Exposition of the Whole Bible

400 lL SAMUEL. 9. Chi r36: - fhall do according to my word, and according to ty will:” and Iwill build him a fure boufe, which fome underftand of a numerous family and pofterity he fhould have to fucceed him, fo that there fhould never be wanting one of his feed to fill up that high office or rather, it may defign the eftablifhment of the high priefthood in his family, felves before him, ahd praying to him for {malleft piece of money to calt into the trea and for a morfel of bread, to be accepted as offering, inftead of a bullock, fheep, lamb 7 even a bird, which they were notable to bring; but the meaning is, that fuch fhould be the low eftate of £/’s family, when another, even Zadok, was

‘which was an everlafting one, as promifed to made high-prieft, that they fhould come and hum- - Phinebas his anceftor, and which continued unto ble themielves before him, as the Targum exprefies — the times of the Meffiah, who put, an end to it,| it, befeeching him to give them a piece Of filver; by fulfilling it; unlefs it can be thought that this may refer to the temple built by So/amon, which was a firm houfe, in comparifon of the tabernacle, which was a moveable one;

Zadok and his pofterity, who was the firft that Officiated in it as a legal prieft. There is one “writer, who fays™, ‘this agrees with no man, only even the fmalleft piece that is, as the word fignifies, a gerab ot meab, about a penny or three halfpence of our money, the 20th part of a fhekel, it was built for) #ze&. xlv. 12. and a piece of bread, not a whole loaf, but a flice of it, to fuch extremity would they be brought: and foall fay, put me, I pray thee, into ene of the prieft’s offices, that I may eat a picce of with our Lord Jefus, who is called our high-prieft, that offered up a facrifice to the Father for us — bread; or into one of the wards of the priefts; their cuftodies or courfes, as the Targum; with therefore to Chrift properly this prophecy belongs; but, according to the hiftory, to Zadek:” and Chrift is faid indeed to be a faithful, as well as a merciful high-prieft, faithful to him that appointed him, and faithful to thofe for whom he officiated; he always did the things which pleafed his Father, was obedient to his will and commands in all refpeéts; and a fure houfe is built by him, his church, againft which the gates of hell can never prevail: however, the next claufe is by others interpreted of him, and he fhall walk before mine anointed for ever; or before. my Meffiah, as the highpriefts did; they were types of Chrift, and fented him, and a¢ted under him, and in his ftead, and prefigured and pointed at what he was when he came in the flefh, and now does in the moft holy place in heaven. Though it is more commonly underftood of Zadok and his pofterity, walking or miniftring, as the Zargum, before Solomon the Lord’s anointed, and before the kings of the houfe of David, as they did until the Badylowhich thefewi/h commentators generally agree, and of which there were 24; fee 1 Chrom xXxiv.4—19. and there are fome traces of them in the New Teftament, fee Luke i. 5, 8, but thefe were regular - priefts, who were in thofe courfes, and had a fufficient maintenance for them, and had not barely a piece of bread to live on, or juft enough to keep them from ftarving, as the phrafe denotes; wherefore this muft be underftodd, as before hinted, of priefts degraded from their office, on fome account or another, and reduced to poverty and want; and therefore, that they might be kept from ftarving, repre-jwould folicit the high-prieft in thofe days, and beg that he would put them in fome inferior poft todo,funder the priefts, to do the meaneft offices for them, flay the facrifices for them, wafh their pots, open and fhut up doors, and the like, that fo they might have a living, though a poor one; and this may reafonably be thought to be the cafe of Z/’s pofterity, in procefs of time, after Abiathar was depofed from the high-prieft’s office, and was nifp captivity. ordered to go and live upon his fields and farm at

¥. 36. And it came to pafs, that every one that is left in thine houfe, &c.] That is not cut off by death, the few remains of £//’s pofterity in Anathoth, 1 Kings ii. 26. with which compare Ezek. xliv. 1o—14. This, as Ben Gerfom obferves, was fuc-ja fit punifhment, and a righteous retaliation on ceeding times, after the high priefthood was - re-

