Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 1:23
And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
23. his word ] No express promise of a son has been mentioned; Eli’s blessing in 1Sa 1:17 can scarcely be understood as such. But Samuel’s birth implied that Hannah’s prayer was heard, and Elkanah prays that it may receive a complete fulfilment. The Sept. reads “The Lord establish that which is gone forth out of thy mouth.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
1Sa 1:23
And Elkanah her husband said unto her.
The father must take his part in the spiritual culture of children
It is a poor manhood and a dishonourable, neglectful fatherhood that leaves all the religious life and devotion of children to the mother or to others, and it must be disreputable before the Lord. Nor is the blameworthiness avoided by the habit of urging the claims of the busy life of our days. If any father thinks that saving a little more money for the children, or in order to give them better social position and appearance, is of greater importance than his own careful nurture of them in the love of Christ and in consecration to the Lord, then to God he will have to answer for the folly of his judgment and the evil of his practice and neglect. If the father does not hope in God for the children, as well as the mother tend them for the Lord, life must have sorrowful mistakes, if not miserable wrecks. The mother at home watches over the child for the Lords sake in many homes, stud what does the father do? Is it only careless, irreverent agreement that he gives to the life plans of the mother for the souls of the sons and daughters; or, recognising in the mothers love and devotion the will of God, does he at least lift up all his heart in prayer to God that the Lord would establish His word of promise by accepting, for all rims and eternity, the little ones whom He has given? We–men and fathers–have our part in the consecration of the children as well as the mothers who watch them through the perils of their infancy; and if our hands do not touch the children so often as do the mothers, in watchfulness and guidance, yet should our hearts the more wait on God in longing for the establishment of His word of hope. No father can without sin delegate all the spiritual nurture of his children to their mother; still less can he, without guilt, hand it over to a stranger in school or church. (G. B. Ryley.)
Early training of children
He would be a foolish gardener who never pruned or nailed up a delicate fruit tree till the branches carried their young leaves and open blossoms. No! train and guide for the coming blossoming time; and when it comes the sweet growth of hearts accepted in the Beloved and in the covenant will be provided by the Spirit of life. Thus Hannah trained her little Samuel to recognise himself as dedicated to the Lord; and, as we shall soon see, she had not long to wait for the childs ratification of her vow. (G. B. Ryley.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 23. Until thou have weaned him] On the nature of this weaning, and the time in which it was usually done, the reader will be pleased to refer to Clarke’s note on “Ge 21:8“.
The Lord establish his word.] Or, may the Lord establish his word-preserve the child, cause him to grow up, and make him a blessing to Israel.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The Lord establish his word; either, first, The word of God made known to them by Eli, above, 1Sa 4:17, which being delivered by Gods high priest, and that in answer to his and his wifes prayers, he took to be a kind of oracle sent from God. But that word was already fulfilled in the birth of a son. Or, secondly, Some other word or message from God to Elkanah or his wife concerning Samuel; for such revelations were frequent in those ages of the church, and were oft vouchsafed by God, concerning such children as were extraordinary persons, or in a special manner devoted to God; as concerning Isaac, Ge 18, and Samson, Jdg 13:3,4, and John Baptist, Luk 1:13,14, &c., and others. And so it might be here, though it were not mentioned before, there being many such things in Scripture omitted in their proper places, which afterwards are expressed or implied upon other occasions. Or rather, thirdly, It may be rendered his matter, or thing, i.e. the business concerning the child, that which thou hast promised or vowed concerning him, that he may grow up, and be accepted and employed by God in his service; and that he, when he is fully grown, may not break thy vow, but confirm it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And Elkanah her husband said unto her, do what seemeth thee good,…. He spake like a kind and indulgent husband, knowing that she would not thereby break any law of God; and it might be more for her own health, and the health of the child, to stay longer:
tarry till thou have weaned him; when he would be more fit for the journey, and to be left behind:
