Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 3:3
And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God [was], and Samuel was laid down [to sleep];
Verse 3. Ere the lamp of God went out] Before sunrise; for it is likely that the lamps were extinguished before the rising of the sun. See Ex 27:21; Le 24:3.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Ere the lamp of God went out; before the lights of the golden candlestick were put out, i.e. in the night season, or before the morning, when they were put out, as they were lighted in the evening, Exo 27:21; Lev 24:3; 2Ch 13:11.
In the temple, i.e. in the tabernacle, which is sometimes called the temple, as being of the same use and significancy.
Samuel was laid down to sleep; not that this happened when he first lay down, but whilst he was lying there.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. ere the lamp of God went out inthe temple of the LordThe “temple” seems to havebecome the established designation of the tabernacle, and the timeindicated was towards the morning twilight, as the lamps wereextinguished at sunrise (see Lev 6:12;Lev 6:13).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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 never went out. Now the reason why this is observed is to show that it was in the night, before morning, that the following transaction was: some by this lamp understand the lamp of prophecy, that before that was quite extinct in Eli, only began to depart, as his eyes are said to begin to wax dim, the spirit of prophecy came to Samuel; so that, as the Jews express it, before one sun was set another arose; thus before the sun of Moses set, the sun of Joshua arose; and before the sun of Eli set, the sun of Samuel arose:
where the ark of God was; that is, in the temple or tabernacle; not in that part of it where the lamps were burning in the candlestick, that was in the holy place; but the ark was in the holy of holies, where the Lord dwelt, and was the symbol of his presence; and which is observed to point out the place from whence the voice came, after mentioned; and which the Targum expresses here,
“and a voice was heard out of the temple of the Lord, where the ark of the Lord was:”
and Samuel was laid down to sleep; after Eli was in bed, and Samuel had done all his business, he laid himself down to sleep in his place; in the court of the Levites, as the Targum, with which the Jewish commentators in general agree: it must be somewhere near to Eli, so that he could quickly come at him, when he needed his assistance; though, according to the Misnah p, the priests shut the doors of the court within, and the Levites slept without. It is highly probable that Samuel’s apartment was near to Eli, or he could not have so readily come to him, as it is plain he did. This circumstance is also observed, to show that it was in the night, and before morning, that the following vision was; and, as Kimchi thinks, about cock crowing; and it may be from hence Strabo q had the notion, that Moses ordered such to sleep (in the temple) for themselves, and others, who were fit to receive good dreams, and who might expect from God a good gift, who lived soberly and righteously; and because the tabernacle was covered with skins, hence might spring the notion of others to sleep in temples, for the above reason, under the skins of the sacrifices,
[See comments on Amos 2:8], though they seem rather to have slept upon them, for the above purposes, namely, to converse with their deities, and get knowledge from them r.
p Middot, c. 1. sect. 8. q Geograph. l. 16. p. 523. r Vid. Virgil. Aeneid. 7. “huc dona Sacerdos”, &c. ver. 86-95.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(3, 4) Ere the lamp of God went out.There is a Talmud comment here of singular interest and beauty: On the day that Rabbi Akiva died, Rabbi (compiler of the Mishnah) was born; on the day when Rabbi died, Rav Yehudah was born; on the day when Rav Yehudah died, Rava was born; on the day when Rava died, Rav Ashi (one of the editors of Guemara) was born. It teaches thee, that no righteous man departs this life before another equally righteous is born; as it is said (Ecc. 1:5): The sun riser, and the sun goes down. The sun of Eli had not set before that of Samuel rose; as it is said (1Sa. 3:3): Ere the lamp of God was out . . . and Samuel laid down.Tract Kiddushin, fol. 72, Colossians 2.
It was night in the sanctuary. The high priest slept in one of the adjacent chambers, and the attendant ministers in another. In the centre, on the left of the entrance, stood the seven-branched candlestick, now mentioned for the last time; superseded in the reign of Solomon by the ten separate candlesticks, but revived after the Captivity by the copy of the one candlestick with seven branches, as it is still seen on the Arch of Titus. It was the only light of the Tabernacle during the night, was solemnly lighted every evening, as in the devotions of the Eastern world, both Mussulman and Christian, and extinguished just before morning, when the doors were opened.
In the deep silence of that early morning, before the sun had risen, when the sacred light was still burning, came through the mouth of the innocent child the doom of the house of Ithamar.Stanley, Lectures on the Jewish Church, Part I.
The Lord called Samuel.It seems probable that the voice came from out of the visible glory, the Shekinah, which on that solemn night of the calling of the child-prophet no doubt rested on its chosen earthly thronethe mercy-seat of Godwhich formed the top of the Ark, and which was overshadowed by the outspread wings of the golden Cherubim.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Ere the lamp of God went out Before the dawning of the day. Compare Exo 27:21.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Sa 3:3. And ere the lamp Dr. Waterland renders this verse, and the lamp of God went not yet out, (and Samuel was sleeping) in the temple, where the ark of God was. See Exo 27:20.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
1Sa 3:3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God [was], and Samuel was laid down [to sleep];
Ver. 3. And ere the lamp of God went out, ] i.e., Early in the morning, before it was day. For they did not then burn daylight, as the superstitious Papists do by their tapers burning upon their altars at noonday. The morning is the fittest time for meditation and prayer.
And Samuel was laid down to sleep.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
lamp of God = the seven-branched candlestick. God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
the temple : i, e. the tabernacle. See note on 1Sa 1:9.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
ere: Before sun-rise: for it is probable the lamps were extinguished before the rising of the sun; see the parallel passages.
the lamp: Exo 27:20, Exo 27:21, Exo 30:7, Exo 30:8, Lev 24:2-4, 2Ch 13:11
the temple: 1Sa 1:6, Psa 5:7, Psa 27:4, Psa 29:9
Reciprocal: 1Sa 1:9 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
3:3 And ere the {d} lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God [was], and Samuel was laid down [to sleep];
(d) That is, the lamps which burnt in the night.