Characterization: Priest and Suppliant. After Samuel is born but before he is weaned, Elkanah invites Hannah to accompany him to Shiloh for the annual observance. When Hannah subsequently bears three sons and two daughters, the phrase announcing the births uses the verb paqad, translated visited. Structuring Devices: Exposition. to set them among the princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lords, and he hath set the world upon them. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1980), 4:70, hereafter TDOT. Making sense of the rhetorical, poetic, and structural features of a scriptural text necessitates in-depth and attentive reading, the benefits of which can be enhanced by these additional interpretive skills. On the complementarity of individuals physical traits and spiritual qualities in the Hebrew Bible, see Alter, Moses, xixxxiii. This study claims that the significance of the story cannot be fully appre- Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. Type Scene: Female Spiritual Initiative. . On the progressive contrast of Elis sons with Hannahs firstborn, see McCarter, I Samuel, 7785. Her first direct speech, for example, expresses her private but poignant vow to God, which defines her lifes purpose and sacred identity: O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look upon the afflictions of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.28 All of her subsequent speeches and actions align with and strengthen her devotional character (see 1:2028; 2:110, 1921). And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. 1026; 112 nn. We compared the results of the SVV test in two groups of children with ages ranging from 7 to 10 years. "Great is the reverence due to children." But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? The text never has him interact directly with any of Hannahs children, and he speaks with Hannah only when her devotional actions disrupt his traditional ritual routine. and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt: This stage takes place between the ages of 18 months and 3 years (2:2736; 3:1118). 72. Samuel Gompers (January 27, 1850 December 13, 1924) was a key American labor union leader who founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and served as its president for nearly four decades, from 1886 to 1894, and from 1895 until his death in 1924. Message. While Eli properly identifies the source of Samuels call, he does not hear the voice himself; only the lad does. 1113. See, for example, McCarter, ISamuel, 1214; Richard R. Losch, All the People in the Bible: An AZ Guide to the Saints, Scoundrels, and Other Characters in Scripture (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2008), 36870. On the one hand, Phinehas and Hophni are named as priests, in contrast with the next segment of the story, which specifically identifies Eli as the priest at Shiloh (see 1:9). 1807 Houston's mother moves the family to eastern Tennessee. In fact, it places her within a small but crucial cadre of womenmost notably Rebekah, Tamar, and Ruthwhose own unprecedented spiritual initiatives eventually and distinctively transform biblical Israel.24 Traditional readers of the Samuel story would have recognized the intended craftsmanship of the text for this exceptional interpretive purpose. Characterization: Husband and Wife. Thus, the ambivalent and matter-of-fact introduction of the priests at Shiloh implies that while central to the story of Samuels beginnings, Eli and his sons will play roles that are marginal to or destructive of their high ritual status. Type Scene: Victory Song. The application of the anthropological concept of social drama to interpret literature, ritual, and other key cultural expressions is summarized in Victor Turner, Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1974), 2359. He then faded into the background, appearing at the sanctuary of Naioth (chapter 19). Type Scene: Barren Wife. We learn of what God says to him only by what he, in turn, says to Eli. Therefore, while intended as an expression of generosity, the offering reveals Elkanahs insensitivity, at the very least, to the storys central crisis and may actually be insulting to Hannah. 3. Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord. Its content not only indicates the overthrow of the priestly authority of the house of Eli and the implicit move to a different sort of authority to be embodied by the prophet Samuel, but it also adumbrates the rather dour and dire role that Samuel will play as leader, in relation to both Israel and to Saul. Alter, Ancient Israel, 256 nn. The concept of covenant not only unifies this brief but auspicious narrative but also positions it centrally within the larger epic of Gods ancient covenant people in the holy land. In relation to other characters in the story, Hannah demonstrates her connectedness by: Leitwrter: remembered and visited. Also like the first, Elkanahs second speech at once reinforces his traditional familial roles and acknowledges his emotional distance from his wife. The key points relevant to the present study are that (1)type scenes are a common literary convention of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, (2)1Samuel 13 shows abundant evidence of the likely intentional use of this convention, and (3)type scenes enhance considerably the spiritual significance of the Samuel account. However, in the Hebrew Bible, lay/lie with does not always connote illicit sexual relations, for example, Genesis 30:16, and know does not always imply legitimate and covenantal sexual relations, for example, Judges 19:25. And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Simon, Prophetic Narratives, 3637, 43, systematically compares the miraculous birth narratives of the Hebrew Bible and summarizes this biblical scene type. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good. . These details may explain why the man of God specifically refers to Pharaohs house in his condemnation of the house of Eli (2:27). . While some linkages may be incidental, most scholars recognize that an authors intentional linkages create a phenomenon that Adele Berlin, following Paul Werth, calls poetic effect, which she defines as the result of an interaction between verbal form and meaning. Adele Berlin, The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992), 10. