Commentary on the Holy Bible

entreaties; and, under the direction of God, Saul, the son of Kish, whilst seeking the lost asses of his father, is met by the prophet, and anointed king over Israel. This man not conducting himself in the government according to the direction of God, is rejected; and David, the son of Jesse, anointed king in his place, though Saul continues still in the government. This person soon becomes advantageously known to Israel by his single combat with a gigantic Philistine chief, called Goliah, whom he slays; on which the Israelites attack the Philistines, and give them a total overthrow. Saul, envious of David's popularity, seeks his destruction; he is, in consequence obliged to escape for his life, and take refuge, sometimes among the Moal)ites, sometimes among the Philistines, and sometimes in the caves of the mountains of Judah; every where pursued by Saul, and every where visibly protected by the Lord. At last, Saul being pressed by the Philistines, and finding that the Lord had forsaken him, had" recourse to a witch that dwelt at Endor, whom he consulted relative to the issue of the present war with the Philistines; he loses the battle, and being sorely wounded, and his three sons slain, he falls on his own sword, and expires on mount Gilboa. The Philistines find his body, and the body of his three sons, among the slain; they cut off Saul's head, and affix the bodies to the walls of Bethshan. The men of Jabesh Gilead, hearing this, go by night, and take the bodies from the walls of Bethshan, bring them to Jabesh, burn them there, bury the bones, and mourn over their fallen king, fasting seven days. Thus concludes the First Book of Samuel.

Concerning the author of these Books, there have been various conjectures. Because, in most of the Hebrew copies, they bear the name of Samuel, as a running title, it has been generally supposed that /le was the author. But his name does not appear to have been anciently prefixed to ihese Books, at least in those copies used by the Greek interpreters, commonly called the Sep' tuagint, as they simply term each ^a<n7^siwv. The History or Book of Kingdoms. The Chaldee has no inscription. The Syriac and Arabic call each The Book of Samuel the Prophet; and the Vulgate, The Book of Samuel, simply. The Jews, in general, believe that Samtiel is the author of the twenty-seven first chapters of this Book, which contain the history of his own life and government, and what respects Saul and David during that time. The remaining four chapters they suppose wei'c added by the prophets Gad and Nathan. This opinion is founded on what is said 1 Chron. xxix. 29. JVoio the acts of David the king, first and last, behold they are written in the Book of Samuel the seer; and in the Book of JNallian the prophet; and in the Book of Gad the seer. Others suppose the Books to be more recent than the persons already named; but that they were composed out of their memoirs.

But who was this compiler? Some of the most learned among the Jews suppose it to have been Jeremiah the prophet; and that the style bears a near resemblance to his prophecies. That they were (he work of a more recent author than Samiul, &c. Clrotius tliiiikn eTident, from this circum- Ktiince, that tlic ii:iiiii's of the 7rto/»///s arr comparatively mo</i»rrt, and were not known amorif^' the ancient Jews. Others have attributed thcin to David; other* to Hczekiah; aiidothfru to Ezra the scribe, on his return from the Hab^lonian captivity.

Calmel's opinion is as probable as any, vh. " That these books were written by the same hand, thoMf^h composed out of the memoirs left by persons of that time; and that the compiler tias generally used the same terms he found in those memoirs; adding here and there »omethin«^ of liii own, by way of illustration." The equality of the s/y/e, the frequent euU>^iums on the character and conduct of Samuel, the connection of the materials, particular quotations and remarks on certain events, arc, he thinks, proofs sufficiently clear of what be assumes. These Hooks contaiu remarks or expressions which could only proceed from a conlcmporurj/ author, and otliers which are evidences of a much later age.

1. For instance, we read, chap. iii. 1. The word of tlic Lord icas precious in (hose dcij/s; there loas no open vision; i.e. in the days of Eli, the high-priest: hence it is evident that the author lived in times in which prophecy was more common; which, in fact, it was after Samuel, under David, and the succeeding" kings of Israel and Judah.

2. Again, in the time of the autlior of this Book, Beth-el was called Belh-aven, chap. xiii. 5.; which name was given to it in derision, after Jeroboam had placed there his golden calves.

3. Again, it is said, chap, vi. 18. that the ark of the Lord was set down in the field of Joshua the Bethshemite, where it remained to the time of this author; and yet, in chap. vii. 15. he speaks of Samuel as being already dead. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

4. It is not natural to suppose that Samuel would have spoken of himself as is done chap. ii. 26. And the child Samuel greio, ayid was in favour both with the Lord and with men: but if he were dead when tiiis Book was written, any author might have added this with the strictest propriety.

5. In chap, xxvii. 6. it is said that Achish gave Ziklag to David, Wherefore Ziklag pertaincth to the kings of Judah unto this day. Tins is a proof that when this Book was written, the kingdoms of Judah and Israel were separated; and that, although the tribe of Simeon belonged to the kings of Israel, yet Ziklag, which was in that tribe, remained in the hands of the kings of Judah.

Here, therefore, are proofs that this Book contains matters which must have been written by a contemporary author; and others^ which could not have been inserted but in times much posterior. These seeming contradictions are reconciled by the hypothesis, that the Books were compiled by a comparatively recent author, out of materials of a much prior date; the author not changing- many of the expressions which he found in those ancient documents.

Several other proofs might be here adduced to support this opinion; but as the Reader will find them noticed in the places where they occur, it is not necessary to repeat them here. Those who wish to see this subject farther discussed, may consult Calmet. We may rest satisfied with these three things: 1. That the Books of Samuel were constructed out of original and authentic documents. 2. That the compiler was not contemporary with the facts he narrates. And, 3. That both the author and time in which he compiled his History, though comparatively more recent than the facts themselves, are nevertheless both uncertain.

Year fiom (ho Crmlioii, 2833. — Yoar before llic Incanialioii, 1171. — Year before the first Olympiad, 39j. — Year before the building of Uome, 418. — Year of the Julian Period, 3343. — Year of the Dionysian I'eriod, 331. — Cycle of the Sun, 15.— Cycle of the Moon, 9.

Some account of FAkanah ami his ttco wives, Pcninnah and Hannah, 1, 2. His annual u)orship al Sliiloh, and the portions he gave at such limes to his wives, 3 — 5. Hannah being barren is reproached by Peninnah,• mpecialli/ in their going up to Shiloh, al zchich she is sorelj/ grieved, 6, 7. Elkanah coni/orls her, 8. Her pra/ycr and vozc in the temple, that if Clod tcould give her a son, she xcould consecrate him to His service, 9 — 1 1. Eli, the high-priest, indistinctly hearing her pray, charges her zcith being drunk, 12 — 14. Her drfrncc of her conduct, 15, IG. Eli, undeceived, blesses her,- on which she takes courage, 17, 18. Hannah and Elkanah return home; she conceives, bears a son, and calls him Samuel, 19,20. Elkanah and his familj/ go again to Shiloh to zcorship; but Hannah stai/s at home to nurse her child, purposing, as soon as he is wecmed, to go and offer him to the Lord, according to her voii\ 21 — 23. When xeaned, she takes him to Shiloh, presents her child to Eli to be consecrated to the Lord, and offers three bullocks, an ephah of /lour, and a bottle of wine, for his consecration, 24 — 28.

OW there was a certain man of Ramatliaim-zopliiin, of mount Kpliraim, and liis name teas ' Elkanali, the son of Jeroham, the

Verse 1. Rama/haim-zophiml Literally, the (z:o high jtlaces of the xcatchnicn: these were, no doubt, two contiguous hills, on which watch-toi*ers were built, and in which watchmen kept continual guard for the safety of the country; and which afterwards gave name to the place.

son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zupli, *■ an Fphrathile:

2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and

^'°''" 3 And this man went up out of

his city * y^^*''y '' "to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in "^ Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, loere there.

4 f And when the time was that Elkanah "offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

5 But unto Hannah he gave '^ a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: ^ but the Lord had shut up her womb.

Verse 3. Went up out of his city yearly to tsorship] As the ark was at Shiloh, there was the temple of God, and thither all the males were bound by the law to go once a year on eack of the great national festivals; viz. thepassover, penlecost, and the feast of tabernacles.

The Lord of hosts'] mSDS nirr Yehovah tsebuoth, Jehovah of armies. As all the heavenly bodies were called the hosts of heaven, D'O'iPn ndv tsaba haskshamayim, Jehovah being called Lord of this host, shewed that He was their Maker and Governor; and consequently Jle, not they, was the proper object of religious worship. The sun, moon, planets, and stars, were the highest objects of religious worship to the heathens in general. The Jewish religion teaching the knowledge of a Being who was the Lord of all these, shewed at once its superiority to all that heathenism could boast. This is the Jirst place vihere Loi'd of hosts is mentioned in the Bible; and this is so much in the style of the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, &c. that it gives some weight to the supposition that this Book was written by a person who lived i/t or after the times of these prophets. — See the Preface.

Verse 4. He gave — portions'] The sacrifices which were made were probably /jeace-q^enwg-^, of which the blood vols poured out at the foot of the altar; the fat was burnt on the fire, the breast and right shoulder were the portion of the priest, and the rest belonged to him who made the offering; ou it he and his family feasted, each receiving his portion: and to these feasts God commands them to invite the Levite, the poor, the widoic, and the orphan, Deut. xvi. 11.

Verse 5. Unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion] The Hebrew here is very obscure, rs'SX nnx P;n |n' yitten manah achath appayim; he gave her one portion of tzco faces: which the Syriac renders, he gave her one dovdli: part; and the Chaldec, lie gave her one chosen part; the Arabic is nearly the same; the Vulgate, Anna: autem dedit unam

6 And her adversary also •■ pro- n'.c'un' voked her sore, for to make her ^n. i;xo,i. isr. fret, because the Lord had shut up Annoamei. her womb. oiyn»p.393.

7 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.

8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I '" better to thee than ten sons?

9 T So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now

partem tristis, but to Anna, he being sorrowful, gave &ne part. As the sheic-bread th-At was presented to the Lord was called D'JS anS lechem panim, the bread of faces, because it was placed before the face or appearances of the Lord; probably this was called C3X njn manah apayim, because it was the portion that belonged to, or was placed before, the person who had offered the sacrifice. On this ground it might be said that Elkanah gave Hannah his orsn portion, or a part of that which was placed before himself. Whatever it was, it was intended as a proof of his especial love to her; for, it is added, he loved Hannah.

Provoked her sore] Was constantly striving to irrifa.fe and vex her; to inake her fret, to make her discontented with her lot, because the Lord had denied her children.

Verse 7. And as he did so year by year] As the whole family went up to Shiloh to the annual festivals, Peninnah had both sons and daughters to accompany her, ver. 4., but Hannah had none; and Peninnah took (his opportunity particularly to twit Hannah with her barrenness, by making an ostentatious exhibition of her children.

Therefore she wept"] She was greatly distressed, because it was a great reproach to a woman among the Jews to bo barren; because, say some, every one hoped that the Messiah should spring from her line.

