pofe that fome generations are omitted in this account, and that only the principal perfons in the line of defcent are recorded; which is the case with other genealogies in the fcripture history.

NOTES ON THE FIRST BOOK OF

THE

SAMUEL.

HE two books that bear the name of Samuel, or sometimes the first and second of Kings, are fuppofed with great probability, to have been written in part by Samuel, and in part by the prophets Gad and Nathan. That all these three perfons were writers appears from 1 Chron. xxix, 29, where it is faid, Now the acts of David, first and last, behold they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer. Here they are referred to feparate books; but it would be natural for Ezra, or fome other compiler, to throw the contents of them all into these two. A circumstance related in this book is referred to 1 Kings, ii, 27.

Ch. I. 1. From this it appears that Samuel was a Levite, and that he was of the family of Kohath appears from 1 Chron. vi, 23.

Eli was defcended from Ithamar, the youngest fon of Aaron, and it does not appear at what time the highpriesthood

21

priesthood paffed into this family from that of Phinehas the elder brother. But if this Eli was the first highprieft of his family, it is thought (tho' for what reafon does not appear) to have paffed to him from Uzzi mentioned 1 Chron. vi, 5. Before this Uzzi there was his father Bukki, and his grandfather Abishua, the fon of Phinehas. The high-priesthood reverted to the family of Phinehas in the person of Zadoc in the time of Solomon.

4. The portions here mentioned were of the peace offerings, which were fhared between the priefs and the offerers.

5. Jofeph fhewed his particular respect to Benjamin by fending him from his table a mefs five times larger than thofe of the others. In like manner Elkanan fent either more in quantity, or what was better in quality, to Hannah.

6. It feems extraordinary that barrenness should have been confidered as fo great a reproach, when it was merely a misfortune, and no crime; or that any woman, merely favoured with a better conftitution, should fo grofsly infult another on that account.

11. The Levites were obliged to ferve at the fanctuary, from the age of twenty five to fifty. She devoted her child to this fervice all his life, and moreover laid him under an obligation to obferve the reftrictions of the Nazarites.

15. An intoxicating liquor was made of dates, and various other fruits, as well as of grapes.

18. The bleffing of the high-prieft seems to have giv en her hopes that her prayer was heard.

20. The word Samuel fignifies asked of God.

21. He had probably made fome vow, tho' it is not mentioned, on the fame account for which his wife had made one.

23. The meaning of this must be, that God would accept the child, and make him what he wished him to be.

28. Five MSS. have they worshipped the Lord, which make a better fenfe.

Ch. II. 1. This is a hymn of praise, and a part of it, being an addrefs to God, it is called a prayer. It must have been a compofition committed to writing, and as it related to fo remarkable a perfon as Samuel afterwards was, it was copied by other perfons.

3. In this there is, no doubt, a reference to the infults of Peninnah.

8. Thefe examples of the direction of providence in changing the fates of men are properly alleged, to prevent any fentiment of pride or infolence. The world itfelf being founded by God, every thing in it is at his difpofal. The LXX has the following addition "who giveth to the vower his wish, and bleffes the years of "the juft. For man by his own might is not mighty. "Holy is the Lord. Let not the wife man glory in his

wifdom, nor the mighty man glory in his might, or the "rich man glory in his riches; but in this alone let him "glory, in understanding and knowing the Lord, and "doing judgment and justice in the earth. The Lord "afcendeth the heavens and thundereth. He judgeth "the ends of the earth. To our kings he will give power, and exalt the horn of his anointed. And fhe " left him there before the Lord, and returned to Ramatha." &c. 10 What

10. What the idea of Hannah was in this expreffion is uncertain. It probably was that God could exalt whomfoever he pleafed to the office and power of a king, and fet him above all his enemies.

13. As the meat of the peace offerings was to be eaten in the prefence of the Lord, being, as it were, an entertainment at his table, there were rooms adjoining -to the tabernacle and the temple, in which meat was boiled or roasted for that purpose.

14. The priests were by the law intitled to the breast and the right shoulder; but not content with this, thefe fons of Eli would alfo take of that which belonged to the offerer.

15. The fat was confidered as the Lord's portion; and that the prieft, who was the miniflering fervant of -God fhould be ferved before him, was high'y improper.

16. Not content with the portion allotted to him by the law, or even what he took, in the unjustifiable manner before mentioned, of the boiled meat, he would take other pieces to roaft.

17. They brought the facrifices into contempt, and neglect, by their abufes.

18. There was no particular drefs prefcribed to the Levites, their office being of a fervile nature. This ephod, therefore, would distinguish Samuel from the other Levites. A garment of this kind, which covered the breast and part of the back, was worn by other perfons on folemn occafions, as we find it was by David, 2 Sam. vi, 24.

22. That any person attending the fanctuary fhould be guilty of these fhocking immoralities is very extraor

VOL. I.

Gg

dinary

dinary; tho' they were commonly practised within the precincts of the heathen temples.

25. This may be rendered, wherefore the Lord would slay him.

Thefe offences were more directly in contempt of *God, who was therefore, of course, both the party offended and the judge. In this cafe no mercy could be expected. He should not, however, have contented himfelf with thefe expoftulations, but have interpofed a ju dicial authority, to prevent or punish thefe offences. In this cafe, as in many others, the refractorinefs of thefe men is aftribed to God, as was that of Pharaoh, tho' it arofe from their own natural dispositions, and the pu nishment was the proper confequence of it.

29. From this it is evident that it was in the power of Eli to have prevented the abufes against which he had remonftrated.

32. By enemy may be understood a rival in another branch of the family of Aaron fucceeding to the highpriesthood, as it did in Zadok, who was descended from Phinehas, as Eli was from Ithamar.

36. The heavy judgments here denounced, were, no doubt, fulfilled, but not immediately. For the highpriesthood continued in the family of Eli till Abiathar, ..who was of it, was deposed, and Zadok, defcended from Eleazar, put in his place.

1

Ch. III. 1. It does not appear how old Samuel was at this time, but he was, no doubt, a young man of competent understanding, and not, as has been fuppofed, a mere child. By there being no open vision is probably

meant