortable meal, and even a feast of it, at the place where the tabernacle and altar were, and their peace…
332 wordsSECTION 101 Samuel 1:10
1 Samuel 1:10 Ver. 10. And she was in bitterness of soul,.... Because of her barrenness, and the taunts and reflections she had met with on that account; her life was bitter to her, she could take no pleasure in any of the comforts of it: and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore; her prayer was with strong crying and …
135 wordsSECTION 111 Samuel 1:11
1 Samuel 1:11 Ver. 11. And she vowed a vow,.... Which might be confirmed by her husband; otherwise the vow of a woman, if disapproved of by her husband, was not valid, Nu 30:8 and Elkanah might make the same vow his wife did, and so it stood; for as this was a vow of Nazariteship, it is a tradition of the Jews {r}, th…
650 wordsSECTION 121 Samuel 1:12
1 Samuel 1:12 Ver. 12. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord,.... Being very earnest and importunate with him to grant her request, and therefore repeated her petition, and prolonged her prayer, being unwilling to let the Lord go, until she had a promise, or some satisfaction, that she should h…
111 wordsSECTION 131 Samuel 1:13
1 Samuel 1:13 Ver. 13. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart,.... It was mental prayer she used, some ejaculations of her mind she sent up to God, which she was sensible were well known to him, and she needed not to express vocally:only her lips moved; as her heart spoke, and sent up her petitions, as if she had used wor…
3,900 wordsSECTION 141 Samuel 2:1
1 Samuel 2:1 INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 2 In this chapter the song of Hannah is recorded, 1Sa 2:1, and an account is given of the return of Elkanah and Hannah to their own home, and of the care she took yearly to provide a coat for Samuel, and of her being blessed with many other children, and of the growth and min…
951 wordsSECTION 151 Samuel 2:2
1 Samuel 2:2 Ver. 2. There is none holy as the Lord,.... From the consideration of what the Lord had done for her, which had filled her heart and mouth with joy and praise, she is led to celebrate the perfections of God, and begins with his holiness, in which he is glorious, and which appears in all his ways and works…
543 wordsSECTION 161 Samuel 2:3
1 Samuel 2:3 Ver. 3. Talk no more so exceeding proudly,.... At such an high rate, in such an overbearing manner, as if above everyone; this may have respect to Peninnah, and all that joined with her to provoke Hannah to anger, and make her fret, insulting and triumphing over her, because she had not children, as they …
645 wordsSECTION 171 Samuel 2:4
1 Samuel 2:4 Ver. 4. The bows of the mighty men are broken,.... Hannah, from relating gracious experiences, and celebrating, the divine perfections of holiness, omniscience, and sovereignty, passes on to take notice of the dealings of God with men in providence and grace; bows are here put for all military arms, which…
290 wordsSECTION 181 Samuel 2:5
1 Samuel 2:5 Ver. 5. They that are full have hired out themselves for bread,.... Such as have been full of the good things of this life have been stripped of all, and reduced to such circumstances as to be obliged to hire themselves out to persons to labour under them for their bread. Hannah has either respect to some…
631 wordsSECTION 191 Samuel 2:6
1 Samuel 2:6 Ver. 6. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive,.... Which is true of different persons; some he takes away by death, and others he preserves and continues in life; and of the same persons, whom God removes by death, and restores them to life again, of which there are instances both in the Old and New Testamen…
339 wordsSECTION 201 Samuel 2:7
1 Samuel 2:7 Ver. 7. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich,.... Which is true in a natural sense of the same persons, as might be exemplified in the case of Job; and of different persons, as in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus; for both poverty and riches are of God, see Pr 22:2. Poverty is of God; for though i…
468 wordsSECTION 211 Samuel 2:8
1 Samuel 2:8 Ver. 8. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill,.... This is but a further illustration of what is before expressed. Literally; such poor as are beggars, are those that are extremely poor, that sit in the dust and beg, and have nothing but a dunghill to lie on; …
733 wordsSECTION 221 Samuel 2:9
