and why eatest thou not? 23. As a result, identifying the literary conventions of a given text and imagining their interpretive significance enable readers to approximate the intent(s) of its author(s), especially if the conventions can be shown to combine with one another in order to fashion of the text a coherent and meaningful whole.8. Birth City: London, England. . A literary pattern that assists readers in this process of discovery involves a characters first speech and first action. It seems that there was a firm tradition of a split between the two men but an inexact memory of the details. The traditional Hebrew proverb, hearing is not the same as seeing, weighs heavily on the account of Elis sensory deficiencies, cited in Alter, Moses, 497 n.19. Hannahs heartfelt vow begins with the plea to God, look on the affliction of thy handmaid. Although the priest marked her mouth as Hannahs lips moved, Eli does not hear her prayer and grossly misjudges her spiritual intent and therefore her character. Characterization: Messengers of God. Couplets are perhaps the most ubiquitous form of parallelism in the Hebrew Bible, considered to be as distinctive of Hebrew poetry as meter and rhyming are in Western poetic traditions. In order to deliver on its analytical promise, this study must now demonstrate how the contents and literary conventions used to craft this brief narrative can be understood in terms of a unified interpretive whole. . Samsons story skips Before Samuel's time, a prophet was called a "seer." Elkanah has only two direct speeches in the entire story. Samuel was born in answer to Hannahs prayers. Michael D. Coogan (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 13264. Contributing to the disjunctive role of genealogies in the biblical narrative, McCarter observes that the opening phrase, translated from the Hebrew as Now there was a certain man, signals the inauguration of an entirely new narrative.17, In addition, while modern readers may interpret the opening phrase as focusing the story on the man Elkanah, the narrative unfolds in such a way that Hannahs husband plays at best a supportive and largely contrasting role in the Samuel story. 2. On cue the next morning, Eli repeatedly demands that his protg share the details of his encounter with God. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, gada is used in reference to felling trees, particularly groves devoted to the worship of pagan gods, or more generally to destroying anything of value as a consequence of wickedness and as a sign of Gods displeasure (for example, Deuteronomy 7:5; Judges 21:6; 2 Chronicles 14:3; 31:1; Psalms 75:10; 107:16; Isaiah 9:10; 14:12; 15:2; 22:25; 45:2; Jeremiah 48:25; 50:23; Ezekiel 6:6). Her first direct speech, for example, expresses her private but poignant vow to God, which defines her lifes purpose and sacred identity: O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look upon the afflictions of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.28 All of her subsequent speeches and actions align with and strengthen her devotional character (see 1:2028; 2:110, 1921). WebChildhood obesity increases the risk of developing metabolic syndrome later in life. 4. Samuel repeatedly responds to Gods initial calling with Here am I, which are the first and only words, with slight variation, spoken directly by Samuel in the biblical account before his calling as a prophet (3:416). Rising from humble beginnings, Adams played frontline roles in sparking the Revolutionary Wars against the Despite the similarity of their messages, the text structures the two encounters inversely. International Standard Version The LORD took note of Hannah, and she became pregnant and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. WebThe boy Samuel grew up in the service of the LORD. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Samuel was a Lamanite. WebSignificance. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Elis house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever. Thus, Alter observes, There is a series of recurrent narrative episodes attached to the careers of biblical heroes that . While the transition details the woes of Elis house, it also contains five separate references to Samuels progressively faithful service to the Lordat the beginning and end of the transition and periodically throughout (2:11, 18, 21, 26; 3:1a). Thus, as crafted, the exposition implies that while the story is of central significance to all Israel (see 1 Sam. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. 55. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. There is no wickedness in this pitiable old man, but neither is there the strength to combat wickedness, and Yahweh has found himself a strong man to lead Israel aright.. Nothing is clearer in the final form of the text than Yahwehs utter mastery of the situation, whatever it may be. Polzin, Samuel, 4. Children who receive responsive care are able to develop the psychological quality of hope. The application of the anthropological concept of social drama to interpret literature, ritual, and other key cultural expressions is summarized in Victor Turner, Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1974), 2359. The phrase were there identifies only that they are present at the temple, not that they are functioning worthily. If not, they encounter a host of temporal and spiritual difficulties, including imprisonment, overthrow, civil unrest, dynastic collapse, divine rejection, and physical debility. Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Our differences are complementary, not contrastive in nature. (1:919), Structuring Devices: Play of Perspectives. The next eleven verses define the storys dramatic focus: Hannah pleads in desperation for a son, and the Lord blesses her accordingly. This issue carries significant economic, psychological, and social costs for the families affected. Samuel, the son of Elkanah (of Ephraim) and Hannah, was born in answer to the prayer of his previously childless mother. The biblical scene . The text expresses this commitment in two complementary ways. It is quite unlikely that either the powers of the king or the prerogatives of the priest were as closely defined as this in the early period. He was to warn them to repent and believe in the Savior. is conceived almost entirely as verbal intercourse, with the assumption that what is significant about a character, at least for a particular narrative juncture, can be manifested almost entirely in the characters speech. Alter, Art, 88. The second way that Hannah continues to nurture her firstborn is mentioned below in the discussion of 1 Samuel 2:19. Following his birth, when time comes to make good on her vow, the account consistently shifts the verb from nathan (give) to shael, translated lend (1:20, 2728; 2:20). Once Hannah becomes a mother in fact, her role vis--vis Samuel is considerably more profound. Samuels prophecy reinforces much of what the man of God earlier says to Eli