1. Samuel 3:3 Kommentar

In the foregoing chapter we had Samuel a young priest, though by birth a Levite only, for he ministered before the Lord in a linen ephod; in this chapter we have him a young prophet, which was more, God in an extraordinary manner revealing himself to him, and in him reviving, if not commencing, prophecy in Israel. Here is, I. God's first manifestation of himself in an extraordinary manner to Samuel (Sa1 3:1-10). II. The message he sent by him to Eli (Sa1 3:11-14). III. The faithful delivery of that message to Eli, and his submission to the righteousness of God in it (Sa1 3:15-18). IV. The establishment of Samuel to be a prophet in Israel (Sa1 3:19-21).

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 3 This chapter gives an account of the Lord's calling to Samuel in the night season, which he first took for the voice of Eli, but being instructed by him, made answer to the voice, Sa1 3:1, and of a message sent from him by Samuel to Eli, foretelling the destruction of his family, Sa1 3:11 and of the delivery of it to him, which Samuel was first fearful of doing, but, encouraged by Eli, he delivered it to him, to which he patiently submitted, Sa1 3:15 and the chapter is closed with the establishment of Samuel as a prophet of the Lord, who continued to appear and reveal himself to him, Sa1 3:19.

And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord,.... The tabernacle so called; lamp is put for the lamps in the candlestick in the tabernacle, which were lighted every evening, and burnt till morning; by which time some of them at least usually went out, only it is said the western lamp never went out. Now the reason why this is observed is to show that it was in the night, before morning, that the following transaction was: some by this lamp understand the lamp of prophecy, that before that was quite extinct in Eli, only began to depart, as his eyes are said to begin to wax dim, the spirit of prophecy came to Samuel; so that, as the Jews express it, before one sun was set another arose; thus before the sun of Moses set, the sun of Joshua arose; and before the sun of Eli set, the sun of Samuel arose: where the ark of God was; that is, in the temple or tabernacle; not in that part of it where the lamps were burning in the candlestick, that was in the holy place; but the ark was in the holy of holies, where the Lord dwelt, and was the symbol of his presence; and which is observed to point out the place from whence the voice came, after mentioned; and which the Targum expresses here,"and a voice was heard out of the temple of the Lord, where the ark of the Lord was:''and Samuel was laid down to sleep; after Eli was in bed, and Samuel had done all his business, he laid himself down to sleep in his place; in the court of the Levites, as the Targum, with which the Jewish commentators in general agree: it must be somewhere near to Eli, so that he could quickly come at him, when he needed his assistance; though, according to the Misnah (p), the priests shut the doors of the court within, and the Levites slept without. It is highly probable that Samuel's apartment was near to Eli, or he could not have so readily come to him, as it is plain he did. This circumstance is also observed, to show that it was in the night, and before morning, that the following vision was; and, as Kimchi thinks, about cock crowing; and it may be from hence Strabo (q) had the notion, that Moses ordered such to sleep (in the temple) for themselves, and others, who were fit to receive good dreams, and who might expect from God a good gift, who lived soberly and righteously; and because the tabernacle was covered with skins, hence might spring the notion of others to sleep in temples, for the above reason, under the skins of the sacrifices; see Gill on , though they seem rather to have slept upon them, for the above purposes, namely, to converse with their deities, and get knowledge from them (r). (p) Middot, c. 1. sect. 8. (q) Geograph. l. 16. p. 523. (r) Vid. Virgil. Aeneid. 7. "huc dona Sacerdos", &c. ver. 86-95.

It says “The Lord is in his holy temple,” as if it had been appropriate to say “The Lord is his help.” For the Lord’s name alone is commonly inserted as an indication of assistance. But here the psalmist intends to indicate that there is one who lives in the temple and is used for defense and protection, in whom it is able to stand firm securely in hope against all treachery. But what it calls the temple is the tabernacle in which the ark of God was placed, for the temple had not yet been built. That the tabernacle may be called the temple, the testimony of Kings [Samuel] clearly instructs, since the construction of the temple had not begun at the time: “And Samuel was lying down in the temple of God, in which the ark of God was located.”