only the Lord establish his word; which some understand of the prophecy of Eli that God would grant her request, which being delivered under the direction of the Spirit of God, is called his word; but this was already fulfilled, and established by Hannah’s bearing a son: or the word “his” refers not to the Lord, but to Samuel, and so may respect the word which his mother spake concerning him; either when she made her vow, as Abendana, that he should be a perpetual Nazarite, and the Lord’s as long as he lived: and so Elkanah wishes that he might have health and grow strong, and be fit for the service of the Lord, and live many years to perform it; or what she had just now said, as Abarbinel, that he should abide in the house of God for ever, or as long as he lived:
so the woman abode; at home, while Elkanah and his family went up to Shiloh:
and gave her son suck until she weaned him; did not put him out to a wet or dry nurse, but suckled him herself with what nature had provided for his nourishment, as becomes women to do, if their circumstances of health, and the provisions of nature, will admit of it.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Elkanah expressed his approval of Hannah’s decision, and added, “ only the Lord establish His word,” i.e., fulfil it. By “His word” we are not to understand some direct revelation from God respecting the birth and destination of Samuel, as the Rabbins suppose, but in all probability the word of Eli the high priest to Hannah, “The God of Israel grant thy petition” (1Sa 1:17), which might be regarded by the parents of Samuel after his birth as a promise from Jehovah himself, and therefore might naturally excite the wish and suggest the prayer that the Lord would graciously fulfil the further hopes, which the parents cherished in relation to the son whom they had dedicated to the Lord by a vow. The paraphrase of in the rendering given by the lxx, , is the subjective view of the translator himself, and does not warrant an emendation of the original text.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(23) Only the Lord establish his word.No special word or promise of the Eternal in the case of the infant Samuel is recorded in this history; but there was an ancient Rabbinical tradition that a direct revelation respecting the future destiny of Samuel was made. The Bath-kol (Daughter of the Voice) went forth, saying, There shall arise a just one, whose name shall be Samuel. Then every mother who bore a son called him Samuel; but when they saw his actions, they said, This is not Samuel. But when this one was born, they said, This is that Samuel, and this is what the Scripture means when it says, The Lord confirmed his word that Samuel may be that just one.Rashi.
If we decline to accept the Rabbinical tradition, Bunsens simple comment will explain the difficult words of the text, establish his word: that is, may the Lord fulfil what He designs with him, and has promised by his birth.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23. Only the Lord establish his word What word Elkanah here refers to is not clear. Some, taking , word, in the sense of matter or thing, a meaning which it sometimes has, paraphrase the sentence thus: The Lord carry out and perfect what he has begun in the case of this child. Others suppose that reference is made to some special revelation concerning the mission and destiny of Samuel, which the sacred writers have not recorded. But it is better to understand by his word, the benediction of Eli, 1Sa 1:17 “the God of Israel grant thee thy petition.” According to this view the parents of Samuel regarded the high priest’s prayer as a prophecy the word of God respecting Hannah’s prayer for a child, and her vow to consecrate such child to the divine service.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Sa 1:23. Only the Lord establish his word Houbigant renders this, only the Lord establish that which thou hast said. We prefer, says he, to the common reading debaro, his word, debarek, thy word, which the LXX, Syriac, and Arabic follow; for it does not appear that God had promised Hannah any thing concerning the condition and future life of her son. Therefore the words, may the Lord establish what thou hast spoken, signify “may the Lord grant that what thou hast vowed may be fulfilled, and that the child may live which is born to us.”
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
1Sa 1:23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
Ver. 23. Do what seemeth thee good. ] Wives must be gratified in their lawful and reasonable requests.
Only the Lord establish.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Do what: Num 30:7-11
the Lord: 2Sa 7:25, Isa 44:26
son suck: Gen 21:7, Gen 21:8, Psa 22:9, Mat 24:19, Luk 11:27
Reciprocal: 1Ki 3:21 – give
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 1:23. Only the Lord establish his word We do not read of any thing the Lord had spoken about this child: but, perhaps Elkanah looked upon what Eli had said as spoken by God, because he was Gods high-priest. The Hebrew, however, may be rendered with equal propriety, The Lord establish his work; that is, may he perfect what he hath begun, by making the child grow up, and become fit for Gods service, that he may be employed therein and accepted of God. For the word dabar, signifies any matter or thing, as well as word.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1:23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his {i} word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
(i) Because her prayer took effect, therefore it was called the Lord’s promise.