El’s pofterity, that they fhould be brought t. moved out of his family into another; fo that they were reduced at beft to common priefts, and thefe, as it fhould feem, degraded from that office for their male adminiftration of it, or fcandalous lives: Jhall come and crouch to him for a piece of filver, and a morfel of bread, which Grotius intercrouch to others, and be glad of a morfel of bread, — who had behaved fo imperioufly towards the Lord’s people, and had taken away their flefh from them by force; and not content with their allowance, took the beft pieces of the facrifices, to make themfelves fat with them.

prets of their coming to God, and bowing them-

'T FiIS chapter gives an account of the Lord’s: calling to Samuel in the night-feafon, which he firft took for the voice of Ei, but being inftructed by him, made anfwer to the voice, ¥.1—10. and of a meflage fent from him by Samuel to Eli, foretelling the deftruétion of his family, ¥.11—14. and of the delivery of it to him, which Samuel was firft fearful of doing, but encouraged by he delivered it to him, to which he patiently fubmitted, ¥. 15-18. and the chapter is clofed with the eftablifhment of Samuel as a prophet of the Lord, who continued to appear and reveal himfelf y.1. And the child Samuel miniftred unto the Lord defore Ei, 8c.] Under his direétion and inftruction; the Targum is, in the life of Z/#, and in fuch parts of fervice relating to the tabernacle of th Lord, ‘as he was capable of, fuch as ‘opening and: fhutting the doors of it, lighting the lamps, fingling the praifes of God, fe. according to Fo Us*y Eli, and others, he was now about 12 years of age y and the word of the Lord was precious in thofe days 5 that is, a word from the Lord in a dream or vifion, directing, informing, inftruéting or reprov=. ing, this was very rarely had; of late there had — for it, why not only the child Samuel knew not that it was the voice of the Lord that called to him, but Zizi himfelf thought nothing of it until he had called a third time, {0 rare and fearce was any inftance of this kind; for which reafon thefe words are premifed in the following narration: and as every thing that is fcarce and rare, is generally precious, fo the word of God in this way alfo was; and fo it is as confidered in every view of it; as the written word of God; when there was but little of it penned, as at this time, and few or none to teach and inftru@ in it, Z% being old, and his fons vile; or when it is forbidden to be read, and the - copies of it deftroyed, and become fcarce, as in the times of Dioclefian; or when there are but very few faithful, evangelical minifters of the word which, tho’ it is always precious to them that have precious faith in it, the promifes of it being great and precious, and the truths of it more precious than fine gold, and the grand fubjeét of it precious Saviour, who is {fo in his perfon, blood, righteoufnefs and facrifice; yet is generally more precious when there is a fcarcity of it, when God makes a man, a gofpel-minifter, more pre-jing cious than fine gold, even than the golden wedge of Ophir, fee I/. xiii. 12. where the word is ufed in the fame fenfe as here: there was no open vifion; or prophecy, as the Targum, no public, known prophet raifed up, to whom the people could apply for counfel, direction and inftruction in divine things; in all che times of the Fudges we read only of Deborah the prophetefs, and one prophet more, Fudg. iv. 14. and vi. 8. excepting the man of God lately fent to E/i, ‘ch. ii..27. and this want of prophecy ferved to fet off with greater foil the glory of Samuel as a prophet of the Lord, when he an eftablifhed one; there having been none of that charaéter in the memory of man, and therefore he he is fpoken of as at the head of the prophets,|Mi Afis iii. 24. for though there might be fome pri= vate vifions to particular perfons, or God might appear in vifion to private perfons for their fpecial ufe and inftruction; yet there was no public vifion, or what was for public good and general ufé: fome render it, #o broken-up vifion °; it lay hid, concealed out of fight, as if it was imrured and fhut up within walls, or like water pent up, that can’c break through its fences, and icfelf, or wot multiplied, as K. Lfaiab, not frequent and repeated, the inftances of it few and rare; the fenfe of this claufe is much the fame as the for- Spirit; as a fpirit of prophecy, was depattihg front him, becaufe of his connivance at the fins of his fons; and fo the following prophecy came not to him, but to Samuel.;