Verse 8. Am not I better to thee than ten sons] Te^, a certain for an uncertain number. Is not my especial affection to thee better than all the comfort thou couldst gain, even from a numerous family?

Verse 9. Eli — sat upon a seat] KD3n hv al hakissa, upon the throne; i. e. of judgment, for he was then judge of Israel.

By a post of the temple of the Loru.] 1 think this i? the first place where nirr ^2'<r\ heycal Yehovah, " Temple of Jehovah," is mentioned. This gives room for a strong suspicion that the Books of Samuel were not compiled till the

Eli tlio priost silt ii|)(m u scat Ijy a post of ' llic toiiipic (if the liOiU).

10 '' And slie loas " in hittci iicss of soul, and prayed unto tlic Imuu, and

of liosls, if tliou wilt indeed "look on the alllictioii of tliinc liaudinaid, and 'remember me, and not forj^et tliine liandniaid, htit will f^ive \mto thine iiandmaid '^ a man ( liild, tlu-n I will f;ivc him unto the Lokd all the days of his life, and ^ there sliall no rasor come upon his head.

12 11 And it came to pass, as she ' continued jiraying before the LohDj that Eli marked her mouth.

l.S Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only licr lips moved, but her voice was not heard: tlicrcfore Eli tiioiif;ht she had been drunken.

14 And Eli said unto her. How long- wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.

15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, 1 a7n a w onian '' of a sorrowful spirit: 1 have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but

; IS And she said, '' l.,ct lliine haniiinaid find I grace in thy sig^lit. So the woman ' went her I way, and did eat, and her countenance was no

19 U And they rose up in the morninp early, and worshipped before the Eokd, and returned, and came to tlieir house to Kamah: and Elkanah "knew Hannah his wife; and 'the Lord remembered her.

20 ^Vllerefore it came to pass, " when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name '.Samuel, aaj/ing, Because 1 have asked him of the Lord.

first temple tvas built, or after the dai/s of Solomon. After this the word temple is frequent in the Books of Kings, Chronicles, and in tlie I'ropliets. I'erliaps those Psalms, in which this word occurs, were like many olliers in tlie INalter, not of David's comjiosition: some of them were evidently made long after his time. I

Verse 11. / t.:iU give him ttnto the Lord'] Samuel, as a descendant of the house of Levi, was the Lord's property, from izcentij-/ive years of age txWJiflj/; but the tow here implies that he should be consecrated to the Lord from his infancy to his death, and tliat he should not only act as a Levite, but as a Nazarite, on whose head no razor should pass.

Verse 13. Spake in her heart; only her lips moved'] Slie prayed; her whole heart was engaged: and, though she spake not with an audible voice, yet her lips formed themselves according to the pronuuciation of the words which her heart uttered.

Verse 15. / have drunk neither vcine nor strong drink] Neither wine nor inebriating drink has been poui-cd out unto me; bull have;>o//re(/ ou/ my soul unto the Lord. There is a great deal of delicacy and point in this vindication.

Verse 16. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial] hy>b3 na 'JS"? ^ncK nn J.-^n V« allitUn cth umatcca

Verse 17. Grant thee thy petition] lie was satisfied be had formed a wrong judgment; and, by it, had added to the distress of one already sufficiently distressed.

The fact that Eli supposed her to be drunken, and the other of the conduct of Eli's sons, already mentioned, prove that religion was at this time at a very low ebb in Shiloh; for it seems drunken Tzomen did come to the place, and Uad zcomen were to be found there.

Verse 18. Let thine handmaid find grau] Ccotioue to think favourably of me, and to pray for me.

Verse '20. Called his name Samuel] As she gave this name to her son because she bad atkcd him of the Lord, the word 'r{«i!:u: Shemuel, must be here considerably contracted, if it express this seDtimcDt: the component parts of it ire

Rc.mo!' 21 And the man Elkanah, and all An. Exod. isr. ^ig housc, ^ wcnt Up to offer unto AnnoMtei. the LoKD thc veaily sacrifice, and

22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, / will not go zip until the child be weaned, and then I will "bring him that he may appear before the Lord, and there " abide '' for ever.

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.

24 H And when she had weaned him, she « took him up with her, with three bullocks, and

the following, TXTi blKi:' Shcail?nc El, " Asked of God." This name would put both the mother and the son in continual remembrance of the Divine interposition at his birth. — See on ver. 28.

Verse 21. The man Elkanah., and all his house] He and the whole of his family, Hannah and her child excepted; who purposed not to go up to Shiloh till her son was old enough to be employed in the Divine service.

And his VOID.'] Probably he had also made some vow to the Lord on the occasion of his wife's prayer and vow; in which, from his l«ve to her, he could not be less interested than herself.

Verse 23. Until thou have tseaned him^ On the nature of this Tceanim;, and the time in which it was usually done, the Reader will be pleased to refer to the Note on Gen.

The Lord establish his zi-ord] Or, may the Lord establish his zcord; preserve the child, cause him to grow up, and make him a blessing to Israel.

Verse 24. IVith three bullocks] The Septuagint, the Siiriac and the Arabic, read a bullock of three years old; and this is probably coirect, because we read, ver. 25. that they slew nsn rK et ha par, the bullock. We hear of no more, and we know that a bullock or heifer, of three years old, was ordinarily used: see Gen. xr. 9.

A buttle of tcine] J" bz: nebcl yayin, a skin full of wine. Their bottles for wine, and iluids in geneial, were made out of skins of goats, stripped off without being cut up; the places whence the le^s were extracted, sewed up, as also the lower part; and the top lied. — See the Notes on Gen. xxi. 14. and Matt. is. 17. These three things, the ox, the Jlour, nnd theziv'ne, probably constituted the consecration-ojfcring.

one ephah of flour, and a bottle of ^.c'.ml'

25 And I hoy slew a bullock, and ' brought the child to Eli.

26 And she said, O my lord, '' as thy soul liveth, my lord, 1 am the woman that stood by thtc here, praying unto the Lord.

27 'For this chiid 1 prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which 1 asked of

28 "Therefore also I have "lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth ° he shall be lent to the Lord. And he ■■ worshipped the Lord

Verse 28. Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord] There is here a continual reference to her vow, and to the zcords which she used in making that vow.

The word Samuel, as we have already seen, is a contraction of the words bxt) bist'i? Shaul me El, that is, asked or lent of God; for his mother said, ver. 27. The Lord hath given me my petition, which ^rhtt'a siiaalti, I askeb of him. In ver. 28. she says, rin'S SlNt? Nin hu shjul lai. hovah, he shall be lent unto the Lord: here we find the verb is the same; and it is remarked by grammarians that bxi? shaal, he asked, making in the participle pahul biKur shaul, ASKED, in the conjugation hiphil signifies to lend; therefore, says his mother, ver. 28. mrrb inTibsttTi iiisiiiii- Tiiiu laihovah, I have lest him to the Lord. This twofold meaning of the Hebrew root is not only followed by our translators, but also by the Vulgate, Septuagint, and Syriac.

And he zcorshippcd the Loud there.] Instead of inniff'l vuyishtachu, be worshipped, linr«:"1 vayishtachavu, and riiEV worshipped, is the reading of six of KeunicotVs and De Rossi's MSS., of some copies of the Septuagint, of the Vulgate^ Syriac, and Arabic.

This and the following chapter are connected \n most copies of the Septuagint and Vulgate thus: And Anna wotshipped, and said. My soul is strengthened in the Lord, S)C. It is very likely that the whole passage, from the beginning of ver. 26. to thc end of ver. 10. of the ensuing chapter, contains the words of Hannah atone; and that even the clause He worshipped the Lord there, should be And she worshijijied the J^ord there, and prayed and said, &c. Indeed this latter clause is wanting in the Polyglott Septuagint^ as I have stated above.

l[u)})i(ih\ propliclk lii/))i>i, 1 — 1(». Siiiiiia/ ministers to Ihr Lord, II. The nliomiimblr romlucl of IClPt tont, ]'i — 17. J'tirt/irr accoiail of Samuel; anil of tin: Divine lilesshif!^ on I'AUunuh onii llonnnii, IH — 'J|. Eli's reprehensible remissness towards his sons, in not restraining them in their great profligaci/, 2^J — 26. The metsage of (jlod to Eli; and the prophcej/ of the downfall of his familj/, and slaughter of his wicked sons Jlophni and Phineas, 27 — '3(i.

ri. K)(o.i. isr. f\ ''My heart rcjiiicctli in tlic Lord, " mine horn is oxallcd in (ho LoHi); my mouth is enlarged over

Verse 1. And Hannah prayed, and said] The Chaldce very properly says, And Hannah prai/ed in the spirit ofprophcaj; for, indeed, (he whole of this prayer, or as it may be properly railed oracular declaration, is a piece of regular prophecy, every part of which having respect to the fulure, and perhaps not a little of it declaratory of the Messiah's kingdom.

Dr. Hales has some very good observations on this prophetic song: —

" This admirable hymn excels in simplicity of composition, closeness of connection, and uniformity of sentiment; hreathiii^ the pious cflusions of a devout mind, deeply imprest with a conviction of God's mercies to herself in jiarticular, and of His providential government of the world in "•eneral; exalting the poor in spirit, or the humble minded, and abasing the rich and (he arrogant; rewarding the righteous, and punishing the wicked. Hannah was also a prophetess of (he first class: beside predicdng her own frui(fulness, vor. 7. (for she bore six children in all, chap. ii. 21.) she foretold not only the more immediate judgments of (lod upon the Philistines, during her son's adminislration, chap. ii. 10. but Ilis remoter judgments ' upon the ends of the earth,' ver. 10. in (he true spirit of the prophecies of Jacob, Balaam, and Moses. Like them, she describes the promised Saviour of the world, as a Kisc, before (here was any king in Israel: and she first applied to Him the remarkable epithet Messiah iu Hebrew, Christ in Greek, and Ahoisted in English, which was adopted by David, Nathan, Ethan, [saiah, Da- j niet, and the succeeding prophets of the GUI Testament; I and by the apostles and inspired writers of the New. And j the allusion thereto by Zachariah, the father of the Baptist, | in his hymn, Luke i. 69. where he calls Christ a ' horn of\ salvation,' and the beautiful imitation ef it by the Blessed yirgin throughout, in her h) inn Luke i. 40 — 5j. furnishing

mine enemies; because I ' rejoice ill thy salsatioii.

2 • There is none holy as the Lord: for there is ' none beside thee:

the finest commentary thereon, clearly prove that Hannah, in her rejoicing, had respect to something higher than Peninnah her rival, or to the triumphs of Samuel, or even of David himself: the expressions are too magnificent and sublima to be confined to such objects. Indeed, the learne<l ftabbi, David Kimchi, was so struck with them, that he ingenuously confessed that 'the King of whom Hannah speaks is the Mlss/iii;' of whom she spake either by pro/)/icfy or /ra^- fion: for, continues he, ' there was a tradition among the Israelites, that a great King should arise in Israel; and she seals up her song with celebrating this King kAo kos to deliver them from all their enemies.' The tradition, as we have seen, was founded principally on Balaam's second and third prophecies. Numb. xxiv. 7 — 17.; and we cannot but admire that gracious dispensation of spiritual gifts to Hannah, (whose name signifies grace,) in ranking her among the prophets who should first unfold a leading title of the Wcsfet/ Seed of the zcoman."

