Chapter Overview
Summary
1 Samuel 1 opens the book's Hannah-and-Samuel birth-narrative — a story Luke deliberately models the infancy narratives of John the Baptist and Jesus after (Luke 1–2). 4QSamᵃ from Qumran frequently agrees with LXX against MT in 1 Samuel, and this chapter contains several such LXX/DSS convergences, most notably at 1:24 (LXX and 4QSamᵃ 'a three-year-old bull' vs MT 'three bulls'). The chapter is one of the clearest cases in the entire Hebrew Bible where the LXX preserves a Hebrew reading older than the Masoretic text.
Notable Variants
The 'Armies' / 'hosts' (sabaoth) divine title at 1:3; the 'three-year-old bull' vs 'three bulls' at 1:24 (4QSamᵃ supports LXX); Hannah's prayer-whisper vocabulary at 1:13; the name-etymology at 1:20.
Structural Notes
LXX 1 Samuel is preserved as '1 Kingdoms' (1 Basileiōn), the first of four Samuel-Kings volumes. The chapter has 28 verses in both MT and LXX.
There was a man from Ramathaim-zophim, in the hill country of Ephraim. His name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph — an Ephraimite.
Masoretic (WLC)
מִן־הָרָמָתַיִם צוֹפִים מֵהַר אֶפְרָיִם
Ramathaim-zophim, in the hill country of Ephraim
Septuagint (LXX)
ἐξ Αρμαθαιμ Σιφα ἐξ ὄρους Εφραιμ
Armathaim-sipha from the hill country of Ephraim
The LXX's transliteration 'Armathaim' preserves the Hebrew dual form suggesting 'two hills.' Later tradition identified this town with the NT's Arimathea (Matt 27:57, Mark 15:43, Luke 23:51, John 19:38 — Joseph of Arimathea's hometown).
The place-name tradition creates a minor typological pair: Ramathaim — the hometown of Samuel, the king-anointer — becomes, in NT tradition, the hometown of Joseph of Arimathea, who buries the messianic King.
He had two wives; the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
Hannah and Peninnah's situation tracks MT. The two-wives-one-barren pattern mirrors Sarah-Hagar (Gen 16), Rachel-Leah (Gen 29–30), and becomes the archetype of the 'barren woman' narrative.
This man would go up from his town year by year to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Armies at Shiloh. The two sons of Eli — Hophni and Phinehas — were serving there as priests of the LORD.
Masoretic (WLC)
לַיהוָה צְבָאוֹת
the LORD of Armies
Septuagint (LXX)
τῷ κυρίῳ σαβαώθ
the Lord Sabaoth
Hebrew YHWH tseva'ot ('LORD of hosts/armies') is transliterated in LXX as kyrios sabaōth rather than translated. The Greek transliteration preserves the divine title's weighty Hebrew resonance.
Romans 9:29 ('If the Lord Sabaoth had not left us offspring') and James 5:4 ('the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Sabaoth') both transliterate the title in Greek. The NT's preservation of sabaōth traces to this LXX-1-Samuel-style transliteration.
This is the first occurrence of YHWH Tzevaot in the Hebrew Bible (not a Pentateuchal divine title) — its narrative debut is tied to the Shiloh sanctuary of the pre-monarchic period.
On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.
Elkanah's annual sacrifice and portion-distribution tracks MT.
But to Hannah he would give a double portion, because he loved Hannah — though the LORD had closed her womb.
The 'double portion' to Hannah tracks MT. Both translations acknowledge the Hebrew's textual difficulty ('a portion of two-faces'), with a similar interpretive rendering.
Her rival would provoke her bitterly to torment her, because the LORD had closed her womb.
Peninnah's rival-provocation tracks MT.
This happened year after year. Whenever she went up to the house of the LORD, Peninnah would provoke her until she wept and would not eat.
The yearly bitterness pattern tracks MT.
Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why won't you eat? Why is your heart so troubled? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"
Elkanah's consolation ('am I not better than ten sons?') tracks MT — a pointed question that the narrative does not answer directly.
Hannah rose after eating and drinking at Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair beside the doorpost of the LORD's temple.
Hannah's rise after eating and Eli at the doorpost tracks MT.
She was deeply bitter in spirit, and she prayed to the LORD, weeping uncontrollably.
'Weeping uncontrollably' tracks MT. The LXX's klaiousa eklausen preserves the Hebrew emphatic infinitive.
She made a vow and said, "LORD of Armies, if you will truly look on the suffering of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but give your servant a son — then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will touch his head."
Hannah's vow tracks MT. The vow echoes Samson's Nazirite consecration (Judges 13) — both mothers dedicate their son in utero to lifelong Nazirite service.
As she continued praying at length before the LORD, Eli was watching her mouth.
Eli's observation tracks MT.