].¥. 3. And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, 8¢c.] The tabernacle fo called; lamp is put for the lamps in the candleftick in the tabernacle, which were lighted every evening, and burnt till morning; by which time fome of them at leaft ufually went out, only it is faid the weftern lamp never went out. Now the reafon why this fojis obferved, is to fhew that ic was in the night, be= ° fore morning, that the following tranfaction was: fome by this lamp underftand the lamp of prophecy, that before that was quite extin& in E/i,;jonly began to depart, ds his eyes are faid to begin to wax dim, the {pirit of prophecy came to Samuel; exceeding |{o that, as the Pews exprels it, before one fun was fet, another arofe; thus before the fun of Mo/es alfet, the fun of Fo/bua arofe; and before the fun offices, jof Ei fet, the fun of Samuel arofe: where the ark of God was;.that is, in the temple or tabernacle; not in.that part of it where the lamps were burnin the candleftick, that was in the holy place; but the ark was in the holy of holies, where the Lord dwelt, and was the fymbol of his prefence; and which is obferved to point out the place from) whence the voice came, after mentioned; and which the Targum expreffes here, ‘‘.and a voice was heard out of the temple of the Lord, where the ark of the Lord was:” and Samuel was laid down to fleep; after Hi was in bed, and Samuel had done all his bufinefs, he laid himfelf down to fleep in his place; in the court of the Levites, as the Targum, with which the Fewi2 commentawasjtors in general agree: it muft be fome where near to £7, fo that he could quickly come at him, when he needed his affiftance; though, according to the nab’, the pricfts fhut the doors of the court within, and the Levites flept without. It is highly probable that Samuel’s apartment was near to Ei, ownjor he could not have fo readily come to him, as it is plain he did. This circumftance is alfo obferved, to fhew that it was in the night, and before morning, that the following vifion was and, as Kimchi thinks, about cock-crowing 3; and it may be from hence Stravo * had the notion, that Ado/es fpreadjordered fuch to fleep (in the temple) for themfelves, and others, who were fit to receive good dreams, and who might expect from Goda good gift, who lived foberly and righteoufly; and be- mer.” \caufe the tabernacle was covered with fkins, hence y¥.2. And it came to pafs at that time, &c.]\might When the word of the Lord was fcarce and precious, and there was no open vifion; or, as Be# Gerfom, the fame day the man of God came to Eli at night, the following affair happened: when Eli was laid down in bis place; on his bed to fleep, in one of the chambers or apartments of the tabernacle; for as there were fuch in the temple for the priefts, ‘fo.in that: and bis eyes began to wax dim, that be could not fee; to help himfelf to any thing he might want when in bed;

pring the notion of others to fleep in temples, for the above reafon, under the fkins of the facrifices, fee the note on Amos ii. 8. tho’ they feem rather to have flept upon them, for the above purpofes, namely, to converfe with their deities, and get knowledge from them ‘.

y¥. 4. That the Lord called Samuel, &c.] Bya voice which came forth from the moft holy place, from between the cherubim, the feat of the divine majefty: and he an/wered, bere am I; which was which feems tojnot intended to declare the place where he was, but to exprefs his readinefs and chearfulnefs to do any thing that was required of him.

be the reafon Samuel lay near him, and why, when he heard his voice, he immediately ran to.him, fuppofing he needed his affiftance. Some, as Kim- ¢hi, and others, underftand this not of the eyes of his body, but of his mind;

y. 5. And he ran unto Eli, and faid, bere am J, &c.) He got out-of his bed as faft as he could, and that the holy land put on his clothes, and ran with all hafte to the