In the best MSS. the whole of this hymn is written in hemistich, or poetic, lines. I shall here prodoce it in this order, following the plan as exhibited in KennicotC s Bible, with some trilling alterations of our present Version:

Verse 1. — My heart exulteth in Jehovah;

for I have rejoiced in Thy saUation. Verse 2. — There is none holy like Jehovah,

There is no rock like our God. Verse 3. — Do not magnify yourselves, speak not proudly, proudly.

Anno ante 1. 3 Talk no mofc SO exceeding oiymf. 389. proudly; Met not " arrogancy come

out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of

knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 4 'The bows of the mighty men are broken,

and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

Verse 4. — The bows of the heroes are broken,

And the tottering are girded with strength. Verse 5. — The full have hired out themselves for bread,

And she who had many children is greatly enfeebled. Verse 6. — Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive;

He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up; Verse 7. — Jehovah maketh poor, and maketh rich;

He bringeth down, and He even exalteth. Verse 8. — He lifteth up the poor from the dust;

And upon them He hath placed the globe. Verse 9. — The foot of His saints He shall keep.

And the wicked shall be silent in darkness;

For, by strength, shall no man prevail. Verse lO.-Jehovah shall bruise them who contend with Him;

Upon them shall He thunder in the heavens.

It is not particularly stated here when Hannah composed or delivered this hymn: it appears from the connection to have been at the very time in which she dedicated her son to God at the tabernacle; though some think that she composed it immediately on the birth of Samuel. The former sentiment is probably the most correct.

Mine horn is exalted in the Loru\ We have often seen that horn signifies power, might, and dominion. It is thus constantly used in the Bible, and was so used among the heathens. The following words of Horace to liis jar are well known; and speak a sentiment very similar to that above: —

Tu.tpem reiliicis mendhus anxiis Virestjue, el uddis cohnva pauperi. JJor. Odar. lib.

5 ■• ThcT/ that were full have hired ^a.c:im: out tliemselves for bread; and they *»• E«od. isr. that were hungry ceased: so that Anno ante i. ' the barren hath born seven; oi,mp.389. and ^ she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

6 ^ The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

" Hope, by thee, fair fugitive. Bids the wretched strive to live. To the beggar you dispense Heart and brow of confidence."

Ml/ mouth is enlarged'] My faculty of speech is incited^ stirred up to express God's disapprobation against my adversaries.

Verse 2. None holy] Holiness is peculiar to the God of Israel: no false god ever pretended to holiness; it was no attribute of Heathenism, nor of any religion ever professed in the world before or since the true revelation of the true God.

There is none beside thee] There can be but one unoriginated, infinite, and eternal Being; that Being is Jehovah.

Any rock like our God.] Rabbi Maimon has observed, that the word niv tsur, which we translate rock, signifies, when applied to Jehovah, fountain, source, spring. There is no source whence continual help and salvation can arise but our God.

Verse 3. A God of knowledge] He is the most wise, teaching all good, and knozeing all things.

Actions are vseighed.] UDro nithkennu, they are directed ^ it is by His counsel alone that we can successfully begin, continue, or end, any work.

Verse 4. The Ooivs of the mighii/] The Targum considers t)\e first verse as including a prophecy against the Phi' listincs; the second verse, against Sennacherib and his army; the third, against Nebuchadnezzar a.n(l the Chaldeans; the fourth, against the Greeks; the fifth, against Human and his posterity; and the tenth, against Magog, and the enemies of the Messiah.

Verse 6. They that were /;///] All the things mentioned in these verses frequently happen in the course of the Divine providence: and indeed it is the particular providence of God that Hannah seems more especially to celebrate through the whole of tliis simple, yet sublime, ode.

S "111- raisclli np the poor out of the dn><t, (ind liftoth up the l)cf;f;ar from (lie sliallijc ' hrokcn lo piccps; '" out of heaven Hliall dnnf-hiil, ''to set titnn anionj;' printes, and to he Ihundrr npon them: 'the Loito hhal! jud^e make them inherit the liirone of p;Iory; for "■ the i Ihc ends of the earth; and he.siiall ^ive.'!tr«-iiffll> pillars of the earth c/rr llie [^Olio's, and lie inilli: unto his Kinj;', and 'exalt the horn of Iiik set the world njxwi them. anointed.

9 'He will keep the feci of his sainU^ and 11 And Elkanali went to Kaniali to ills houHC.

He bringeth dozen to the grave] The Ilehrew word ViXC' shcol, which we translate grave, seems to have the same meaning in the Old Testament with aiiyf liailt's, in the New; which is the word generally used by the Scptuar^inl for the other. It means the grtive, th(^ stale of Ihc deait, and the invisible place, or place of separate itjiirits. Sometimes we translate it hell, which now means the state of perdition, or place of eternal torments: but, as this comes from the Saxon helan to cover, or conceal, it means only the covered place. la some parts of England the word helling is used for the covers of a book, the slating of a house, &c. The Targum seems to nndcrstaiul it of death, and the resurrection: " He kills, and commands to give life; lie causes to deccnd into Sheol, that, in the time to come, he may bring them into the lives of eternity:" i. e. the lije of shame aud everlasting contempt; and the life of glory.

Verse 7. The Lord maketh poor] For many cannot bear nflluence; and if God should continue to trust them with riches, they would be their ruin.

Maketh rich] Some He can trust; and, therefore, makes them stewards of His secular bounty.

Verse 8. To set them among princes] There have been many cases where, in the course of God's providence,.1 person has been raised from the lowest and most abject estate to the highest: from the plough to the imperial dignil ij; from the dungeon to the throne; from the dunghill to nobility. The story of Cincinnatus is well known; so is that of the patriarch Joseph: but there is one not less in point, that of Roushcn Achtcr, who was brought out of a dungeon, and exalted to the throne of Hindostan. On this circumstance the following elegant couplet was made:

'• lie was a bright star, but now is become a moon. Joseph is taken from prison, and is become a king."

bright star: and there Ia an alluiion to the history of the patriarch Jusejih, because of the similarity of fortune between him and the Mohammedan prince.

For the pillars of the earth arc the Lonv'i] He is a|. mighty, and upholds all things by the word of lib power.

Verse 0. JIc zcill keep the feet nf his saints] He will order and direct all their goings, and keep them from every evil way.

The Ziicked shall be silent in darkness] The Targum understands this of their being sent to the t/arAnc** of hell; they shall be slain.

Ih/ strength shall no man prevail.] Because God is omnipotent, and no power can be successfully exerted against Him.

Verse 10. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken'] Those who contend icith Ilim, vann meribaiv, by sinning against His laws, opposing the progress of His word, or persecuting His people.

Shall judge the ends of the earth] Ilis empire shall bo extended over all mankind, by the preaching of the everlasting gospel; for, to this, the afterpart of the verse seem* to apply: he shall give strength unto his King, and shall exalt the horn of his Christ,• or, as the Targum says, HTI'IPO HIdSd "3T1 vaiyerbeji malcuth Meshicheyeh, " He shall multiply the kingdom of the Messiah." Here the horn means spiritual as well as secular dominion.

After the clause the adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces, the Septuagint add the following words:.Mi; xau- •/etir^M 0 i}>f3v(/A5f tv rri ^cjyijs-fj a,<nr.-, Y..r.>.. Let not th« zcise man glory in his 7cisdom; and let not the rich man glort/ in his ricJies y but let him zcho gloricth rather glory in this, that he undcrstandeth and knoiceth the Lord; and that he «xccuteth judgricrU and righteousness i the midst of the earth. This is a very long addition, and appears to be taken from Jer. ix. 23.; but, on collatini; the two places, the Reader will find the i:ords to be materially ditferent. This clause is wanting in the Complutensian Polyglott; but it is in the edition of Aldus, in that of cardinal Caraffa, and in the Codex Alexandrinus.

Verse U. And Elkanah vent to Ramah] Immediately after the 10th verse, the Septuagint add, Kai r.irtMra «»•

13 And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seethino-, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his

14 And he struck it into "^ the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.

15 Also before they "burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.

] IG And if any man said unto him, ^^^^^ ^839. I Let them not fail to burn the fat An. Kxod. iir. I '^ presently, and then take as much as Anno ante i.

and if not, 1 will take it bv force. I 17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was

very great ^ before the Lord: for men ''abhorred

18 H ' But Samuel ministered before the j Lord, being a child, '' girded with a linen

19 INIoreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she ' came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

20 f And Eli " blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the " loan which is " lent to the

tov txci eviuirtcv Kvfiov nai aTtrjXdsv eif A^a/iaflaii/., And she left him there before the Lord, and went unto Arimathea. Thus the Septuagint suppose that the song of Hannah was composed when she brought Samuel to present him to the Lord; and, as soon as she had completed this fine ode, she delivered him into the hands of Eli, the high-priest; and the child entered immediately on his ministration, under the direction and instructions of Eli.

Verse 12. The sons of Eli were sons of Belial'] They were perverse, wicked, profligate men; devil's children; — Ihei/ knew not the Lord.

" Tbev know! nor would an angel shew Him; They would not know, nor choose to know Him."

These men were the principal cause of all the ungodliness of Israel. Their most execrable conduct, described from ver. 13 to 17., caused the people to abhor the Lord's offering. An impious priesthood is the grand cause of the transgressions and ruin of any nation; witness France, Germany, &c. from 1792 to 1814.

Verse 13. fVhen any man offered sacrifice'] That is, when a peace-offering was brought, the right shoulder and the breast belonged to the priest; the fat was burnt upon the altar, and the blood was poured at the bottom of the altar; the rest of the flesh belonged to the oflerer. Under pretence of taking only their own part, they took the bestoi all they chose, and as much as they chose.

Verse 14. Kettle — caldron, or pot] We know not what these were, nor of what capacity; nor is it of any consequence.

Verse 15. Before they burnt the fat] They would serve themselves before God was served! This was iniquity and arrogance of the first magnitude.

He icill not have sodden flesh] He chooses roast meat, not boiled; and if they had it in the pot before the servant came, he took it out, that it might be roasted.

Verse 17. Wherefore the sin of the j/oung men was veri/ great] That is, Hophni and Phineas, the sons of Eli.

Men abhorred the offering] As the people saw that the priests had no piety, and that they acted as if there was no God; they despised God's service, and became infidels.

A national priesthood, when the foundation is right, may be a great blessing; but, if the priesthood becomes corrupt, though the foundation itself stand sure, the corruption of the national manners will be the unavoidable consequence.

