The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 162

(eh. xxxi. 16) describes Rachel's weeping o.s that the Books of Samuel in their present being heard in Ramah. It seems extraor- state arc later than his days. Here, on the· dinary that Saul should havo known nothing contrary, we have a narrative couched in the of Israel's chief ruler, and that his servant very language of his times; for the writer of was acquainted with him only in his lower the gloss contained in this verse was dis- capacity as o. person to be consulted in pri- pleased at Samuel being called a i·oeh, but vate difficulties. He describes him, never- did not dare to alter it, though taking care theless, as an honourable man, or, more liter- to note that it was eg_uivalent in those days ally, an honoured tnan, one held in honour. to calling him a nabi. Ver. 7.-The bread is spent in our vessels. Vers. 11, 12.-As they went up. Ramah In the East a great man is always approached was situated on a double hill, whence its with a present, and offerings of foocl were no name Ramathaim (eh. i. 1). As, then, they doubt the most usual gifts (eh. xvi. 20). qo up the ascent- so the Hebrew, literally Those mado to the false prophets are con- - they meet maidens on the way to the temptuously· described in Ezek. xiii. 19 as well, and ask them, Is the seer-the i·oehr- "handfuls of barley nncl pieces of 1read." here ! They answer, Yes ; behold, he is. A present. . The word is rare, and apparently before you. I. e. they are to go straight- is the technical name for a fee of this kind, forward, and farther on in the town they half payment and half gift. will find him. He came to-day to the city. Ver. •8.-the fourth part of a shekel. As Saul's servant knew that this city was. Apparently the shekel, roughly stamped, was Samuel's abode, the words must mean that divided into four quarters by a c1·oss, nnd he bad just returned from visiting one of broken when needed. What was its propor- those places, probably, to which he was in tionate value in Samuel's days we cannot tell, the habit of going as judge. From eh. xvi. for silver was rare; but in size it would be 2 we learn that Samuel went occasionally somewhat bigger than a sixpence, and would even to distant places to perform priestly be a very large fee, while the bread would have duties. In the high place. Hebrew, Bamah. been a small one. It very well marks the Samuel, we read, had built an altar at Ra.mah eagerness of the servant that he is ready to (eh. vii. 17), and probably the present sacri- part with the considerable sum of money in fice was to be offered upon it. Such altars, his possession in order to consult the seer. and the worship of the true God upon high The whole conversation is given in a very places, were at this time recognised as right, lively and natural manner. and were, in fact, in accordance with, and Ver. 9.-Beforetime, &c. This verse is were even the remains of, the old pa triarcbal evidently a gloss, written originally by some religion. But gradually they were condemned, later hand in the margin, in order to explain partly because of the gi·owing sanctity of the ti1e word used for seer in vers. 11, 18, 19. temple, but chiefly uecause of the tendency Inserted here in the text it interrupts the of religious rites celebrated in such places to narrative, and is itself somewhat incompre- degenerate into nature-worship, and orgies l1ensible. The Septuagint offers a very pro- such as the heathen were in the habit of bable readine, namely, "for the people in holding on the tops of mountains and hills. old time usect to call the prophet a seer," i. e. We thus find in the Bible an illustration of it was a word used chiefly by the common the principle that rites and ceremonies (as people. Prophet, nabi, is really the older not being of the essentials of religion) may and established word from the beginning of be changed, or even abolished, if they aro the Old Testament to the end. The word abused, or lead on to evil consequences. i·oeh, used in this place for seer, is corr. para- Ver. 13.-As soon as . . . straightway. ti vely rare, as a popular word would be in This is too forcible a rendering of the He brew written compositions. It refers to that which particles, and makes the talk of these water• is seen by the ordinary sight, to waking vision can-iers even more gnrrulous than it is in the (see on eh. iii. 1, 10), whereas the other original. The latter word should be omitted, word for seer, chozeh, refers to ecstatic vision. as they simply say that on entering the city Roeh is used by Isaiah, eh. xxx. 10, ap- Saul and his servant wonld easily find Samuel; parently in much the same sense as here, of for ho would not go up to the fenst till all those whom the people consulted in their was ready, nor would the people begin till difficulties, and they might bH true prophets he had arrived, because it was his office tc> as Samuel was, or mere pretenders to occult bless the sacrificial banquet. The pious powers. The present narrative makes it custom of asking a blessing on meals, our plain that i·oeh was used in a good sense in Lord's "giving of thanks," is inherited by Samuel's days; but gradually it became de- us from the Jews. graded, and while chozeh became the respect- Ver. 14.-When they were come into. ful word for a prophet, roeh became the con- More correctly, " As they were going into trary. Another conclusion also follows. We the city." This agrees with what is sai,I in havo seen that there are various indications vor. 18, that Saul and Samuel met in tb& 160 THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL. [CH. IX, 1-27.