Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.
Parallel translations
- WEB Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. The child served Yahweh before Eli the priest.
- KJV And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.
- BSB Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.
- NASB Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But the boy continued to attend to the service of the Lord before Eli the priest.
- NLT Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the Lord by assisting Eli the priest.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Elkanah returned home while the child Samuel stayed to minister before the Lord under Eli. Samuel's lifelong service begins.
Overview
The family departs but Samuel remains, fulfilling Hannah's vow that he would serve the Lord. Even as a young child he 'served Yahweh,' marking the start of a faithful ministry. His quiet faithfulness is set immediately against the wickedness of Eli's sons described next, sharpening the contrast the narrative draws.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Sam 2:18But Samuel ministered before Yahweh, being a child, clothed with a linen ephod.
- 1 Sam 3:1The child Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli. Yahweh’s word was precious in those days. There visions were not frequent.
- 1 Sam 1:28Therefore I have also given him to Yahweh. As long as he lives he is given to Yahweh.” He worshiped Yahweh there.
- 1 Sam 3:15Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of Yahweh’s house. Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.
- 1 Sam 1:19They rose up in the morning early, and worshiped before Yahweh, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah. Then Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and Yahweh remembered her.
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 2:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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