Verse 18. Girded with a linen ephod] This the Targum translates ym BTna TDK asir cardut debuts, " Girded with a cardut of byssus," or fine linen. The word cardut they seem to have borrowed from the Greek vnpt^Mtos, a tunic, having y^stpiSxg, i. e. sleeves that came down to, or covered, the hands. This was esteemed an effeminate garment among the Romans. — See Buxtorf 's Talmudic Lexicon.

Verse 19. 3Iadc him a little cuat] ]apb''y'a mcil katon, " a little cloak," or surtout; an upper garment: probably intended to keep him from the cold, and to save his other clothes from being abused in his meaner services. It is probable that she furnished him with a new one each year, when she came up to one of the annual sacrifices.

22 11 N(i\v lOh wiis very old, tind heard all that liiH sons did unto all iHrael; and how they lay with 'the women that "^ aHsenihled at the door of the tiihernaele ol' the eonf;i elation.

2."i And he said unto them. Why do ye such thinf;s? for " 1 hear of your evil dcalinj^s by all this peo|)le.

2+ Nay, my sons; for it is no f^ood report that I hear: ye make the Loiin's people ' to transfj^ress.

25 If one man sin aj^ainst another, the jud*;!' shall judge him: but if a man "^ sin against the

2(i And the child Samuel '(;rewon, and wns ■■ in favour bolli \>ith the Loan, and also with

27 II ' And there came a man of God unto {•",li. and said untr) him, Tlius sailli tlie Loud, "Did I plainly apprar unto the house of thy father, when they were in Kj^} pt in Pharaoh's

28 Ami did 1 " choose him out of all the tribes «)f Israel to hr my priest, to olTer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an epiiod before me? and "did I give unto the house of thy father nil the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?

t]iU verse seems to be before the 1 Uh; after which the 2Ist should come in: aftor the 21st, perhaps the 26th should come ill. The subjects in this chapter seem very much rntiingled and confused, by the wrong position of the verses.

Verse '22. Thei/ lay with the zeomen that assembled] It is probable that these were persons who had some employmenl about the tabernacle. — See the Note on Exod..wxviii. 8. where the Hebrew text is similar to that in this place.

Verse 23. IVhy do ye such things?] Eli appears to have been a fondly aflectionate, easy father, who wished hi-i sons to do well, but did not bring them under proper discipline; and did not use his authority to restrain them. As judge., he had power to cast them immediately out of tlie vineyard, as wicked and uin)rofttable servants: this he did not; and his and their ruin was the consequence.

Verse 25. If one man sin against another] All differences between man and man may be settled by the proper judge; but, if a man sin a£;»inst the Supreme Judge, God Himself; who shall reconcile him to his Maker? Your sin is immediately against God Himself; and is the highest insult that can be olVered, because it is in the matter of His own worship; therefore, ye may expect Ilis heaviest judgments.

liiit if a man sin against the Lord, izho shall intreat for him?] Was a- question of the most solemn importance under the old covenant; especially aftrr the death of Moses, the mediator. The law had determined zchai sins should be punished with death; and it was not supposed that there was any appeal from the decision there pronounced. — I John ii. 1.

is an answer to this question; but it is an answer which the gospel alone can give: My little children, these things izrUe I unto you, that ye sin not; but if any man sin, ize have an Advocate zcith the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous.

Because llie Lord tcould slay them.] The particle '3 ki, which we translate because, and thus make their continuance in sin the effect of God's determination to destroy them; should be translated therefore, at it means in many parts of the Sacred Writings. — See Noldius' Particles, where the very text in question is introduced. Sednon auscultarunt, kc. Idlo voluit Jchora eos intcrjicere; but they would not hearken, &c. therefore, God purposed to destroy them. It was their not hearkening that induced the Lord to will their destruction.

Verse 27. There came a man of God] Who this was we know not; but the Chaldce terms him "1 }t-z: nebiya daya, "a prophet of Jehovah."

Unto the house of thy father] That i-, to Aaron; he was the 6rst hi^h-priest: the priesthood descended from him to his eldest son Eleazar, then to Phinehas. It became afterwarils established in the younger branch of the family of Aaron; for Eli was a descendant of Ilhamar, Aaron's youngest son. From Eli it was transferred back again to the family of Eleazar, because of the profligacy of Eli's.ions.

Verse 28. And did I choose him] The high priesthood was a place of the greatest honour that could be conferred on man; and a place of con>iderab!e emolument; for, from their part of the sacrifices, (hey derived a most comfortable livelihood. 7 A

acimf' 29 Wherefore * kick ye at my sa- An.r,Md. isr. crifice and at mine offering, which I Anno ante 1. havc Commanded in my ^ habitation; oiymp. 389. ^^^ honourcst thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerin2:s of Israel my people?

30 Wherefore tlie Lord God of Israel saith, " I said indeed thai thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, "^ Be it far from me; for them that honour me " I will honour, and ^ they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

31 Behold, ^ the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine

"Verse 29. Wherefore kick ye at my saerifice'] They disdained to take the part allowed by the law; and would take for themselves wAfl^ part they pleased, and a^ muchas they pleased, ver. 13 — 16. Thus they kicked at the sacrifices.

Ilonourest thy sons above me] Permitting them to deal, as above, with the offerings and sacrifices; and taking their part before the fat, &c. was burnt unto the Lord: thus they werefirst served. At this Eli connived, and thus honoured his sons above God.

Verse 30. Should walk before me for ever'] See Exod. xxix. 9. xl. 15. Numb. xxv. 10 — 13., where it is positively promised that the priesthood should be continued in the family of Aaron for ever. But although this promise appears to be absolute, yet we plainly see that, like all other apparently absolute promises of God, it is conditional; i.e. a condition is implied, though not expressed.

But now — be it far from we] You have walked unworthily; I shall annul my promise, and reverse my ordinance.— See Jer. xviii. 7.

For they that honour me] This is a plan from which God will never depart; this can have no alteration, every promise is made in reference to it: " they who honour God shall 1)e honoured; they who despise Him shall be lightly esteemed."

Verse 31. / mil cut off thine arm] I will destroy the strength, power, and influence, of thy family.

Verse 32. Thou shall see an enemy in my habitation] r.very Version, and almost every commentator, understands this clause differently. The word -\-s tser, which we translate an enemy, and the Vulgate cemulum, a rival, signifies c(damity; and this is the best sense to understand it in here.

33 And thou shalt see ''an enemy ac.jtgf' in mj habitation, in all the zoeaUh ^"- '^"""'- is""- which God shall give Israel: and AnnoantPi. there shall not be 'an old man in "'.v-n,.. 3H9. thine house for ever.

33 And the man of thine^ ichom I shall not cut 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.

.Si And this shall be ' a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on llopiuii and Phinehas; '" in one day they shall die both of

35 And " I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that Avhich is in mine heart and in my mind; and "I will build

The calamity which he saw was the defeat of the Israelites, the capture of the ark, the death of his wicked sons, and the triumph of the Philistines. All this he saw, that is, knew to have taken place, before he met with his own tragical death.

In all the wealth which God shall give Israel] This also is dark. The meaning may be this: — God has spoken good concerning Israel; He will, in theend, make the triumph of the Philistines their own confusion; and the capture of the ark shall be the desolation of their gods: but the Israelites shall first be sorely pressed with calamity. — See the Margin.

There shall not be an old man] This is repeated from the preceding verse; all the family shall die in the flower of their years, as is said in the following verse.

Verse 33. And the man of thine] On this passage Calmet observes, The posterity of Eli possessed the high-priesthood to the time of Solomon; and even, when that dynasty was transferred to another family, God preserved that of Eli, not to render it more happy, but to punish it, by seeing the prosperity of its enemies; to the end that it might sec itself destitute and despised. This shews the depth of the judgments of God, and the grandeur of Ills justice, which extends even to distant generations; and maTiifests itself to sinners both in life and death; both in their own disgrace, and in the prosperity of their enemies.

Verse 34. They shall die both of them.] Ilophni and Phinehas were both killed very shortly after, in that great battle with the Pliilistines, in which the Israelites were completely routed, and the ark taken. — See ch. iv.

Verse 35. A faithful priest] This seems to have been spoken of Zadok, who was anointed high-priest, in the room of Abiathar, the last descendant of the house of Eli. — See

.'■)() '' And il. sliiill <()ii)c to [)ass, l/ial cvorv one that is left in tliinc house shall

/ icill /mild him a sure housc^ I will cuiiliiiuc the priestlioiid ill his funiily.

He sliutl zctilk 1)1 Jure mine Anoiiilcd^ He.shall niiiiistrr I)i>fon> Solomon, mid llip Aing's which."ihall reign in (he land. 'I'lip Tnrgiim says, " He shall walk T'CD;r:ip kuditm Meshiilii, hc'foro my lMi;>si.vn," or, as llir Scjitiiu^iiil expresses it, Evcciriov X^irsa;a'j^, before niij Ciirisl: for, in their proper and more extended sense, these things are supposed to belong to our great Iligli-priest, and the Clirislian system: but the word may refer to the Israclitish people — See the Note on Ileb. ix. 'IG.

Verse 'Mi. ShiiU come and erouch to him'] Shal 1 prostrate himself before him in the most abject manner, beggini; to be employed even in the meanest olliees about the tabernacle, in order to gel even the most scanty means of support.

A piece of silver] "JDJ mUK agoralh kescph, translated by the Sepliiai;i)il oSoKou apyuptou, an obolus of silver. The Targum translates it nI'TD »ii'<i; which is the same as the Hebrew gera, and weighed about si,\teen grains of barley inelTiciciit. If thetf be faithful, the Pilnblivhment will be un honour to the kingdom, and a praise in the earth.