~... a ~ i. ll SAMUEL Chit.¥.6—120_ himfelf, and therefore it muft be the voice of the Lord ouf of the molt holy place; and he Bad fosae merly been acquainted with fuch voices, and ufed to them, and now called them to mind; and be- — fides, as 4ben Ezra obferves, he was the rather. — apartment where Eli lay, fuppofing he wanted fome immediate affiftance, which he was there ready to give him tothe utmoft of his ability; and he made the more hafte, as knowing his age and infirmities, and being defirous out of affection to him, to help him as foon as poffible: for thou calledft me; he took it to be the voice of E 4, partly becaufe there was no other man in the tabernacle, it being in the middle of the night, or early in the morning, before the doors were opened, or any of the priefts were come in to minifter, and partly becaufe the voice might be very much like Eli’s, and which was done to direct him to him: and he faid, | called not, lie down again; he fignified he wanted nothing, and fo had no occalion to cal] him, nor had he, but bid him go to bed again, and fleep quietly: aid hé went and lay down, and very probably fell afleep again.

¥.6. And the Lord called yet again, Samuel, &c.] Called him a fecond time by his name, with a like audible voice as before: and Samuel arofe and went to Eli; did not run as before, being perhaps more thoughtful of this affair, that.he fhould be called a fecond time, and careful not to awake Ei, fhould he be miftaken again, and find him afleep: and faid, here am I, for thou didft call me; perceiving that he was awake, he defired to know what he wanted, and he was ready to help him; for he was now certain of it that he did call him: and he anfwered, I called not, my fon, lie down again; by this appellation, my fon, he expreffes his affection to him, and fignifies he took it kindly that he fhould fhew fuch readinefs to do any thing for him, and would not have him be difcouraged and abafhed, becaufe he was miftaken, but return to his bed and reft again.

confirmed in this, that the Lord called Samuel, becaufe Samuel heard the voice, and not 2%, tho” Eli \ay nearer the moft holy place than Samuel did; which fhewed that this muft be the voice of prophecy the Lord makes whom he pleafes to hear; and that Z/7 might be fully perfuaded of this be-— fore the matter of the prophecy was delivered to ‘a him, Samuel was fo often directed to him, ¥. 9. Therefore Eli faid unto Samuel, go lie down, 8&cc.] Once more; and it fhall be, if be cali thee; the voice, or the Lord by it: shat thom’ foalt. fay, fpeak, Lord, for thy fervant beareths his meaning is, that he fhould not rife and come to him, as he had done, but continue on his bed, on hearing the voice again, but defire the Lord to fpeak to him what he had to fay, to which he was ready to attend: /o Samuel went and lay down in his place; which, as commonly underttood, was in the court of the Levites, fee the note on ¥; 3. y. 10. And the Lord came and fiood, &ec.) At the place where Samuel lay; either there was, as Kimchi, a form before his eyes in the vifion of prophecy, fome vilible corporeal fhape afiumed; or a bright fplendor, an illuftrious appearance of the glory of God; or it may be rather the voice, which before feemed to be at fome diftance whereabout Ef lay; it now feemed nearer, and was as the voice of one juft by him, that founded in his

ears: and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel 5

repeating his name, in order the more to excite his attention: ¢hen Samuel anfwered, peak, for thy y. 7. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, &c.} He knew that Jehovah, the God of J/rael, was the true God; he had fpiritual knowledge of fervant beareth, he leaves out the word Lord, which £/i bid him ufe; for he might be afraid as yet to him,!make mention of the name of the Lord in the and knew fomewhat of his word and worthip, ways and ordinances, in which he had been inftructed by Eli; wherefore, though the Targum is, “* Samuel had not yet learned to know doctrine from the Lord;” it can only be underftood, that he had not Jearnt it perfectly; fomewhat he knew of it, but in an imperfect manner, being a child: but the fenfe of the word is, that as yet he was ignorant that God had ufed to fpeak with an ordinary and' familiar voice to men, as Maimonides fays; he perhaps had riever heard of any fuch thing, and much lefs was experimentally acquainted with it,! that God ever did fpeak after fuch a manner to! men, and could not diftinguifh between the voice of

God, and the voice of Ei: neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him, what of the written word that was in being he had, and read, as the law of Mo/fes; but the meaning is, that no word of prophecy of the Lord was revealed unto him, as the Zargum; he never had prophefied as yet, and knew not the form and manner of prophecy, as the above writer obferves, or what methods God took to reveal himfelf, his mind and will to men, at leaft not this by an audible voice.

