1 And the child Samuel ministred vnto the Lord before Eli: and the word of the Lord was precious in those daies; there was no open vision.
2 And it came to passe at that time, when Eli was layd downe in his place, and his eyes beganne to waxe dimme, that he could not see;
3 And yer the lampe of God went out in the Temple of the Lord, where the Arke of God was, and Samuel was layd downe to sleepe;
4 That the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, Here am I.
5 And he ranne vnto Eli, and sayd, Here am I, for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie downe againe. And he went and lay downe.
6 And the Lord called yet againe, Samuel. And Samuel arose, and went to Eli, and said, Here am I, for thou diddest call me. And he answered, I called not, my sonne; lie downe againe.
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet reuealed vnto him.
8 And the Lord called Samuel againe the third time. And hee arose, and went to Eli, and said, Here am I, for thou diddest call me. And Eli perceiued that the Lord had called the childe.
9 Therefore Eli said vnto Samuel, Go, lie downe, & it shal be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speake Lord, for thy seruant heareth. So Samuel went, and lay downe in his place.
10 And the Lord came, and stood and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speake, for thy seruant heareth.
11 ¶ And the Lord sayd to Samuel, Behold, I will doe a thing in Israel, at which, both the eares of euery one that heareth it, shall tingle.
12 In that day, I will performe against Eli, all things which I haue spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
13 For I haue tolde him, that I will iudge his house for euer, for the iniquitie which hee knoweth: because his sonnes made themselues vile, and he restrained them not.
14 And therefore I haue sworne vnto the house of Eli, that the iniquitie of Elies house shall not be purged with sacrifice, nor offering for euer.
15 ¶ And Samuel lay vntill the morning, and opened the doores of the house of the Lord: and Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.
16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel my sonne. And he answered, Here am I.
17 And he said, What is the thing that the Lord hath said vnto thee? I pray thee hide it not from mee: God doe so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me, of all the things that hee said vnto thee.
18 And Samuel tolde him euery whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: Let him doe what seemeth him good.
19 ¶ And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan euen to Beer-sheba, knew that Samuel was established to bee a Prophet of the Lord.
21 And the Lord appeared againe in Shiloh: for the Lord reueiled himselfe to Samuel in Shiloh, by the word of the Lord.
The word of the Lord first revealed to Samuel. (1-10) God tells Samuel the destruction of Eli's house. (11-18) Samuel established to be a prophet. (19-21)1-10 The call which Divine grace designs shall be made effectual; will be repeated till it is so, till we come to the call. Eli, perceiving that it was the voice of God that Samuel heard, instructed him what to say. Though it was a disgrace to Eli, for God's call to be directed to Samuel, yet he told him how to meet it. Thus the elder should do their utmost to assist and improve the younger that are rising up. Let us never fail to teach those who are coming after us, even such as will soon be preferred before us, #Joh 1:30|. Good words should be put into children's mouths betimes, by which they may be prepared to learn Divine things, and be trained up to regard them.
11-18 What a great deal of guilt and corruption is there in us, concerning which we may say, It is the iniquity which our own heart knoweth; we are conscious to ourselves of it! Those who do not restrain the sins of others, when it is in their power to do it, make themselves partakers of the guilt, and will be charged as joining in it. In his remarkable answer to this awful sentence, Eli acknowledged that the Lord had a right to do as he saw good, being assured that he would do nothing wrong. The meekness, patience, and humility contained in those words, show that he was truly repentant; he accepted the punishment of his sin.
19-21 All increase in wisdom and grace, is owing to the presence of God with us. God will graciously repeat his visits to those who receive them aright. Early piety will be the greatest honour of young people. Those who honour God he will honour. Let young people consider the piety of Samuel, and from him they will learn to remember their Creator in the days of their youth. Young children are capable of religion. Samuel is a proof that their waiting upon the Lord will be pleasing to him. He is a pattern of all those amiable tempers, which are the brightest ornament of youth, and a sure source of happiness.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.