The words pillars of the earth pK 'pvio miliaki arett. Mr. I'arkhurst translates and defends thus: — " The compressors of the earth; i.e. the columns of the celestial lluid which compress or keep its parts togeiher." Thii is all imaginarij; we do not know this compressing celestial Jluitl: but there is one that answers the same end, which we do know, i. c. the ami, the lotumns of which prei^ upon th«; earth in all directions; above., belozc, around, with a weight ' of fifteen pounds to every.square inch; so that a column of air of the height of the atmosphere, which on the surface of the globe, measures one stiuare inch, is known, by the most accurate and indubitable experiments, to we'i^h fifteen pound". Now, as a square foot contains one hundred and forly-foor sf|uare inches, each fdot must be compressed with a u eight of in> cumbent atmospheric air eijual to two tl.ou>'aiid one hundred and sixty pounds. And as the earth is know u to contain a surface of five thousand Jive hundred and scvenli/-fivc billions of square feet; heuce, allowing tao thousand one hundred and sictj/ pounds to each square foot, the whole surface of the globe must sustain a pressure of atmospheric air equal to twelve tril-

A morsel of bread] A mouthful; wJiat might be suf- I lions and forty-one thousand millions of pounds; or si« thouficient to keep body and soul together. — See the sin, and its sand and twenty-one billion:>of tons. This pressure, indcpcndpunishment. They formerly /mw/Jirer/ themselves, and fed ently of what is called gravity, is suihcient to keep all the to the Jull on the Lord's sacrifices; and now they are re- parts of the earth together, and perha|is to counteract all the iXacvA \o A morsel of bread. They fed themselves jf/Z/ioH/ /car; ' inlluence of centrifugal force. But adding to this all the and now they have cleanness of teeth in all their dwellings, j inlluence of gravittf or attraction, by which every particle of They rj(/.?/a/thc Lord's heritage, and now they 6fg-/Ac/c/;re«t/.' matter tends to the centre, these compressors of the earth lii relii;i(ius establishments, vile persons, who have no raqueous globe. These ^«//ar.t. or cuwy/rcMor*, are an astonishhigher motive, may, and do, get into the priest's ollice, that i 'ug provision made by the wisdom of God for the necessities they may clothe themselves with the wool, and feed them- | of the globe. Without this, water coulil not rise in fountains selves with the fat, while iliey ^tarvo the Hock. But where nor the sap in vegetables. Without thi> there could be no there is no law to back the claims of the worlliless and the resjiiration for man or beast, and no circulation of the blood wicked, men of piety and solid merit only can find support; j in any animal. In short, both vegetable and aaimal life for they must live on the free-Kill offerings of the people.; depend, under (Jod, on these pillars, or compressors, of the Where religion is established by law, the strictest ecclesiasli- ]{ cfli//»: and, w ere it not for this compressing power, the air cal discipline should be kept up, and all hireling priests, and contained in the vessels of all plants and animals would, bv eecle>iastical drones, should be expelled from the Lord's il its elasticity, expand, and instantly rupture all thos<>vesHK, vineyard. An established religion, where the /o«nrf«//'oM is {I and cause the destruction of all animal and regetable life: good, (as in ours,) I consider a great blessing; but it is but (iod, in His wisdom, has so Iwlanoed these two f.. liable to this continual abuse, w hich nothing but careful and that, w hile tlie\ appear to counteract and bn'ance each. rigid ecclosia-tical discipline can either cuie or prevent. If I they serve, by mutual dilatations and compresvions, to proo»r high-priests, our aicliliisliops and bishops, do not their i mote the circulation of the.sap in \e^?tables ■••' •!"-'— duty, the whole body of the clergy may become corrupt, or I! in animals.

Samuel ministers to the Lord before Eli, 1. He is thrice called hy the Lord; who informs him of the evils which shall be brought on the house of Eli, 2—15. Eli inquirts of Samuel what the Lord had said, 16, 17. He gives a faithful relation of the whole, which Eli receives with great submission, 18. Samuel prospers; is es' iablished as a prophet in Israel; and the Lord reveals himself to him in Shiloh, 19 — 21.

Eli. And '' the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

3 And ere '' the lamp of God went out 'in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God icas, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

4 That the Lord called Samuel: and he answeredj Here am 1.

5 And he ran unto Eli, and said. Here am 1; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

6 And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said^

Verse 1. Samuel ministered unto the LoRn\ He performed minor services in the tabernacle; under the direction of Eli: such as opening the doors, 4"c- — Sec ver. 5.

The zcord of the Loud icas precious'] There were but few revelations from God; and, because the word was scarce, therefore it was valuable. The author of this Book probably lived at a time when prophecy was frequent. — See the Pre/ace.

There was no open viiion.] Tliere was no public accredited prophet; one with whom the secret of the Lord wa.s known to dwell, and to whom all might have recourse in cases of doubt or public emergency.

Verse 2. Eli was laid dozen in his place'\ It is very likely that, as the ark was a long time at Shiloh, they had built near to it certain apartments for the high-priest, and others more immediately employed about the tabernacle. In one of these, near to that of Eli, perhaps under the same roof, Samuel lay when he was called by the Lord.

Here «?« I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, 1 called not, my son; lie down again.

7 ' Now Samuel ^ did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said. Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shall say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered. Speak; for thy servant heareth.

and before tlie isord of the LOUD was revealed unto him — s See Acts 19. 2.

Verse 3. Eie the lamp of God went out'\ Before sunrise; for it is likely that the lamps were extinguished before the rising of the sun. — See E.xod. xxvii. 21. Lev. xxiv. 3.

Verse 4. The Lord called Samuel] The voice probably came from the holy place near to wliich Eli and Samuel were both lying.

Verse 7. Samuel did not yet Icnow the Lord] He had not been accustomed to receive any revelation from Him. He knezB and zi'orshipped the God of Israel; but he did not know Him as communicating especial revelations of His will.

Verse 9. Speak, Loiid; for thy servant heareth'] This was the usual way in wliich the prophets spoke, when they had intimations that the Ijord was about to make some especial revelation.

Verse 10. The Lord came, and stood] He hoard the voice as if it was apiiroaching nearer and nearer; till, at last, from the sameness of the tone, he could imagine that

12 In thai day I uill perform apainst Kli ''all thiti^s uliich I have Hpokcn conrorninff liisj liouse: ' ulicn I beyin, 1 will also make an I end. I

13 ""For' 1 have told him that 1 will 'Jud-^c liis house for over for the ini(|nily wliitli lie knowelli; becanse 'his sons niadc llicin.selves '' vile, and he ' restrained ''them not.

14 And tliorefoie 1 liave swinii nnio (lie house of Eli, that the i!ii(|uitv of Kli's house ' shall | not be purged with sacrifice nor olVering forjj ever. j

15 H And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Loud.

17 And he Kaid, \Vliat is the thin:; that the LOJtD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: " Gfid do so to thee, and " more also, if tliou hide amj " tiling from me of all the things that he said

IS And Samuel told him ■■ every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, '' It is the Lord: let him do what seemelh him good.

19 ¥ And Samuel 'grew, and 'the Lord was with him, ' and did let none of his Avords fall to the ground.

20 And all Israel ' from Uan even to Beer-

it ceased to approach: and this is what appears to be represented under the notion of God stan(li>ig and calling.

Verse 11. The Lotto said to Samuel^ He probably saw nothing, and only heaid the voice; for it was not likely that any extraordinary rcprcsentaliun could have been made to the eyes of a person so young. He heard a coice, but saw ' no simitilude.

The ears — sha/l tin.sle.'] It shall be a piercing word to all Israel; it shall astound th?m all: and, after having beard it, it will still continnc to resound in their cars.!

Verse 12. / zcill perform — all things zckich I have spoken'} That is, what He had declared by the prophet, whose mes- | sage is related chap. ii. 17, &c. I

IVhen I begin, J t:-/V/ also make an ettd.} I will not delay the ex?cuti<)n of my purpose: when I begin, upthing shall deter me from bringing all my judgments to a conclusion.; Verse 13. / xill judge his house for ever} I will con- ', tinue to execute judgments upon it till it is destroyed. I lie restrained them not.} He did not use his parental > and juridical autliority to curb them, and Y>ievent the

Verse 14. Shall not be purged zcith sacrijicj nor offer- \, ing} That is, God was dctormined that Ihry should be re- ll moved hy a violent death. They had committed the 5/n unto death; and no ojf'eriug or sncr//fte could prevent this, il What is spoken here relates to their temporal death only. \<

Verse 15. Samuel feared to shezs Eli} He reverenced him as a father, and he feared to distress him by t'hewing what the Lord had purposed to do. It does not appear that God had commanded Samuel to deliver this me>sage; he, therefore, did not attempt it till ai'jurcd by Eli, ver. 17.

Verse 17. God do so to thee, and more alto} This was a very solemn adjuration: he suspected that God had threatened severe jtadgmeuts, for he knew that his house was very criminal; and he wished to know what tied had spoken. The words imply thus much: If thcu do net tell me fully what God has threatened, may the same, and greater curses, fall on thyself.

Verse 18. Samuel fold him every tihit} Our word ir/iiY, or wid, comes from the Anglo-Saion pihc, which signifies person, thing, &c.; evert/ tchit Is every thing. The Hebrew is cnann hz nx et col ha-debarim, " all these words."

// is the Lord} He is Sovereign, and will do what He pleases; He is righteous, and will do nothing but what is jitst.

Let him ilo tchai seemelh him good.} There is moch of a godly submission, as well as a deep sense of his own unwoithiness, found in these words. He also had sinned, so as to be punished with temporal death: but surely there is no evidence that the displeasure of the Lord against him, was extended to a future state.

Verse 19. Samuel gretc} Increased to manhood. The Lord aas zcith him} Teaching him, and filling him with grace and holiness.

sheba knew that Samuel was ^es-|jin Sliiloii: for the Lord revealed tablished to be a prophet of the! himself to Samuel in Shiloh by Lord.; "^ the word of the Lord.

21 And the Lord appeared again '

None of his uords fillip Whatever prediction he uttered, God fulfilled it; aud his counsels were received as coming from the Lord.

Verse 20. ^11 Israel from Dan even to Beersheba] Through the whole extent of Palestine; Dan being at the northern., Beer-sheba at the southern extremity.

Verse 21. The Lord appeared again] nxin'? mn' fp^t vuyoseph Yehovuh leheraoh, " And Jehovah added to ap- performing /AezV duty? The real state of the caceisthis: parents cannot do God's work, and God will not do theirs; but, if they use the means, and train up the child in the ituy he should go, God will never withhold His blessing.

It is not parental yb/if/zics?, nor parental «!rfAon(y, taken separately, that can produce tliis beneficial eflect. A father may be as fond of his ofi'spring as Eli, and his children be sons of Belial: he may be as authoritative as the grand Turk, and his children despise and plot rebellion against him. But let parental f/K/Zio^vVy be tempered with y(//Ae;-/y pear:" that is, He continued to reveal Himself to Samuel at j! affection; and let the rein of discipline be steadily held by

In this chapter we read again of the fearful consequences of a neglected religious education. Eli's sons were wicked: their father knew the Lord; but he neither taught his child, ren, nor restrained them by his parental authority. I have had already occasion to remark that, were a proper line of conduct pursued in the education of children, how few profligate sons and daughters, and how few broken-hearted parents, should we find? The neglect of early religious edu this powerful but affectionate hand; and there, shall the pleasure of God prosper; there, will He give His blessing, even life for evermore. Many fine families have been spoiled, and many ruined, by the separate exercise of these two principles. Parental affection, when alone, infallibly degenerates mto foolish fondness; and parental authority frequently degenerates into brutal tyranny, when standing by itself. The first sort of parents will be loved, without being respected; the second sort will be dreaded, without either respect or esteem. In the first case obedience is not exacted, and is therefore felt to be unnecessary, as offences of great magnitude pass without punishment or reprehension: in the se- cation, connected with a wholesome and affectionate restraint, ( cond case, rigid exaction renders obedience almost impossiis the ruin of millions. Many parents, to excuse their in- j ble; and the smallest delinquency is often punished with the dolence, and most criminal neglect, jay, " We cannot give! extreme of torture, which, hardening the mind, renders duty our children grace." What do they mean by this? — That i a matter of perfect indifl'erence.

