e Becauſe they violently took away both mans and Gods dues, and this before their time, and that with manifeſt contempt of God and men; andall this meerly for the gratifying of their ſenſual Ap- petite. f i.e, Even in the place of Gods ſpecial preſence, where he ſaw and obſerved all their Miſcarriages ; which argves the height of Impiety and Imprudence. g They negle&ed and abhorred the prattiſe of carrying vp Sacrifices to be cffered, which they knew would be fo groſly abuſed ; and which, asthey might think; would be rejected and abhorred by God himſelf; and therefcre they would not contribute to the Prieſts Sing ard the corruption of Gods Wor- ſhip; bur judged it better to negle& the thing, than to <xpoſe it to the Pricſts depravation ; wherein yer they erred, as we ſee, Verſe 24.
18 4 But Samuel miniftred hb before the LORD 3, being a child, * girded with a linen Ephod &.
h 1. e. Performed his Miniſtratien careful'y and faithfully, not 28: 4. corrupting nor abuſing it, as E's Sons did. # In Gods Tabernacle: or as in Gods preſence, ſincerely and regularly, with Gcds appro= bation. Compare Gen. 17. 1. 2 Chron. 26, 44 & A garment uled in Gods ſervice, and all-wed not ofily ro the inferiour Prieſts and Le- vites, but alſo to eminent perſons cf the people ; as 2 Sam. 6 I4, and therefore co Samuel, who, though no Levite, was a Nazarite, and that fiom his Birth.
19 Moreover, his mother made him a little coat A and broughr ir to him from year to year, when the came up with her husband, to offer the yearly ſacrifice.
/ Suitable to his Age and Stature, to be worn ordinarly : for coats were their vſual Garments. See Gen. 3: 21: and 37: 3« 2 Sams 1 $. 328 Cant. 5; 3: Dan. 2: 21: Luke 3:11: and 9g: 3. Knowing that he could not yet do much ſervice, ſhe would not have him too burdenſome to the Tabernacle, and therefore ſhe yearly provided him with a Coar, which was the chief and upper Garment; and under that his other Garments poſſibly are comprehended.
20 T And Eli bleſſed Elkanah, and his wife », and ſaid, The LORD give thee ſeed » of this woman, for
give #f me now: and if not, I will take it by day,
God's Name, and they received his Bleſſing by Faith, which made © ir <ffeCtual, v. 21. 7 1. e, A Child, or rather Children, as the Event ſthewed. o Or, for the petition; i. e. the thing deſired, to wit, the Child; which ſhe, thy Wife, asked of the Lord ; or, fer the Lord: as chap. 1.28. to whom accordingly ſhe hath given them. And there. fore as ſhe asked kim not ſo much for her ſelf, for ſhe ſeldom ſees him, as forthe Lord, to whoſe ſervice ſhe hath wholly devored him; { now I pray, that God would give you other Children for both your Comfort and Enjoyment.
21 Andthe LORD viſited p Hannah, ſo that ſhe con- ceived and bare three ſons, and two daughters ; and the child Samuel grew q before the LORD r.
p To wit, in Mercy, and with his Bl:ſling, as that word is uſed, Gen. 21e 1, Exod: r3, 19. Jer, Is. 15. not in anger, as it is taken Exod. 32. 34+ Levit. 26. 16. q Not only in Age and Stature; bur eſpecially in Wiſdom and Gnedneſs, as Luke 1. 15. Or, was magni. # Not only before Men, who might bedeceived, butin the preſence and Judg- ment of the All-ſeeing God.
22 © Now Eli was very old s, and heard all that his ſons did unto all Iſrael s, and how they lay with the
nacle of the congregation. bled if
make a diligent inſpeRion into the Carriage of his Sons in Holy 7"® Adminiftrations ; which gave them opportunity for their Wicked- E** 3% neſs. : Whom they injured in their Off:rings, and alienated from N" 7 the Service of God. u« Or warred : which expreſſion is nted of them, #19 *** either becauſe they came to the Service and Worſhip of God in the Tabernacle, which is often called a warfare ; or, becauſe they came in conſiderable numbers, and due order, like to an Army. x Tie place where all ghe people both Men and Women waited when
fleſh-hook of three teeth in his hand,
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the || loan which is lent to the LORD oe. And they |. Or, jr. went unto their own home. _ = m As their Superiour, and God's High-prieſt, he bleſſed them ky 2
women that || aſſembled « at the door x of the taber- or,
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they came up to the Service of Gods 1 Sam. I. 9, 12. Luke. 1: lo: becauſe they could not have admittance into the Tabernacle, and becauſe the Altar on which their Sacrifices were offered, was by the Door: Hence it ſeems probable, that theſe Women were not ſuch 2s devoted themſelves to the Service of God and of his Taber- nacle, either by Faſting and Prayer, &s. Orby Sowing, Spinning, &c. Which, if then there were any ſuch, had their Stations not at the Door, but in divers places allotted to them round about the Tabernacle ; but of ſuch as came up-to worſhip God at his Taber- nacle; as Women oft-times did, with their Husbands, as here Haz» nah did, and the bleſſed Virgin Mary, Luke 2. 42- or with their Pa-
rents. And this Expoſition may receive ſtrength from Exod. 38- 8. | '
where the very ſame Phraſe is uſed, and that when the great Taber- racle was not yet built, and ſo there was no occaſion for any Wo-
; men to come to the. other leſs Tabernacle then uſed, fave only to Pray or offer Sacrifices.
And heſaid unto them, Why do ye ſuch things y? for [1 hear of your evil dealings by all this people z.
3 As thoſe above mentioned, v- Iz: and Verſe 22: El:'s Sin in this matter was not only that he Reproved them too gently, and generallie, and ſparinglie; but eſpecially, that he contented him- ſelf with a Verbal Rebuke, and did not reſtrain them, as is ſaid chap.
| O, 7hear evil words
of y0u,
3: 13. and inflidt thoſe puniſhments upon them, of putting them |
out of their Prieſts office, and cutting them. off from Gods people;
which ſuch high Crimes deſerved by Gods Law, and which he as
Judge and High-prieſt ought to have done, withour all Reſpe& of perſons. = Thar dwell here, or come hither to worſhip.
24 Nay, my ſons: for it « no good report a that I
|Or, * hear, ye make the LORDS people [| to tranſgreſs 6.