¥. 8. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time, &cc.] In the fame manner he had done before, exprefling his name no doubt: and ke aro/e, and went to Eli, and faid, bere am I, for thou didft call me, as if he fhould fay, it muft certainly be fo, | cannot be miftaken a third time: and Ek perceived that the Lord had called the child; he was fatisfied now that Samuel muft have heard a voice, and he knew there was no man in the tabernacle but vifion of prophecy, as Kimchi fpeaks; or left it ~ fhould be the voice of another, as Farchi; as yet he might not be quite certain whether it was the voice of the Lord, or the voice of a man; for that he fhould have any miftruft of its being the voice of a damon or fpectre, there is no reafon to believe.

¥.11. And the Lord faid to Samuel, &c.] The voice of the Lord continued {peaking to him: dehold, 1 will do a thing in Ifrael; which may be particularly interpreted of the taking of the ark, and the flaying of the two fons of £47; and which is elfewhere reprefented as the Lord’s doing, for the fins of £i’s family, P/. Ixxviii. 61, 62. at which © both the ears of every one that beareth it foall tingle; be {truck with horror and amazement, and quite ftunned, and know not what to think or fay, like perfons. furprized with a violent clap of thunder, which ftrikes their ears fo ftrongly, that the noife of it is not foon gone from them; this was veri- ~ fied in £/, and in his daughter-in-law particularly, who, at the news of the above things, the one fell backwards and broke his neck, and the other fell into labour and died; and all Jrael were ftruck with aftonifhment at thefe things. ¥.12. In that day I will perform againft Ei all things which I have fpoken concerning his boufe, &e.

Or family, that is, by the man of God, ch. ii.27, _ as that he would cut off the ftrength of it, that there fhould not be an old man in it; and fuch as remained fhould be reduced to the utmoft and meannefs; this fhows, that that prophecy was — antecedent to this, contrary to the fenfe of fome;

when I begin, I will alfo make an end; not immediately, and at once, but by degrees; he began in the death of Hophni and Phinebas, ‘and went on in the flaughter of Adimelech, and the 85 priefts at Nod, in the times of Sau/, and finifhed in the thrufting out of dbiathar from the priefthood, in the times of Solomon, whereby that family was brought to difgrace and poverty.

¥.13. For I have told him, that I will judge bis houfe: for ever, 8cc.] That is, bring his judgments upon them, which fhould continue on them to their utter deftruction; this, as to the fubftance, he faid before by the man of God: for the iniquity which he knoweth for the iniquity of his fons, which he was thoroughly informed of, and fully acquainted with by others; and fomewhat of which he muft have been fenfible of, and feen with his own eyes, and therefore was inexcufable: decau/e his fons made themjelves vile; mean and contemptible in the fight of men, abhorred and accurfed in the fight of God, by taking the flefh of the facrifices of the people, which did not belong to them, who came to facrifice, and by debauching the women that came to the door of the tabernacle for ‘religious fervice. It is faid, this claufe was originally written, decaufe his fons made light of me; or curfed the Lord, and is one of the eighteen places called the correction of the Scribes, who corrected it as we have it; and it may be obferved, the Septuagint verfion is, decaufe bis fons /pake ill of God, or curfed him; however, this they did, they preferred their lufts, and the indulging of them, to the honour and glory of God: this £4 knew, and he reftrained them not, from their evil practices; he did not make ufe of his authority, neither as a father, and efpecially not as high-prieft, and the judge of J/rael, who ought not only to have fharply reproved them, which he did not, but to have cenfured or punifhed them, and turned them out of their office: or did not frown upon them', as in the margin of our bibles; he did not knit his brows, or wrinkle up his face, and by his countenance fhew his difpleafure at their proceedings, but in an eafy, fmooth, gentle manner expoftulated with them about y.14. And therefore I have fworn unto the houfe of Eli, &c.| Either had done this before, which was fignified to him by the man of God, or did fware now for the confirmation of his threatenings, and to affure the certain performance of them: that the iniquity of Elt’s boufe fhall not be purged with facrifice nor offering for ever; not even typically, which was all that legal facrifice could do; and not {fo that the priefthood fhould ever return to the family again, as the office of high priefthood never did; or, as Abarbinel interprets it, becaufe of facrifice and offering, that the iniquity £ ’s fons were guilty of in taking the flefh of the facrifices and offerings, which did not belong to them, and before the Lord had his part, fhould never be expiated.