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. The exposition also identifies the ritual officials at the temple of the Lord at Shiloh but in a casual, even offhand manner: And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. While this simple declarative sentence names the personnel with the greatest spiritual status at Shiloh, its specific language implies two concerns. The pathways involved in the development of metabolic dysfunction across generations in the context of childhood 35. Samuel was very probably intruded into this narrative. International Standard Version The LORD took note of Hannah, and she became pregnant and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. She neither retreats from nor attempts to renegotiate the terms of her sacred vow. And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. (19-20) Samuels miraculous conception and his birth. The story of Samuels life begins with the very touching scene of Hannah, a wife of Elkanah, praying to God at the tabernacle in Shiloh. Samuel was born in answer to Hannahs prayers. And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaohs house? Inquiring of the oracle would have been a priestly function, and so there is an intimation here of some sort of breakdown in the professional performance of the house of Eli. (Samuel I, 1) Samsons Life. For example, is Eli, the father, the chief priest in the hereditary office? The narrative, as crafted, implies that Elkanah is either unaware or dismissive of Hannahs emotional needs and performs little or no nurturing role vis--vis their firstborn or any of their other children. McCarter, I Samuel, 6061 n.11, points out the poetic qualities of Hannahs prayer. The Lord . Lenn J. Schramm (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997), 5172. Recognizing this difference, Alter offers a crucial perspective on the complementary roles of the man of God and Samuel. JPS Tanakh 1917 4. Following the reception of Samuels first prophecy, hearing and seeing figure prominently in the interchange between the priest and his protg: Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. By contrast, Samuel executes his mission completely in the public eye. Examples of otherwise innocuous individual and social behavior pervade the Samuel story and deepen its spiritual significance. The text expresses the respective dramatic contributions of these two messengers along four dimensions: message, role, impact, and visibility. Contributing to the disjunctive role of genealogies in the biblical narrative, McCarter observes that the opening phrase, translated from the Hebrew as Now there was a certain man, signals the inauguration of an entirely new narrative.17, In addition, while modern readers may interpret the opening phrase as focusing the story on the man Elkanah, the narrative unfolds in such a way that Hannahs husband plays at best a supportive and largely contrasting role in the Samuel story. Nevertheless, Hannah is not satisfied: she wants a son for herself, but not for selfish reasons. Leitwrter: know and lie with. The Hebrew Bible exemplifies many different types of parallelismtoo numerous and complex to summarize here. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. Thus, as crafted, the exposition implies that while the story is of central significance to all Israel (see 1 Sam. . David Noel Freedman, 6vols. am I not better to thee than ten sons? Rather than consoling his wife, this speech reveals Elkanahs emotional alienation from Hannahs soul-deep crisis. In Portugal, the pan-European report noted a decline in January-February 2022, compared to the trend in previous years. If they do so, they are strengthened, enlarged, blessed, and sustained. The few defining details of characterbehavior, actions, qualities, dialogue, and physical appearance that flesh out proleptic portraits,74 whether individually or in pairsreveal individuals varied relationships with one another and with God, as mediated by their sacred covenants. Of particular interest is the sequence of events that culminates in Gods initial fulfillment of Hannahs vow: And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her.35 In these thirty-three English words, and appears six times. Despite the similarity of their messages, the text structures the two encounters inversely. 31. Scholars recognize that genealogies perform at least three complementary roles in the Hebrew Bible: (1)introducing and declaring the identity of a distinctive group or individual, (2)demarcating one significant narrative from others in the larger text, and (3)schematizing complex historical evolution. Alter, Moses, 34n; 53 nn. Knew not implies a defining and permanent condition for the sons of Eli; for Samuel, however, did not yet know implies a temporary and transitional condition that would soon be remedied. Alter, Ancient Israel, 244 n.21: Everything is different now that Hannah has borne a son, and she herself introduces a change in the repeated pattern.. For example, Exodus 34; Isaiah 6; Jeremiah 1; Ezekiel 12. And the man of thine, whom I shall cut not off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. Samuel Adams Life Jan 1, 1736. The narrators specific comment that the priests eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see follows immediately the narrators general spiritual indictment of Israel: And the word of the Lord was precious [that is, rare] in those days; there was no open vision.66 In response to this array of sensory deficiencies, the Lord launches his first instruction to Samuel with the declaration, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle (3:11). 23. See Alter, Moses, 77 n.2; 131 nn. After receiving Samuels prophecy, Eli has no recourse but to acknowledge, It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good (3:18). Because of the cultural significance of their contrast in maternal status, Peninnah had become Hannahs adversary and persistently provoked her sore. These detailsthe preferred but barren wife and her jealous sister wifeevoke positive comparisons between Hannah and Israels grand matriarchs Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel.21 This type scene also encourages attentive readers to anticipate that Hannah, like her matriarchal models, will also eventually conceive and bear a remarkable child through the miraculous intervention ofGod. Pathways involved in the Hebrew Bible, see McCarter, I Samuel, 6061 n.11, out... Note of Hannah, and the word of the SVV test in two of... Translated visited ( Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997 ), 10 hereditary... Samuel, 6061 n.11, points out the poetic qualities of Hannahs prayer compared to ground... Spiritual qualities in the context of childhood 35 for selfish reasons by Leitwrter! 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