Hannah was speaking within herself — only her lips were moving, but her voice could not be heard — so Eli assumed she was drunk.
Masoretic (WLC)
וְקוֹלָהּ לֹא יִשָּׁמֵעַ
her voice could not be heard
Septuagint (LXX)
καὶ φωνὴ αὐτῆς οὐκ ἠκούετο
and her voice was not heard
Hannah's silent prayer — lips-moving-but-voice-inaudible — becomes the paradigm of internal private prayer. Jewish tradition (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 31a) derives nine rules of prayer from Hannah's practice.
Jesus' advice at Matthew 6:5–6 ('when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father in secret') resonates with Hannah's internal-prayer model.
Eli said to her, "How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you!"
Eli's accusation of drunkenness tracks MT.
Hannah answered, "No, my lord. I am a woman crushed in spirit. I have not drunk wine or strong drink — I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD.
Hannah's defense ('a woman crushed in spirit, pouring out my soul') tracks MT. The 'pouring out my soul' (ekcheō tēn psychēn mou) vocabulary carries into Philippians 2:17 ('I am being poured out as a drink offering') and 2 Timothy 4:6 (Paul's farewell).
Do not take your servant for a worthless woman, for it is out of the depth of my anguish and frustration that I have been speaking all this time."
Hannah's 'out of anguish and frustration' tracks MT.
Eli answered, "Go in peace. May the God of Israel grant your request — what you have asked from him."
Eli's blessing ('go in peace, may the God of Israel grant your request') tracks MT. The peace-blessing formula reappears at Luke 7:50 ('go in peace') in Jesus' words to the sinful woman — a deliberate LXX-1-Samuel echo.
She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then the woman went on her way. She ate, and her face was no longer downcast.
Hannah's resolved countenance tracks MT.
They rose early in the morning, worshiped before the LORD, and returned home to Ramah. Elkanah was intimate with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.
'The LORD remembered her' (emnēsthē autēs kyrios) tracks MT. 'Remembrance' is God's covenant-attention to the barren woman — the same vocabulary as Luke 1:72 (Zechariah's Benedictus: 'to remember his holy covenant').
In the turning of the year, Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked him from the LORD."
Samuel's name-etymology ('because I asked him from the LORD,' shaul mei-YHWH) tracks MT. The asking-and-granting framework becomes the pattern for Luke 1's annunciation narratives.
The man Elkanah went up with his whole household to offer to the LORD the annual sacrifice and to fulfill his vow.
Elkanah's annual sacrifice tracks MT.
But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "Not until the boy is weaned. Then I will bring him to appear before the face of the LORD, and he will remain there permanently."
Hannah's weaning plan tracks MT. 'To appear before the face of the LORD' uses LXX prosōpon vocabulary — the 'face of God' that Moses could not see (Ex 33:20) and the eschatological vision of Revelation 22:4.
Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems best to you. Stay until you have weaned him. May the LORD fulfill his word." So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.
Elkanah's consent tracks MT.
When she had weaned him, she brought him up with her, along with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh, while the boy was still young.
Masoretic (WLC)
בְּפָרִים שְׁלֹשָׁה
three bulls
Septuagint (LXX)
ἐν μόσχῳ τριετίζοντι
with a three-year-old bull
A classic case of LXX / 4QSamᵃ agreement against MT. The MT reads 'three bulls' (parim shelosha), which is odd because only one is slaughtered in v. 25. The LXX and 4QSamᵃ both read 'a three-year-old bull' (moschō trietizonti / par meshulash) — a single, mature bull.
The Hebrew variant is a clear case of scribal-error: para(m) shelosha ('three bulls') vs. par meshulash ('a three-year-old bull'). The consonantal text is similar; the word division differs.
Nearly all critical modern translations (NRSV, ESV footnote, NET) follow the LXX/4QSamᵃ reading against MT. TCR here follows MT with 'three bulls' — but the LXX preserves what is almost certainly the original text.
They slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli.
'They slaughtered the bull' (singular) — the narrative logic matches the LXX/4QSamᵃ reading of v. 24 (one bull), which is why the 'three bulls' of MT v. 24 is textually suspect. The Masoretic text itself betrays its corruption at this transition.
She said, "Please, my lord — as surely as you live, my lord — I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD.
Hannah's approach to Eli tracks MT.
It was for this boy that I prayed, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.
Hannah's answered-prayer declaration tracks MT. The echo-of-Zechariah pattern in Luke 1:13 ('your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son') draws on this LXX-1-Samuel text.
So I, in turn, have dedicated him to the LORD. For all the days that he lives, he is given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.
Hannah's dedication of Samuel 'for all the days he lives' tracks MT. The 'dedicated' (kechrēmena) vocabulary prefigures Luke 2:22–23 (Mary's presentation of Jesus in the temple) — the parallel is deliberate.