¥.15. And Samuel lay until the morning, &c.] It is not faid he flept; it can hardly be thought he fhould, when it is confidered what a new, ftrange and uncommon thing had befallen him; what honour had. been conferred on him a child, that the Lord fhould vouchfafe to fpeak and communicate his mind to him, and what dreadful things were faid of Eii’s family; all which muft greatly affect ‘his mind, and keep him waking: however, he lay mufing thereon until morning, and theft atofe, and opened the doors of the boufe of the Lord; as he had ufed to do, and which was the bufinefs of the Levites; though he had been fo highly honoured, he was not elated with it, nor thought himfelf above fo low and mean an employment in the houfe of God; nor did he run to £/ or others; boafting of what he had met with thatnight, but modeftly and carefully attended to what was his common and conftant employment, every morning; aud Samuel feared to foew Eli the vifion, the vifion of prophecy, as the Targum, what God had foretold fhould befal him and his family, left he thould be grieved on more accounts than one;. partly becaufe he, an old man, an high-prieft, and judge of J rael;

was overlooked and neglected, and the prophecy was delivered to a child, and not to him.; and partly becaufe of the fad things that fhould come

¥. 10. Then Eli called Samuel, &c.] Perceiving he was rifen by the opening of the doors of the tabernacle, which he might hears; and obferving he did not come to him as ufual, to know whether he wanted any thing, and being impatient to heat what was faid to him of the Lord: and be /aid, Samuel, my fon; called him by his name, and in a very tender and affectionate manner, the more to engage him to haften to him, and thereby alfo putting him in. mind of his filial duty to obey him: and be anfwered, bere am I; ready to attend and perform any fervice enjoined him.

v.17. dud be faid, what is the thing that the Lord hath faid unto thee? 8c.) The word Lord is not in the text, but it is that it bath faid, the-voice that had fo often called him in the night, and which yet Zli knew was the voice of the Lord; and as it was, he was fenfible there, was fomething of importance faid, and he, had great reafon. to believe it refpected him and his family; and the rather he might conclude this, by what the man of God had lately faid to him, whofe words perhaps he had too much flighted, queftioning his authority; and therefore the Lord took this way and method to affure him, that what was faid came from him; for hereby £4 was fully convinced, that this voice Samuel heard was of the Lord, and fo what was faid muft be from him, and this he was impatient to know: J pray thee, hide it not from me, and he not only befeeched and intreated him, but adjured him, as in the next claufe: God do fo to thee, and more alfo, if thou hide any thing from me, of all the things that he faid unto thee; it is the form of an oath or curfe, wifhing that God would do-fome great evil to. him, and more than he chofe to exprefs, if he concealed any thing from him. that had been told him. So Kimchi and Abarbinel take. it to be an oath 5 and Yofepbus * and Procopius Gazaeus on the place fay, that E/i obliged Samuel by oaths and curfes to declare what had. been faid to him.

y. 18. And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him, &c.], And {o approved himfelt to be a faithful prophet of God, and. man of God, as he is afterwards called; the whole counfel of God is to be declared by his fervants the prophets, and the minifters of his word; nothing is to be concealed, which it is the will of God fhould be made known, whether it be pleafing or difpleafing toman: and be faid, itis the Lord; that has faid it, and there is nothing to be faid againft it, and that will do it; and there is no refitting him: oi the

