1 Samuel 1:28 - The Birth of Samuel

Audio Bible

Context

The Birth of Samuel
…27I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him, 28I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.

Cross References

Luke 2:22-24
And when the time of purification according to the Law of Moses was complete, His parents brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord / (as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord”), / and to offer the sacrifice specified in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”Genesis 28:20-22
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear, / so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God. / And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”Judges 13:24-25
So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him. / And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.Exodus 13:2
“Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast.”Numbers 6:2-5
“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, / he is to abstain from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and he must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins. / All the days of his separation, he is not to eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins. ...1 Samuel 2:11
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.1 Samuel 2:18
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.1 Samuel 2:21
So the LORD attended to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.1 Samuel 2:26
And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.1 Samuel 3:1
And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare, and visions were scarce.1 Samuel 3:19-21
And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. / So all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD. / And the LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, because there He revealed Himself to Samuel by His word.1 Samuel 7:9
Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on behalf of Israel, and the LORD answered him.1 Samuel 7:15
So Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.1 Samuel 8:1
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.1 Samuel 12:1-2
Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have set over you a king. / Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.

1 Samuel 1:27
For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

he shall be.

he worshipped

Genesis 24:26,48,52
And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD…

2 Timothy 3:15
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

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1 Samuel 1

I now dedicate the boy to the LORD.
Hannah's act of dedication is a fulfillment of the vow she made to God in 1 Samuel 1:11, where she promised to give her son to the LORD if He granted her a child. This dedication is significant in the cultural context of ancient Israel, where firstborn sons held special status and were often consecrated to God (Exodus 13:2). The act of dedicating Samuel to the LORD also reflects the practice of the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:1-21), although Samuel's dedication is lifelong and initiated by his mother. This dedication is a profound act of faith and gratitude, acknowledging God's sovereignty and provision.

For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD.
The lifelong dedication of Samuel to the LORD underscores the seriousness and permanence of Hannah's vow. Unlike the temporary Nazirite vow, Samuel's service to God is to be unending, signifying total commitment. This mirrors the concept of being set apart for God's purposes, a theme that runs throughout Scripture (e.g., Jeremiah 1:5, where God sets Jeremiah apart before birth). Samuel's life becomes a type of Christ, who was also dedicated to God's service from birth and lived a life wholly devoted to fulfilling God's will (Luke 2:49).

So they worshiped the LORD there.
The act of worship at the conclusion of the dedication ceremony highlights the centrality of worship in the life of the Israelites. Worship at Shiloh, where the tabernacle was located, was a communal and familial act, reflecting obedience and reverence to God. This moment of worship signifies acknowledgment of God's faithfulness and the fulfillment of His promises. It also prefigures the worship of Christ, who is the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises and the object of Christian worship (John 4:23-24). The communal aspect of worship here points to the importance of corporate worship in the life of believers, as seen in the early church (Acts 2:42-47).

Persons / Places / Events

1. Hannah
A devout woman who was initially barren but prayed earnestly for a child. She vowed to dedicate her son to the LORD if her prayer was answered.

2. Samuel
The son of Hannah, who was dedicated to the LORD from a young age. He would grow up to be a significant prophet and leader in Israel.

3. Eli
The high priest at Shiloh, where Hannah brought Samuel to be dedicated to the LORD.

4. Shiloh
The religious center of Israel at the time, where the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant were located.

5. Dedication
The act of consecrating or setting apart for a sacred purpose. In this context, it refers to Hannah's fulfillment of her vow to God by dedicating Samuel to His service.

Teaching Points

The Power of a Vow
Hannah's account teaches us the seriousness of making vows to God. When we make commitments, we should be prepared to fulfill them, trusting in God's faithfulness.

Dedication to God
Just as Hannah dedicated Samuel, we are called to dedicate our lives and the lives of our children to God's service. This involves intentional teaching and modeling of faith.

Worship as a Response
Hannah's act of worship after dedicating Samuel reminds us that worship is a fitting response to God's faithfulness and blessings in our lives.

Faith in Action
Hannah's faith was not passive; it was demonstrated through her actions. Our faith should likewise be active, leading us to trust and obey God in tangible ways.

God's Sovereignty and Timing
Hannah's account illustrates that God's timing is perfect. We can trust Him to answer our prayers in His way and time, for His purposes.

Lists and Questions

Top 10 Lessons from 1 Samuel 1What are the visions and prophecies of Gad?Does the story of dedicating Samuel to the Lord in 1 Samuel 1:11, 28 have historical or cultural corroboration outside the biblical text?Did David dance nude before the Lord?In 1 Chronicles 15:27, David wears an ephod traditionally reserved for priests--how do we explain this apparent merging of royal and priestly roles without violating Mosaic Law?

(28) I have lent him to the Lord.--The rendering of the Hebrew here, "I have lent," and in Exodus 12:36, is false. The translation should run: "Therefore I also make him one asked of the Lord; all the days that he liveth he is asked of the Lord." The sense is: "The Lord gave him to me, and now I have returned him whom I obtained by prayer to the Lord, as one asked or demanded."

And he worshipped the Lord there.--"He," that is, the boy Samuel: thus putting his own child-seal to his mother's gift of himself to God.

Verse 28. - I have lent him. The word lent spoils the meaning: Hannah really in these two verses uses the same verb four times, though in different conjugations, and the same sense must be maintained throughout. Her words are, "For this child I prayed, and Jehovah hath given me my asking which I asked of him: and I also have given back what was asked to Jehovah; as long as he liveth he is asked for Jehovah." The conjugation translated to give back what was asked literally means to make to ask, and so to give or lend anything asked. The sense here requires the restoration by Hannah of what she had prayed for (comp. Exodus 12:35, 36), but which she had asked not for herself, but that she might devote it to Jehovah's service. At the end of ver. 28 the sing. "he worshipped" is rendered in the pl. by all the versions except the Sept., which omits it. But he, i.e. Elkanah, includes all his household, and it may be correctly translated in the pl., because the sense so requires, without altering the reading of the Hebrew. In the sing. it puts an unnecessary difficulty in the way of the ordinary reader.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

I
אָנֹכִ֗י (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

now
וְגַ֣ם (wə·ḡam)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

dedicate the boy
הִשְׁאִלְתִּ֙הוּ֙ (hiš·’il·ti·hū)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

to the LORD.
לַֽיהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

For as
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

long as he lives,
הָיָ֔ה (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

he
ה֥וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

is dedicated
שָׁא֖וּל (šā·’ūl)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

to the LORD.”
לַֽיהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

So they worshiped
וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ (way·yiš·ta·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7812: To depress, prostrate

the LORD
לַיהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

there.
שָׁ֖ם (šām)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

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1 Samuel 1:28 Catholic BibleOT History: 1 Samuel 1:28 Therefore also I have granted him (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)