1 Samuel 2:9 Ver. 9. He will keep the feet of his saints,.... Now follow promises and prophecies of future things respecting the Israel of God, either in a literal or spiritual sense. By "his saints" are meant not angels, though they are his Holy Ones, but men, and a body of them; who though unholy in themselves, nor …
864 wordsSECTION 231 Samuel 2:10
1 Samuel 2:10 Ver. 10. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces,.... Or Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, "shall break in pieces those that contend with him"; with the Lord, or with his people, or with Samuel particularly; for this may be considered as a prophecy of Hannah concerning her son, what God wou…
1,099 wordsSECTION 241 Samuel 2:11
1 Samuel 2:11 Ver. 11. And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house,.... Of which see 1Sa 1:19. This was after he had offered the sacrifices at the feast, worshipped the Lord, and Hannah had delivered her prayer or song of praise, and both had committed Samuel to the care of Eli, and left him with him: and the child did mi…
194 wordsSECTION 251 Samuel 2:12
1 Samuel 2:12 Ver. 12. Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial,.... Not that Eli their father was Belial, a wicked man; but though they had so good a father, they were very wicked men, unprofitable abandoned wretches, that cast off the yoke of the law of God, and gave themselves up to all manner of wickedness: they k…
146 wordsSECTION 261 Samuel 2:13
1 Samuel 2:13 Ver. 13. And the priest's custom with the people was,.... Not what was according to the will and law of God, but which the sons of Eli had introduced; and in which they were followed by the rest of the priests, and so it became an established custom, and had the force of a law, statute, or judgment, as t…
279 wordsSECTION 271 Samuel 2:14
1 Samuel 2:14 Ver. 14. And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot,.... Whatever vessel was made use of, larger or lesser, according to the quantity of flesh the owner boiled for himself and friends, the trident the priest's servants brought with him, he struck into the boiler to the bottom; of it: …
213 wordsSECTION 281 Samuel 2:15
1 Samuel 2:15 Ver. 15. Also before they burnt the fat,.... Which belonged to the Lord, and was to be offered to him by fire, in the first place, as it ought to be; and the order of sacrificing required that he should have his part first before the priest or the owner: but so impious were the priests become, that the …
228 wordsSECTION 291 Samuel 2:16
1 Samuel 2:16 Ver. 16. And if any man said unto him, let them not fail to burn the fat presently,.... Or stay till they have offered the fat, as the Targum; let that be done in the first place, which may be quickly done, in a very little time, and let as much haste be made as can be to do it: and then take as much as…
7,072 wordsSECTION 301 Samuel 3:1
1 Samuel 3:1 INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 3 This chapter gives an account of the Lord's calling to Samuel in the night season, which he first took for the voice of Eli, but being instructed by him, made answer to the voice, 1Sa 3:1, and of a message sent from him by Samuel to Eli, foretelling the destruction of his f…
752 wordsSECTION 311 Samuel 3:2
1 Samuel 3:2 Ver. 2. And it came to pass at that time,.... When the word of the Lord was scarce and precious, and there was no open vision; or, as Ben Gersom, the same day the man of God came to Eli at night, the following affair happened: when Eli was laid down in his place; on his bed to sleep, in one of the chambe…
191 wordsSECTION 321 Samuel 3:3
1 Samuel 3:3 Ver. 3. And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord,.... The tabernacle so called; lamp is put for the lamps in the candlestick in the tabernacle, which were lighted every evening, and burnt till morning; by which time some of them at least usually went out, only it is said the western lamp…
528 wordsSECTION 331 Samuel 3:4
1 Samuel 3:4 Ver. 4. That the Lord called Samuel,.... By a voice which came forth from the most holy place, from between the cherubim, the seat of the divine Majesty: and he answered, here am I; which was not intended to declare the place where he was, but to express his readiness and cheerfulness to do any thing tha…
65 wordsSECTION 341 Samuel 3:5
1 Samuel 3:5 Ver. 5. And he ran unto Eli, and said here [am] I,.... He got out of his bed as fast as he could, and put on his clothes, and ran with all haste to the apartment where Eli lay, supposing he wanted some immediate assistance, which he was there ready to give him to the utmost of his ability; and he made the…
208 wordsSECTION 351 Samuel 3:6