— Lord is be”; who has a fovereign right to all his Creatures, and may difpofe of them as he pleafes; he is all. wife, and does all things well; he is holy and tighteous in all his ways and works, and there is no unrighteoufnefs in him;

ipoken by weight and meafure, as the laft ex he is faithful to hisjit, and’ which were delivered out according word, whether in a way of promife or threatening; and all he does to his people is in love, mercy and kindnefs: Jet him do what feemeth bim good, not what feems good to men, or is fo in their efteem, but what feems good to the Lord,

words which he fpake by the Holy Shon hada ys a fpirit of prophecy, and had their exa& acer plifhment; but his common words, to the rules of juftice, probity and truth; and fo he failed not of performing that which he had faid, or of doing what was right, whereby J/rae? knew he was fit, prepared, and defigned to be a prophet of the Lord, as in the following verfe; but it feems rather to who knows what is beft for his people, and can do nothing but what is good;

there is nothing but goodnefs in him, and nothing have refpect to the things predicted by him under all is good he does;Ja fpirit of prophecy concerning which foon began to be fulfilled.

but goodnefs comes from him; he does good, and

Eli and his houfe, ¥.20. And all Hrael, from Dan even unto Beer- nothing elfé, and even when he afflicts his people; all he does is well done in creation, providence and /2eba, &c.]. That is, from the moft norchern border of the land of J/rae!, on which Daz lay, to the grace: and E/i’s defire is, that he would fulfil the good pleafure of his will; he appears to be in an excellent temper, not furly and morofe, taking it ill that fuch a meffage fhould be fent him by a child; nor was he unaffected with the cafe of his family, but humbly fubmitted to the will of God, and acquiefces in it as good, and neither arraigns his juftice, nor murmurs at his providences.

utmoft border of it fouchward, where Beerfoeba was, the fame of Samuel for his piety, prudence and prophecy was fpread abroad; fo that all knew that Samuel was eftablifbed to be a prophet of the Lord; or that he was faithful~ to God and man, to be credited in what he faid; and fo a fit man to be a prophet of the Lord, being eminently qualified with gifts by him for that office, the Tar-

¥. 19. And Samuel grew, &c.] Not only injgum is, ‘* that Samuel was faithful in the words of years and ftature, but in grace and goodnefs, in _wifdom, knowledge and underftanding, both with refpe&t to things natural and fpiritual, and in efteem, credit and reputation among men: and the Lord was with bim, he was not only in favour with men, but with God; and had frefh and repeated tokens of the grace and good-will of God towards him; he indulged him with his prefence, and affifted him in his fervice, and profpered and fucceeded him in all things in which he was engaged. The Targum is, ** the Word of the Lord was his help;” the effential Word of God the Meffiah: and did let none of bis words fall to the ground*; in allufion either to water that falls to the ground, and becomes ufelefs, or to an arrow falling out of the bow, and to the ground, before it reaches the mark, and fo unfuccefsful’; or to the prophecy of the Lord,” in relating them,

¥.21. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, 8ec.] In the tabernacle there; he had appeared before to Samuel, when he called him, and declared to him what he defigned and refolved to do to Hi and his. family, and now appeared again to him in the fame place before the battle of the [/raelizes witlt the Pbiliftines, of which there is an account in the following chapter. Such appearances had not been ufual in Shilob for a long time, but were now renewed and repeated: for the Lord revealed bim/elf to Samuel by the Word of the Lord; by Chrift, the Word of the Lord, who appeared to him, it is probable, in an human form, as he was wont to do to the patriarchs and prophets, and by whom the Lord revealed his mind and will unto them, being the angel of his prefence, and the meflenger any weapon of war, {word or fpear falling out of of his covenant; or by giving him a word of comthe hand of the foldier, whereby he is difarmed and rendered unferviceable: and thefe words, according to Kimchi, and in which he is followed by Abarbinel, are to be underftood, not only of the i é HIS chapter is.a narrative of a war between Tfrael and the Philifiines, in the time of Samue}, and of the confequences of it. In the firft mand to be delivered by him to the children of J. rael, and which.is exprefied and delivered in the next chapter.: