Samuel's Family

Click here to read I Samuel 1.

Chapter 1 tells the story of Samuel's family. His fathers name was El-kanah. He was a Levite of the family of Ko-hathites, but not one of the 8,600 that attended the Tabernacle; still they were one of the most honorable of that tribe. His ancestors had settled in Bethlehem in Judah but sense then, had moved to Mt. Ephraim to the city of Ramah. His family had no assigned Tabernacle duties therefore, they worshipped at the Tabernacle as any other Israelite.
El-kanah married two women. His first wife, Hannah, was dearly loved but childless. His second wife, Peninnah, was "loved less" but was very fruitful and had many children. She was "haughty" and "insolent" while Hannah was "melancholy" and "discontented". At first, Hannah took her grief out on El-kanah, and then she lost her appetite and refused to eat. El-kanah chastised her and she changed her attitude. She decided that instead of placing the burden of her barrenness upon El-kanah or herself, she would cast it upon the Lord in prayer.
Notice Hannah's prayer, verses 10 and 11, it tells us a great deal about Hannah.

Like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, she prayed in "agony" and sincerity.
She mingled tears with words.
She was very specific in her partition.

She wanted one male child.
One that might serve in the Tabernacle.

She promised that if God would grant her request and give her a male child, she would give him back to the Lord. He would be by birth, a Levite, but by vow, a Nazirite.
She spoke softly, her lips moved but no one could hear her. (She prayed not as the Pharisees)

In a corner of the Tabernacle, Hannah was "caught up" in her prayer to the Lord. Eli, who was then the High Priest, saw her and thought she was drunk. After talking to her, he realized that she was not. He told her to go in peace and prayed that the Lord of Israel would grant her partition. She left in peace and her "countenance" was sad no more.
Shortly after that, Hannah conceived and bore a son. She called him Samuel, which had two literal translations, one, "Heard of God" and two, "Asked of God". When Samuel was still young, "weaned" is the term used in verse 23, Hannah presented him to Eli at the Tabernacle.
The term "weaned" in verse 23, may have occurred at any of three ages:

Children were normally weaned from the mother's breast at the age of three. This might be evidenced by the sacrifice of three bulls or a three-year-old bull depending on the translation.
Children were weaned from childish things, toys etc., at the age of eight.
Boys became men at the age of 12, the age of accountability.

Any of these three ages could have been the time that Hannah took the boy and presented him to the service of the Lord. Most tend to go along with #1. Samuel was dedicated to the Lord's service for as long as he should live. Even Samuel, young as he was, worshipped the Lord with his prayers.

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