1 Samuel 3:6 Ver. 6. And the Lord called yet again, Samuel,.... Called him a second time by his name, with a like audible voice as before: and Samuel arose, and went to Eli; did not run as before, being perhaps more thoughtful of this affair, that he should be called a second time, and careful not to awake Eli, shoul…
171 wordsSECTION 361 Samuel 3:7
1 Samuel 3:7 Ver. 7. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord,.... He knew that Jehovah, the God of Israel, was the true God; he had spiritual knowledge of him, and knew somewhat of his word and worship, ways and ordinances, in which he had been instructed by Eli; wherefore, though the Targum is, "Samuel had not yet lear…
261 wordsSECTION 371 Samuel 3:8
1 Samuel 3:8 Ver. 8. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time,.... In the same manner he had done before, expressing his name no doubt: and he arose and went to Eli, and said, here am I, for thou didst call me; as if he should say, it must certainly be so, I cannot be mistaken a third time: and Eli perceived …
211 wordsSECTION 381 Samuel 3:9
1 Samuel 3:9 Ver. 9. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, go, lie down,.... Once more; and it shall be, if he call thee; the voice, or the Lord by it: that thou shalt say, speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth; his meaning is, that he should not rise and come to him, as he had done, but continue on his bed, on hearing the…
113 wordsSECTION 391 Samuel 3:10
1 Samuel 3:10 Ver. 10. And the Lord came, and stood,.... At the place where Samuel lay; either there was, as Kimchi, a form before his eyes in the vision of prophecy, some visible corporeal shape assumed; or a bright splendour an illustrious appearance of the glory of God; or it may be rather the voice, which before s…
205 wordsSECTION 401 Samuel 3:11
1 Samuel 3:11 Ver. 11. And the Lord said to Samuel,.... The voice of the Lord continued speaking to him: behold, I will do a thing in Israel; which may be particularly interpreted of the taking of the ark, and the slaying of the two sons of Eli; and which is elsewhere represented as the Lord's doing, for the sins of …
168 wordsSECTION 411 Samuel 3:12
1 Samuel 3:12 Ver. 12. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house,.... Or family, that is, by the man of God, 1Sa 2:27 as that he would cut off the strength of it, that there should not be an old man in it; and such as remained should be reduced to the utmost poverty and…
154 wordsSECTION 421 Samuel 3:13
1 Samuel 3:13 Ver. 13. For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever,.... That is, bring his judgments upon them, which should continue on them to their utter destruction; this, as to the substance, he said before by the man of God: for the iniquity which he knoweth; for the iniquity of his sons, which he …
351 wordsSECTION 431 Samuel 3:14
1 Samuel 3:14 Ver. 14. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli,.... Either had done this before, which was signified to him by the man of God, or did swear now for the confirmation of his threatenings, and to assure the certain performance of them: that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sa…
173 wordsSECTION 441 Samuel 3:15
1 Samuel 3:15 Ver. 15. And Samuel lay until the morning,.... It is not said he slept; it can hardly be thought he should, when it is considered what a new, strange, and uncommon thing had befallen him; what honour had been conferred on him a child, that the Lord should vouchsafe to speak and communicate his mind to hi…
252 wordsSECTION 451 Samuel 3:16
1 Samuel 3:16 Ver. 16. Then Eli called Samuel,.... Perceiving he was risen by the opening of the doors of the tabernacle, which he might hear; and observing he did not come to him as usual, to know whether he wanted anything, and being impatient to hear what was said to him of the Lord: and he said, Samuel, my son; c…
113 wordsSECTION 461 Samuel 3:17
1 Samuel 3:17 Ver. 17. And he said, what is the thing that the [Lord] hath said unto thee?.... The word "Lord" is not in the text, but it is "that it hath said"; the voice that had so often called him in the night, and which yet Eli knew was the voice of the Lord; and as it was, he was sensible there was something of …
289 wordsSECTION 471 Samuel 3:18
1 Samuel 3:18 Ver. 18. And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him,.... And so approved himself to be a faithful prophet of God, and man of God, as he is afterwards called; the whole counsel of God is to be declared by his servants the prophets, and the ministers of his word; nothing is to be concealed, w…
357 wordsSECTION 481 Samuel 3:19
1 Samuel 3:19 Ver. 19. And Samuel grew,.... Not only in years and stature, but in grace and goodness, in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, both with respect to things natural and spiritual, and in esteem, credit, and reputation among men: and the Lord was with him; he was not only in favour with men, but with God…
663 wordsSECTION 491 Samuel 4:1
1 Samuel 4:1 INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 4 This chapter is a narrative of a war between Israel and the Philistines, in the time of Samuel, and of the consequences of it. In the first battle, the Philistines had the better of the Israelites, which caused the latter to inquire into the reason of it, and who proposed t…
548 wordsSECTION 501 Samuel 4:2
1 Samuel 4:2 Ver. 2. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel,.... Prepared for battle, and put themselves in a posture for it; formed themselves in a line of battle, and so invited and challenged the Israelites to fight them: and when they joined battle; engaged with each other, the Israelites doin…
224 wordsSECTION 511 Samuel 4:3
1 Samuel 4:3 Ver. 3. And when the people came into the camp,.... At Ebenezer, where they pitched their tents, and from whence they went out to battle, and whither they returned after their defeat: the elders of Israel said, wherefore hath the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? they were right in ascribing …
487 wordsSECTION 521 Samuel 4:4
1 Samuel 4:4 Ver. 4. So the people sent to Shiloh,.... They liked the proposal of the elders, took their advice, and joined with them in a message to Eli the high priest at Shiloh: that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubim; which overshadowed t…
193 wordsSECTION 531 Samuel 4:5
1 Samuel 4:5 Ver. 5. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp,.... Being brought thither by the men that carried it: all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again; this they did as now sure of victory, because of the ark, and to give spirit and courage to each other to go …
76 wordsSECTION 541 Samuel 4:6
1 Samuel 4:6 Ver. 6. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout,.... For it being so loud as to make the earth ring, it was heard in the camp of the Philistines, which might not be at any great distance from the camp of Israel; how far from each other were Aphek and Ebenezer is not certain; they said, what…
188 wordsSECTION 551 Samuel 4:7
1 Samuel 4:7 Ver. 7. And the Philistines were afraid,.... When the spies returned, and reported to them the reason of the shouting: for they said, God is come into the camp; into the camp of Israel, because the ark represented him, and was the symbol of his presence; and these Heathens might take the ark itself for a…
201 wordsSECTION 561 Samuel 4:8
1 Samuel 4:8 Ver. 8. Woe unto us, who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods?.... Of whom they spoke in an ironical and sneering manner; or if seriously and through fear, they use their own Heathenish language, as if the Israelites had many gods, as they had, though mightier than theirs; though the Syri…
278 wordsSECTION 571 Samuel 4:9
1 Samuel 4:9 Ver. 9. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines,.... Since this was all they had to depend upon, their manly courage; if they did not exert that it was all over with them; and seeing their case was desperate, having gods as well as men to fight with, it became them to exert themselves to…
209 wordsSECTION 581 Samuel 4:10
1 Samuel 4:10 Ver. 10. And the Philistines fought,.... With great ardour and spirit, quitted themselves like men of valour and courage, their case being desperate as they imagined, since God was in the camp of Israel: and Israel was smitten: were routed and beaten: and they fled every man into his tent; such of them…
170 wordsSECTION 591 Samuel 4:11
1 Samuel 4:11 Ver. 11. And the ark of God was taken,.... By the Philistines; which was suffered partly as a punishment to the Israelites, for fetching it from the tabernacle without the will of God, and for their vain confidence in it; and partly that the Philistines might have an experiment of the power and might of …
193 wordsSECTION 601 Samuel 4:12
1 Samuel 4:12 Ver. 12. And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army,.... Out of the rank in which he was, before the whole army was quite broken up. This was a young man as Josephus {b} says, which is highly probable; though not at all to be depended on is what the Jews {c} say, that this was Saul, later king of Is…
212 wordsSource & rights
Public domain; John Gill (1697–1771). Source item is marked Public Domain on Internet Archive.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.