God, not themselves, \s the Author of the irregularities and viciousness of their children. They may shudder at this imputation: but, when they reflect that they have not given

Parents, lay these things to heart: remember Eli and his sons; remember the dismal end of both! Teach your children to fear God — use wholesome discipline — be de- them right precepts, hav - not brought tlieni under firm and j termined — begin in time — mingle severity and mercy toaffectionate restraint; have not shewed them, by their own igether in all your conduct — and earnestly pray to God to spirit, temper, and conduct, how they should be regulated., second your godly discipline with the power aud grace of in theirs; when either the worship of God has not been es- j| Ilis Spirit!

tabli'hed in their houses, or they have permitted their children, on the most trifling pretences, to absent themselves from it: when all these things are considered, they will find that, speakinii after the manner of men, it would have been a very extraordinary miracle indeed if the children had been found pieferring a path in which they did not see their parents con-cientiousiy tread. Let those parents who continue to excu.se tliemselves by saying, " We cannot give grace to our children," lay their hand on their conscience, and saj ■whether they ever knew an instance where (iod withheld His gracCj while they were iu humble subserviency to Him

Education is generally defined, that series of means by which the human understanding is gradually enlightened, and the dispositions of the heart are corrected, formed, and brought forth, between early infancy and the period when a young person is considered as cjualified to take a part in active life. Whole nations have been corrupted, enfeebled, and destroyed, ■through the want of [)roper education: through this multitudes of families have degenerated; and a countless number of individuuls have come to an untimely end. Parents who neglect this, neglect the present and eternal interests of their ollspnng.

A hnUlc brlaren Israel and the Pliitislinm; in ichirti tlir former arc difaii'd, -^it/i thr loss of four tlioiir,aiul nun, J, 2. Tlui/ resnhc to friv,- llic P/ti/islims lialllc once more, and hrin^; the ark of the Lord, uil/i //opfini and P/iinc/i(ii- lite priests, into the camp, 3, 4. T/ir/y do so, and Ixcome vainly confident, fi. At this I lie Philnlint^ are dismai/ed, fi — 9. The hallle eommences, thr hratlilrs are of^ain defeated, i^ilh the loss of Ihirtv tliou'-aiid men: Jlophni and Phinehas are amonfj; the slain; and t/tc ark of the Lord is taken, 10, 1 1. A liinjaiuile rant ii)ith the ncii^s to Eli; who, hcarins; of the capture of the ark, falls from his seat, and breaks his neck, 12—18. The wife of Phinehas hearinf^ of the death of tier hnsl/and and falhcr-in-law, and of the capture of the ark, is taken in untimrli/ travail, brings forth a son, calls him I-chabod, and ( xpires, 19 — 22.

2 And the Philistines put themselves in array ag'ainst Israel: and wlieii '' tiiey joined battle. Israel was sniiden Ix'forc tiie Philistines: and they slew of ' the army in the field about four thousand men.

3 ^ And when the people were come into the

Verse 1. Tlic Kord of Samuel came to all Israel'] This clause rertaiiily belongs (o the preceding chapter; and is so placed by the Vulgate, Sepluagint, Syriac, and Arabic.

Pitched hcsidc F.l)cii-ezer~\ This name was not given to this place till more than /.vcn/i/ years n/7ej- this battle, ^^ee chap. Tii. 12; for the monument called iTi'n pxn lin Eben ha Ezcr, the " Stone of Help," was erected by Samuel in the place, afterwards from this circumstance, called Ebenetcr, when the Lord had given the Israelites a signal victory over the Philistines. It was situated in the tribe of Judah, between Mizpeh and Shen, and not far from the Aphek here mentioned. This is another proof that this Book was compiled after the times and (ransactions which it records; and probably from memoranda, whicli had been made by a conteiKporary writer.

Verse 2. Put themselves in arraj/'\ There is no doubt that both the Philistines and Israelites had what might be called the art of tear; according to which, they marshalled their troops in the field, constructed their camps, and conducted their retreats, sieges, Sec.: but we know not the principles on which they acted.

Thej/ s/erc of the anni/ in flic afield about four thousand mcn.'j This must have been a severe conflict, as four thou-

cometh among us, it may save us out of the

4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they mii;:ht bring from tiiencc the ark of the covenant of the LoiM) of hosts, - which dwelleth between

sand were left dead on the field of battle. The contest also must have ladled some considerable time, as these were all slain hand to hand; swords and spears being, in all ornli.ibility, the only weapons then used.

Verse 3. Let us fetch the urk"] They vainly supposed I that the ark could save them, when the CJod of it had departed from tliem, because of their wickedness! They knew that, in former times, their fathers had been beaten bv their enemies when they took not the ark with them to battle; as in the ca^e of their wars with the Canaanites, Xumb. xiv. 44, 45.; and that they had conquered when they took this with ] them, as in the case of the destruction of Jericho, Josh, vi. 4. From the latter case they took confidence: but the cause of their miscarriage in the former they laid not to heart. It was customary with all the nations of the earth to take their gods and sacred ensigns with them to war. The Persians, Indians, Greeks, Romans, Germans, Philistines, &c. did so. Consecrated crosses, blessing and hallozcing of colours and standards, are the modern remains of those ancient superstitions.

Drcellcth between the cherubims'] Of what sha|i€ the cherubim were we know not: but there was one of these representative figures placed at each end of the ark of the en-

^B.c.mh' Hoplini, and Phiiiehas, were there An. Exod. isr. with the ark of the covenant of

nant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.

6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said. What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.

7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said. Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing * heretofore.

8 Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are

Tenant; anJ be^een them, on the lid or cover of that ark, which was called the propitiatory, or 7nercy-seat, the shekinah, or symbol of the Divine presence, was said to dwelt. They thought, therefore, if they had the ark, they must, necessarily, have th presence and influence of Jehovah.

Verses. All Israel slwute(l'\ Had they AumWerf themselves, and prayed devoutl y and fervently for success, they would have been heard and sa ved. Their shouting proved both their vanity and irreligion.

Verse 7. God is come into the camp'] They took for granted, as did the Israelites, that His presence was inseparable from His ark or shrine.

Verse 8. These might i/ gods']!:z^-^''-\t!t7i CnSsn Tn miyad ha elohim ha adirim, " from the hand of these illustrious gods." Probably this should be translated in the singular, and not in the plural: " Who shall deliver us from the hand of this illustrious God.'"

Verse 9. Be strong, S{c] This was the address to the whole army; and very forcib le it vias. " If ye do net fight, and quit yourselves like men, ye will be servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you; and you miy expect that they will iivenge themselves of you for all the cruelty you have exercised towards them. "

Verse 11 llophni and Phinehat mere slain.] They probably attempted to defend the aik, and lost their lives in the attempt.

Verse 12. Came to Shiloh the same dai/] The field of battle could not have been at any great distance; for this young man reached Shiloh thfl sam"* evening after the defeat.

With his clothes rent, and toith earth upon his head.] These were signs of sorrow and distress among all nations. The

9 "Be strong, and quit yourselves oi,™,,. 365. like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, 'as they have been to you: ^ quit yourselves like men and fight.

10 H And the Pliilistines foug'it, and * Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and tliere was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty tliousind footmen.

1 I And ^ the ark of God was tak^n; and ^ the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, '' were slain.

12 IT And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and 'came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and ^ with earth upon his head.

clothes rent signified the rending, dividing, and scatterings of the people; the earth, or ashes on the head, signified their humiliation: " We are brought down to the dust of the earth; we are near to our graves.'" When the Trojan fleet was burnt, iEneas is represented as tearing his robe from his shoulders, and invoking the aid of his gods: —

Turn pius JEneas huraeris abscindere vestem, Auxilioque vocare Deos, et tendere palmas.

ViRG. jEn. V. ver. 685. " The prince then tore his robes in deep despair, Rais'd high his hands, and thus address'd his prayer."

We have a remarkable example in the same poet, where he represents the queen of king Latinus, resolving on her own death, when she found that the Trojans had taken the city by storm; —

Purpureos moritura manu dtsciudit amictus.

But the image is complete in King Latinus himself, when he heard of the death of his queen, and saw his city m

It scissa veste Latinus,

Conjngis attonitus fatis, ui bisque ruina, Canitiem immundu perfusam pulvere turpans.

lb. Ter. 609. Latinus tears his garments as he goes, Both for his public and his private woes:

A messenger from the army wiii'ii Eli hoard tiic noise of the cryid, VVliat tiiiami/i the noise of this.\iid (lie man (aiiie in lia.slily, and

With Jillh tiis venerable beard besmears,

And sordid dust deforms his silver hairs. Dhyden.

We fiiul the same custom expressed in one line by Calulliii: —

Cauiticni terra, afque infuso pulvere focdans.

Epitii. Pelei it Thctidos, v. 22 1. Dishonouring her hourt/ locks with earth and sprinkled dust.

The ancient Greeks, in their mourning, ortcn shaved off their hair: —

IloM. Odj/ss. iv. V. 197. " LcH caili (lr|)lorc his dead: the rites of woe Arc all, alas! the living can bestow O'er the congenial dust, enjoined to shear The graceful curl, and drop the tender tear. Pope.

KarHeu-ev ev Xey^eztXTi, xxHripuvre; X^oa xaAsv TJari re Xio-pui xai aXenpari" TToAAa Je ffaf^ifiis Aaxfiua SepfM yt'j-n Aavaoi, XEiiovro te j/aira;.

lb. lib. xxiv. T. 44. " Then ungiu'iits swcot, and tepid stream*, we shed; Tears llow'd from every e)p; and o'er the dead Each clipp'd the curling honours of his head."

The whole case is strongly expressed in flip case of Achilles, w hen he heard of the death of his friend Patroclus:

lb. lib. xviii. v. 22. " A sudden horror shot thro' all the chief, And wrapp'd his senses in the cloud of grief. Cast on the ground, with furious hands he spread The scorching ashes o'er his graceful head:

I(i And tiie man.said nn(o Kii, 1 «"y">i- «!5. am he that came out td' the army, and I lied today out of the army. And lie Haid, '' What ' ig there done, my son r*

17 And the messenper answered and raid, Israel is lied hcfore the IMiilistincs, and there hath been also a great.slaughter among the

His purple garments, and his golden hairs.

Those he deforms with dust; and these, with tears."

It is not unusual, even in Europe, and in the most c»r»- lized parts of it, to see grief expressed by tearing the hair, beating the breasts, and rending the garments: all these are natural signs, or expressions of deep and excessive grief ■ and are common to all the nations of the world.

Verse 13. His heart trembled for the ark of God] He was a most mild and allectionate father; and yet the »afely of the ark lay nearer to his heart than the safety of his tico sons. Who can help feeling for this aged, venerable man?

Verse 17. And the messenger unszcered] Never was a more afflictive message, containing such a variety of woes, each rising above the preceding, delivered in so few words.