but does not repeat any of his specific words and phrases or hint at Samuels awareness of his existence or message. The first seven verses of the introduction consist of what Alter calls narrativedescriptive details that locate the story within the broader temporal, spatial, social, and spiritual context of biblical Israel. The problem may be resolved by identifying a role for Samuel that receives only passing mention because it no longer existed when this material was written. In contrast with the introduction, which consists almost entirely of expository narrative, the second segment is filled almost entirely with dialogue.23. Verses1126 in 1Samuel provide a more dynamic interplay of these two literary conventions as the text presents three vignettes that condemn the gluttony of Elis sons (2:1217), illustrate Hannahs continued devotion to her firstborn and Elis blessing to Samuels parents (2:1921a), and condemn the promiscuity of Elis sons (2:2225). By contrast, the story includes an extended verbatim recitation of the entire message that the Lord personally entrusts to Samuel, beginning with the authoritative declaration, Behold I will do a thing in Israel (3:1114).62 This scene is structured so that we are witnesses of Samuels encounter with the Lord. 27. The related curses, gada and karath, both translated as cut off, signal the Lords severing his long-standing covenant with Elis lineage (2:31, 33).70. McCarter, I Samuel, 8693, identifies several literary features of the text which indicate that, as a result of Samuels ministry, Israels future as recounted in the Hebrew Bible will be considerably different than its past. But the same phrase also is used to announce prophecy, and vision is a prophetic term: the whole episode concerns the transition from priestly to prophetic authority.64 In short, Alter implies that the man of God acts as an oracle in relation to the priest, since the priest himself has lost the traditional gift of oracle through abuse and neglect. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? After Samuel is born but before he is weaned, Elkanah invites Hannah to accompany him to Shiloh for the annual observance. The always busy Keke Palmer has added a new title to her long list of credits, and this one is much more important than all the others. Within the context of the Samuel narrative, these verbs repeatedly indict Elis sons. Yet, his roles as prophet, seer, and judge are all incredible in certain respects, apart from the 50. See also Allen Verhey, Remember, Remembrance, in Freedman, Anchor Bible Dictionary, 5:66769; McCarter, ISamuel, 62 n.19; Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi, Zakhor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996), 526; and Alter, Moses, 385 n.3. Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy fathers house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. Often, though not always, these firsts reveal essential character traits and roles. Political Accomplishments of Samuel Adams. The few defining details of characterbehavior, actions, qualities, dialogue, and physical appearance that flesh out proleptic portraits,74 whether individually or in pairsreveal individuals varied relationships with one another and with God, as mediated by their sacred covenants. His maternal grandfather who at first raised him was racist, misogynistic, and altogether abusive. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. In stark contrast with Elis general neglect of his sons, in spite of their physical and functional proximity, the narrator specifically mentions Hannahs continued watch care over her first born, in spite of their physical and functional distance.54 Punctuating the vignettes that contrast the faithfulness of Eli and Hannah, the narrator comments on Samuels progressively auspicious service at the temple, reinforcing the intended contrast between old and new priest.55 While not a prerequisite for Samuels ascension, Elis fall serves as a foil for it.56, Leitwrter: give and lend. am I not better to thee than ten sons? And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. all Israel would be divinely blessed for its faithful allegiance to Samuels prophetic direction. See McCarter, ISamuel, 72 n.5; see also Alter, Moses, 269 n.27; 307 n.5. . One of many studies of this genre in the Hebrew Bible is Steven Weitzman, Song and Story in Biblical Narrative: The History of a Literary Convention in Ancient Israel (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997); see also Alter, Moses, 397 n.1. These are known by the technical German term Leitwort. Not in Heaven: Coherence and Complexity in Biblical Narrative (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991); and Robert Alter, The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary (New York: W.W. Norton, 2004), ixxlviii, among many others. And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. "Great is the reverence due to children." The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. There must have been some reason why Samuel was important enough to be remembered for a major role in the establishment of the monarchy. As with the development of individual characters, so too are human actions carefully crafted in the biblical narrative for ideological purposes. Genealogy.15 Consistent with the convention of genealogies throughout the Hebrew Bible, the brief genealogy that launches the story of Samuels birth identifies Samuels ancestors as Ephraimites,16 distinguishes the account from the long but unremarkable reign of the judges, and introduces the auspicious but problematic reign of the kings in ancient Israel. Knew not implies a defining and permanent condition for the sons of Eli; for Samuel, however, did not yet know implies a temporary and transitional condition that would soon be remedied. And they went unto their own home. . Weitzman, Song, 6667, and Polzin, Samuel, 3334, respectively, compare the similarities of Hannahs song with Marys Magnificat and Davids final hymn. Provo, UT 84602, USA | 2022 Brigham Young University, Birth and Calling of the Prophet Samuel: A Literary Reading of the BiblicalText, The Little Head Stones Became Monuments: Death in the EarlySamoanMission and theCreation of the FagaliiCemetery, Margaret Barkers The Lord Is Onea Response, Response to Margaret Barkers The Lord Is One, An Improvisation on Margaret Barkers The Lord Is One, An Angel or Rather the Savior at the Kirtland Temple Dedication: The Vision of FrederickG.Williams, What Is It about This Place?: Truman Madsen, ReligiousEducation, and theMissionofBYU, Catholic and Mormon: A Theological Conversation, The Mapmakers of New Zion: A CartographicHistory ofMormonism, The Polygamous Wives Writing Club: From the Diaries of MormonPioneerWomen. Thy handmaid role vis -- vis Samuel is considerably more profound to Samuels prophetic direction was to them... ( see 1 Sam sons and two daughters for ideological purposes Lord appeared again Shiloh... 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