This was a sore evil: that Israel should turn their backt upon their enemies was bad; and that they should turn their backs on such enemies as the Philistines, was yet worse • for now they might expect the chains of their slavery to be strengthened, and rivctted more closely.

2. There hath been also a great slaughter among the people: —

A rout might have taken place without any great previous slaughter: but in thi> Gjse the field was warmly contested; thirlj/ thousand were laid dead on the spot. This was a deeper cause of distress than the preceding: as if he had said, the flower of our armies is destroyed; scarcely a veteran now to fake the tield.

This was still more afflictive Jo him a^ a father, to lose both his sons, the only hope of the family; and to have them taken away by a violent death, whcu there was so little prospect of their having died in the }teacc of Cody was most grievous of all.

This was the most dreadful of the whole: now Israel is dishonoured in the sight of the htathen, and the name of 7 B

-2^ — 1 18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died:

the Lord will be blasphemed by them. Besides, the capture of the ark ^hews that God is dejKirted from Israel; and now there is no farther hope of restoration for the people, but every prospect of the destruction of the nation, and the final ruin of all religion! How high does each woe rise on the back of the preceding! And with what apparent art is this very laconic message constructed? And j-et, probably, no art at all was used; and the messenger delivered the tidings just as the facts rose up in his own mind.

How vapid, diffused, and alliterated, is the report of the messenger in the Persae of >?Eschylus, who comes to the queen with the tremendous account of the destruction of the whole naval power of the Persians, at the battle of Salamis? I shall give his first speech, and leave the Reader to compare the two accounts.

Of which I subjoin the following translation by Dr. Potter:

Woe to the towns through Asia's peopled realms! Woe to the land of Persia, once the port Of boundless wealth! how is thy glorious state Vanish'd at once, and all thy spreading honours Fall'n, lost! Ah, me! unhappy is his task That bears unhappy tidings; but constraint Compels me to relate this tale of woe: Persians! the whole barbaric host is fall'n.

This is the sum of his account, which he afterwards details in about a dozen of speeches.

Heroes and conquerors, ancient and modern, have been celebrated for comprising a vast deal of information in a few words. I will give three examples, and have no doubt that the Benjamitc in the text, will be found to have greatly the advantage.

1. Julius Ccesar, having totally defeated Pharnaccs, king of Pontus, wrote a letter to the Roman senate, which contained only these three words: — for he was an old man, and heavy. iB.c.'mh * And he had judged Israel forty An. E«.d. isr.

19 1 And his daughter-in-law. Phi- «'>"■?• 3«5. nehas' wife, was with child, near ^ to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-

2. Admiral Hajfke, having totally defeated the French fleet in 1759, off the coast of Britany, wrote as follows to King Greorge H.: —

3. Napoleox Buonaparte, then general-in-chief of the French armies in Italy, wrote to Josephine, his wife, the evening before he attacked Field. Marshal Alvinzi, the imperial general: — -

" Detnain fatlaqiierui Venemie; je le battrai; et j'en Jinirai:'' — " To-morrow I shall attack the enemy; I shall defeat them, and terminate the business.'" He did so: the imperialists were totally defeated, Ma«/;/a surrendered, and the campaign for that year, (1796,) was concluded.

In the above examples, excellent as they are in their kind, we find little more than one idea; whereas the report of the Benjamite includes several: for, in the most forcible manner, he points out the general Vind particular disasters of the day, the rout of the army, the great slaughter, the death of the priests, who were in effect the whole generals of the arm)', and the capture of the ark; all that, on such an occasion, could affect and distress the heart of an Israelite. And all this lie does in yo;^r simple assertions.

Verse 18. When he made mention of the ark of God} Eli bore all the relation till the messenger came to this solemn word: he had trembled before for the ark; and now, hearing that it was captured, he was transfixed with grief, fell down from his seat, and dislocated his neck! Behold the judgments of God! But shall we say that this man, howsoever remiss in the education of his children, and criminal in his indulgence towards his profligate sons, which arose more from the easiness of his disposition, than from a desire to encourage vice; is gone to perdition? God forbid! No man ever died with such benevolent and religious feelings, and yet perished.

He had Judged Israel forty years'] Instead of forty years, the Se[ituagint has here eikoo-i eri;, tzcenty years. All the other Versions, as well as the Hebrew text, have forty very RiTectini; story: tlip defeat of Krael, (he rii|)(urp of the nik, llic (Ipiilli of lini f;illici-iii-law,:iinl (ho slau^h(pr of her hunhitiid, were more than a woman in tier cirrums(anccs, near the time of her delivery, could bear. She bowed, travailed, was dflivered of a son, gave the rhild a name iiidicutivu of the ruined state of Israel, and e.vpired!

Verse 20. Uul she unsicercd not~\ She paid no attention to what the women had said concerning her having borne a son: that information.she regarded nut.

V^erse 21. iSVif named the child l-chal/odi '^^'^ Versions are various ou the original words nisi! 'K Ai-cabod: the Septuagint ovo-tSap^scSuiiy ouaiburchutwth; the Syriac,;«^^"- yocobor; the Arabic, J^A^^ifochabad. But none of these give us much light on the subject. It is pretty evident they did not know well what signification to give the name; and partfd from NracI; hcraiisc tlio ark of (jod uas (akmi, and hftausc of her falhcr-in-law and her husljand. 22.\ml she said, The f;h)ry is dopartcd from Israel: fur the ark of Clod is taken we are left to collect its meaning from what she »oyj afterwards. The glunj is departed from Itrael: the words literally mean IVhcre is the glury f And indeed where wa^ it, when the armies of Israel were defeated by the Philistines, the (iriests slain, the supreme magistrate dead, and the ark of the Lord taken?

This is a very eventful, interesting, and affecting chapter; and prepares the Header for those tignal mauifestatioos of Clod's power and prondence, by which the ark was restored, (he priesthood re-established, an immaculate judge giveu to Israel, the Philistine yoke broken, and the people of the Most High caused once more to triumph. God bumbled them (hat He might exalt (hem: He suffered llis glory, for a time, to become eclipsed, that he might afterwards cause it to break out with the greater effulgence.

The Philisti/ics set up the ark in (he temple of Dtigon, at Ashdod; ichose linage is found next morning proslralf before it, broken in pieces, 1 — 5. The Philistines arc also smitten zcilh a sore disease, 6. The people of Ashdod refuse to let the ark stay with them; and the lords of the Philistines, ivith zchoni thei/ consulted, order it to he carried to Gath, 7, 8. Thcj/ do so; and God smites the inhabitants of that city, young and old, zrith the same disease, 9. Theiy send the ark to Ekron, and a heavy destruction falls upon that city, and they resolve to send it back to Shiloh, 10—12.

Verse 1. Brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod.'} Ashdod, or.\7.otus, was one of the five satrapies, or lordships, of the Philistines.

I 2 When the ■ark of God, they brought it into •the house of *• Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

Verse 2. TTie house of Dagon'] On this idol, which was supposed to be partly in a human form, and [lardy in (hat of i/ish, see the Noie on Judges xti. 23. Some think that this idol was the same with Dircrto. jH'-rgaiis, the

B:c.mi'" ^ ' And when they of Ashdod ' An- Exod. isr. apose early on the morrow, behold, i Annoantei. Dagott lous "fallen uport his face to

4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon icas fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and " the head of Dagon and both the palms of j

his hands were cut off upon the B.c.'mi." threshold; only '' the stump of Da- An. Exod. isr.

5 Therefore neither the priests of "'>""''• '•"^^- Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, " tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.

6 ^ But ' the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he ° destroyed them, and smote them with '' emerods, even

Venus of Askelon, and the Moon. — See Calmet's Dissertation on the Gods of the Philistines.

The motive which induced the Philistines to set up the ark in the temple of Dagon, may be easily ascertained. It was customary in all nations to dedicate the spoils taken from an enemy to their gods: — 1st, As a graiiiude-offering, for the help which they supposed them to have furnished: and, 2dly, As a proof that their gods, i.e. the gods of the conquerors, were more pozcerfiil than those of the conquered. It was, no doubt, to insult the God of Israel, and to insult and terrify His people, that they placed His ark in the temple of Dagon. When the Philistines had conquered Saul, they hung up his armour in the temple of Ashtaroth, chap. xsxi. 10. And when David slew Goliath, he laid up his sword in the tabernacle of the Lord, chap. xxi. 8, 9. We have the remains of this custom in the depositing of colours, standards, &c. taken from an enemy, iu our churches; but whether this may be called superstition, or a religious act, is hard to say. If the battle were the Lord's, which few battles are, the dedication might be right.

Verse 3. Thej/ of Ashdod arose early on the morrow'\ Probably, to perform some act of their superstition in the temple of their idol.

Dagon was fallen upon his face'] This was one proof, which they little expected, of the superiority of the God of Israel. I

Set him in his place again.'\ Supposing his fall might have been merely accidental.

Verse 4. Only the stump of Dagon was left] Literally, only pjn " dagon (?. e. the little fish,) was left." It has already been remarked, that Dagon had the head, arms, and hands, of a man or woman; and that the rest of the idol was in the form of a fish, to which Horace is supposed to allude: —

Dcsinat inpiscem, mulier formosa superne. " The upper part resembling a beautiful woman, the lower a fish."

All that was human in his form was broken off from what resembled a fish. Here was a proof that the affair was not accidental; and these proofs of GoA's power and authority: prepared the way for Wxs, judgments.

I Verse 5. Tread on the threshold] Because the arras, ifcc.

It is supposed that the idolatrous Israelites, in the time of Zephaniah, had adopted the worship of Dagon: and that in this sense, chap. i. 9. is to be understood. In the same 1 day teill I punish all those Kho leap upon the threshold. In order to go into such temples, and not tread on the threshold, the people must step or leap over them; and in this way the above passage may be understood. Indeed, the thresholds of the temples, in various places, were deemed so sacred that the people were accustomed to fall down, and kiss them. When Christianity became corrupted, this adoration of the thresholds of the churches took place.

Verse 6. Smote them Kith emerods] The word cSrj? apalim, from "^ijj? aphal, to be elevated, probably means the disease called the bleeding piles; which appears to have been accompanied with dysentery, bloody flux, and ulcerated anus.

The Vulgate says, Et percussit in secretiori parte natium: " And he smote them in the more secret parts of their posteriors." To this the Psalmist is supposed to refer, Psa. Ixxviii. 66., lie smote all his enemies in the hinder parts; he put them to a perpetual reproach. Some copies of the Sepluagint have i^itfasv auroi; eti ra; vxv;, " he inflamed them in their ships:" other copies have ei; ra.; kSpa.;, in their posteriors." The Syriac is the same. The Arabic enlarges: " He smote them in their posteriors, so that they were affected with a dysenteria." I suppose them to have been affected with enlargements of the hcemorrhoidal veins, from which there came frequent discharges of blood.

8 IT Thi-y sent thrrclbro and i;alh<'ri'd all the lords of th<> I'lidistini-s unUt tlicin, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the (iod of Israel? And (hey answered, Let the ark cd" the God of Israel he carried ahout unto (jalli. And they carried the ai k of the God of Israel about thither.

9 And it was so, tliaf, after they had carried it about, "tile hand of llie Lord was against the city '"with a very great destruction: and 'he smote the men of the city, both small and greatj and they iiad emerods in their secret parts.

ol God to Ekron. And it came An. i...,.i. iw. to pass, as the ark of God came A.,(,./aiiir i. to ICkroii, that llie Kkronites cried "'^'"''- ^- out, saying, TIk^v have lirouglit about the ark (d' the (iod of Israel to ' us, to slay us and our people.

I I So Ihey sent and gjilhered togetlicr all the lords of the l*liilistiiies, and said, Send away the ark of the (iod of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that il shi) us not, and our people: for (here was a deadly destruction throughout all (he city; 'the hand of God waw very heavy there.

12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the c\iy went up to heaven.

lion to this verse: Kai ii,iiTriv tij; yjupa; avrijs aveifvea-tv ijne;' XXI tyivera <rnyxy<ri; ^avarou jj-iyaXtj sv rrt itoXii: — Et ebuUicrunt villa: et agri in medio rcgionis illius / et nali sunt mures, et facia est confiisio mortis miigncv in civitale. " And tlie cities and fields of all that region burst up, and mice were produced, and there was the confusion of a great death in the city." This addition, Hoiibigant contends, was originally in the Hebrew text; and this i^ives us the reason why golden mice were sent, as well as the images of the emerods, chap. vi. 4. when the ark was restored.

Verse 7. Ilis hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.1 Here the end was completely answered: they now saw that they had not prevailed against Israel, because their god was more potcerf'ul tlian Jiiwvali; ami tliey now feel how easily this God can confound and destroy their whole nation.

Verse 8. The lords of the Philistines^ The word 'Jid sarnej/, which we translate lords, is rendered by the Chaldee 'J110 lurenei), tyrants. The Sj/riac is the same, liy the Vulgate and Sepluagint, salrapas, satraps. Palestine was divided into those (ive satrapies; Ashdod, Ekron, Askelon, Gath, and Gaza. — See Josh..xiii. f<. Hut these were all federates; and acted under one general government, for which they assembled in council.

IjCt the ark — be carried about] They probably thought that their affliction rose from some natural cau^o; and, therefore, they wished the ark to be carried about from place to place, to see what the eO'ects might be. If they found the same evil produced wherever it came, then they must conclude tliat it was a judgment from the God of Israel.

Verse 9. The hand of the Lord aas againit the cUt/l As It wa.? at Ashdod, so it was at Gath. The f'uigale says, Et computrescebant prominentcr citaUa corum; which conveys the idea of a bloody llux, dysentery, and ulcerated anus: and it adds, what is not to t)e found in the Hebrew text, nor many of the Versions, except some traces in the Septuagint, Et fecerunt sibi sedes pelliccas, '• And they made unto themselves scats of skins /" for the purpose of sitting more easy, on account of the malady already mentioned.

Verse 11. Send aizai/ the ark] It appears that it had been ret-eived at Kkron, for there xzas a deadly destruction through the zcholc cili/. They, therefore, concluded that the ark should be sent back to Shiloh.

Verse 12. The men thai died no/] Some, it ^cem^, were smitten with instant death; others, with the ha:mor' rhoids; and there was a uuiver>al consternation; and the cry of the city ncnl up to heaven: it was an exceeding great cry.

It does not appear that the Philistines had any correct knowledge of the nature of Jehovah, though they seemed to acknowledge His supremacy. They imagined that every country, district, mountain, and valley, bad iu peculiar deity; who, in its place, was supreme over all others. They thought, therefore, to appease Jehovah by sending Him back His ark, or shrine; and, in order to be redeemed from their plagues, they send golden mice aad emerods as telesms, probably made under some particular coutiguratioas of the planets. — See at the end of chap. vi.

/ifter the ark had been seven months in the land of the Philistines, thej/ consult their priests and diviners about sending it to Shiloh, 1, 2. T/ie^ advise that it be sent bach zcit/i a trespass-offering of five golden emerods, and five golden mice, 3 — 6. Thej/ advise also that it be sent back on a nczo cart, drawn by two milch kine, from zchotn their calves shall be tied tip; and then conclude that if these cows shall take the way of Beth-shemesh, as o-oino- to the Israelitisk border, then the Lord had affiicted them; if not, then their evils were accidental,

7 9. Thei/ do as directed; and the kine take the wnj/ of Beth-shemesh, 10 — 13. Thei/ stop in the field of

Joshua; and the men of Beth-shemesh take them, and offer them to the Lord for a burnt-offering, and cleave the wood of the carl to burn them; and make sundry other offerings, 14, 15. The offerings of the five lords of the Philistines, 16 — 18. For too curiously looking into the ark the men of Beth-shemesh are smitten of the Lord 19, 20. They send to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, that they may take away the ark, 21.

the priests and the diviners, saying. What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.

3 And they said. If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not " empty; but in any wise return him " a trespass-offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall " be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.

4 Then said they. What shall be the trespassoffering which we shall return to him? They

Verse 2. The diviners^ S'ODp kosniim, from crop kasam, to presage, or prognosticate. — See Deut. xviii. 10. In what their pretended art consisted we know not.

Verse 3. Send it not empty'] As it appears ye have /regjawcrf against Him, send Him an offering for this trespass.

Why his hand is not removed] The sense is, if you send Him a trespass-offering, and ye be cured, then ye shall know why His judgments have not been taken away from you, previously to this offering.

It is a common opinion, says Calmet, among all people, that, although the Supreme Being needs nothing of His creatures; yet He requires that they should consecrate to Him all that they have: for the same argument that proves His independence, infinitude, and self-suilicieni y, proves our dependence, and the obligation we are under to acknowledge Him by offering Him due marks of our gratitude and sub-

answered. Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, " according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague loas on 'you all, and on your lords.

5 Wiierefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that *=' mar the land; and ye shall *■ give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will ' lighten his hand from off you, and from off '' your gods, and from off your land.

6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, 'as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought " wonderfully

mission. Such sentiments were common among all people; and God Himself commands His people not to appear before Him without an offering, Exod. xxiii. 15. None shall appear before me empty.

Verse 4. Five golden emerods, and Jive golden mice] The emerods had afflicted their bodies; the mice had marred their land. Both, they considered, as sent by God; and, by making an image of each, and sending them as a trespass-offering, they acknowledged this. — See at the end.

Verse 3. He tcill lighten his hand from off you] The whole land was afflicted; the ground was marred by the mice, (he common people and the lords afflicted by the iiwmorrhoids, and their gods broken in pieces.

Verse 6. Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts] Fhey had heard how (iod punished the Egyptians; and they are afraid of similar plagues. It appears that they had kept the ark long enough.

015.,.,..:J(ii.,..,,.,.,,,,1,;,|^i. two iiiildi kiiic, ''on wliich there liatli ( onic no yoke, unci lie llie kine to the cart, and bring; their calves home from them:

8 And l;ike tlic ark of tlie IjORD, and lay it »ipon the eart; and put '" the jewels of fifoid, wliich ye rctnrn him /or a IreHpass-olferini;', in a eolViT l)y tlie side thereof; and send it a\v;iy, that it may go.

9 And see, if it goeth np by the way of liis own coast to ' 1>( tli-shemesh, tlun *-' he lialh done us tiiis great evil: hut if not, then '' we sliall know that it is not liis hand that smote us; it was a chan( e lliat hai)pened (o us.

10 H And tiie men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up liieir calves at home:

' II And Ihev laid the aik cf the B.r.Mw.' I.OKU upon ihe curl, and the (< Her An. J.»od. Iw. with the mice ofijold and the imates Ai.i.o.iicr i. 01 their enieroclH.

j;i And the kine took the straight way to the way of iJetli -hhemesh, avd went along Ihe highway, hiding; ai. they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to Ihe left; and the lords of llie IMiilisliiics \\(rit after them mito Ihe border of iJclh-shemesii.

]'.i And l/icy of Helh shemesh livre reaping Iheir wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up liieir e^cs. and t-aw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

14 And Ihe cart came into the field of J(jhhua, a Fieth-shemite, and stood there, where there iiY/.s a great stone: and tlicy clave lh<' wood of Ihe cart, and olVered the kine a burnl-ofl'ering uiilo the Loud.

Did they not let the people go"] And has He not wrought VDonderfuUy among us,• and should we not.send back His ark?

Verse 7. Make a nets curt'] It was indecent and improper to employ, in any part of the worship of God, any tiling that had hpfoie served for a common purpose. Every thing in the worship of God is said to bo lanctified: now the general meaning of llint word is, to separate a thing from all earlhli/ and common uses, and devote it solely to the service

Whin David removed the ark from the house of Aminadali, he put it on a nrzc curt, 2 Sam. vi. 'J.

Bring their calves home from ttwm] So it appears tliat their calves had been with them in the fields. This was a complete trial: unless they wire supernaluralli/ influenced, they would not leave their calves; unless supernaturally directed, they would not leave their home, and take a way, unguided, which they had never gone before.

Verse a. Thejczcels of gold"] The word 'Vo keley, which our translators so often render_;t;::'e/,9, signifies vessels, implements, ornaments, Sec. AJezcet vf gold has an odd sound to those who always attach the idea of a precious stone to the term.

Verse 9..j-t chance that happened to us.] The word mpT3 mikreh, from nnp karah, to meet, or coalesce, signifies an event that naturally arises from such concurring causes as, in the order and nature of things, must produce it.

Thus, a bad state of the atmosphere, putrid exhalations, bad diet, occasioned by any general scarcity, might have produced the disease in question; and to something of this kind they would attribute!t, if the other evidences did not concur. This gives us the proper notion of chance; aod shews us that it is a matter as dependent upon the Divine Providence, as any thing can be: in short, that these occurrences are parts of the Divine government.

The word chance, though often improperly used to signify such an occurrence as is not under the Divine government, is, of itself, not only simple, but expressi»e; and has nearly the meaning of the Hebrew word: it comes from the French cheoir, or eschcoir, to fall out, to occur, to fall to. Hence onr taw term escheat, any lands that fall to the lord of the manor by forfeiture, or for want of heirs: i. e. these are the occurrences which naturally throw the lands into the hands of the lord.

To the right hand or to the left'] Some think they were placed where two roads met, one going to Ekron, the other to Jieth-shemesh. It is possible that they were put in soch circumstances as these, for the greater certainty of the alTair: to have turned from their own home, from their calves, and known pasture, and to have taken the road to a strange country, must argue supemataral influence.

The lords of Ihe Philistines tcent after] They were so jealous in this business, that they would trust no eyes but their own. All this was wisely ordered, that there might be the fullest conviction of the being and interposition

Verse 14. They clave the aood of the cart] Both the cart and the cattle, having been thus employed, could no

^.c-im 15 And the Levites took down the

stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt-off'erings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the Lord.