8. Now rightly the reprobate prelate is said not to sleep but to lie down, while the boy, a subject and one of the elect, is said not to lie down but to sleep, because "to sleep" is sometimes taken in a good sense, while "to lie down" is almost always taken in a bad sense. Hence also the Bride in the Song of Songs says: 'I sleep, and my heart watches' (Song 5:2). In the sleep of the perfect boy, therefore, the rest of every elect subject from wicked work is signified. For he sleeps in the temple and where the ark is who, occupied with heavenly desire and with meditation on Sacred Scripture, does not attend to those things that pertain to perversity. For some sleep in the temple but do not sleep in the place where the ark of God is, because certain simple people rest in heavenly contemplation through love, but do not know how to meditate on the hidden things of sacred speech. But Samuel, who is said to sleep not only in the temple but before the ark of God, signifies the learned and elect subjects alike, because while they draw the flames of their love from sacred Scripture by meditating more frequently, they are raised up more highly to the desire of the heavenly homeland, and they choose, as it were, the innermost parts of the temple for sleep, since they are separated the further from the public activity of earthly work the more secretly they are hidden away through meditation in the sanctuary of inner vision. (Verse 4.) 'And the Lord called Samuel.'

(Verse 3.) Now Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of the Lord was, and the Lord called Samuel. 6. With the blindness of Eli confirmed, the Lord called Samuel, because, with the Jewish priesthood condemned, He took up a new order of preachers unto a greater grace. But He who explained whom He called also showed from where He called; because He declared that Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, where the ark was. For the temple of God is the place where God dwells. Whence it is also said through the Psalmist: "The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's seat is in heaven" (Ps. 10:5). Paul indeed points to this place, saying: "The temple of God is holy, which temple you are" (1 Cor. 3:17). Therefore the temple of God is the soul of each elect person. The temple where the ark of God is kept is the mind, in which the mysteries of the divine word are preserved through understanding. What else, then, is it for him to sleep in the temple, but to persist through the guard of intention in self-examination? Samuel therefore was sleeping in the temple of God, because each preacher of the new grace, when he has perfectly despised all things that are of the world, rested in the inward self-examination of his elect mind. And because he was instructed in the mysteries of divine Scripture, he was sleeping in the temple, where the ark was. 7. And it should be noted that it does not say "he slept" [dormivit], but "he was sleeping" [dormiebat], because indeed he strove to maintain that same watchfulness of his mind not in passing, but in the endurance of perseverance. The sleep of Samuel therefore signifies a perfect contempt of the world in the mind of the teacher. The preacher therefore sleeps in the temple when, having thoroughly driven worldly anxiety from himself, he conceals himself in his mind through the contemplation of spiritual things. For Peter had chosen the rest of this sleep when he said: "It is not right that we should leave the word of God and serve tables" (Acts 6:2). Hence Jethro the Midianite rightly reproved his kinsman Moses, saying: "You will be consumed with foolish labor; but hear my words, and the Lord will be with you. Be you for the people in those things that pertain to God, that you may bring what is said to Him" (Exodus 18:18, 19). Hence Paul calls the Corinthians back to the sleep of the temple, saying: "Already indeed it is a fault in you that you have lawsuits among yourselves. Why do you not rather suffer fraud?" (1 Corinthians 6:7). For he had perceived that those whom the preoccupation of lawsuits was drawing back from spiritual meditation were unable to sleep in the temple of God. He who was sleeping in the temple is therefore said to have been called by the Lord, because that teacher was taken up to know divine secrets who, through the attention of his heart, was dwelling not in outward things but in inward things.

But Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, etc. The Lord, while instructing and ministering spiritual matters to mortals, would suspend the external vision of the mind to fix it in the contemplation of the supreme and innermost light. For they say that the temple, where the divine and heavenly sacraments are, is called a place of contemplation; where the ark of God is, that is, the glory of the supreme Trinity, solely conscious of the divine entire secret. Whence it is said in the Psalm: I kept the Lord always in my sight; because he is at my right hand, that I be not moved (Psalm XIII).

Samuel ministers to the Lord before Eli, Sa1 3:1. He is thrice called by the Lord; who informs him of the evils which shall be brought on the house of Eli, Sa1 3:2-15. Eli inquires of Samuel what the Lord had said, Sa1 3:16, Sa1 3:17. He gives a faithful reunion of the whole, which Eli receives with great submission, Sa1 3:18. Samuel prospers; is established as a prophet in Israel; and the Lord reveals himself to him to Shiloh, Sa1 3:19-21.

Ere the lamp of God went out - Before sunrise; for it is likely that the lamps were extinguished before the rising of the sun. See Exo 27:21; Lev 24:3.

THE LORD APPEARS TO SAMUEL IN A VISION. (Sa1 3:1-10) the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli--His ministry consisted, of course, of such duties in or about the sanctuary as were suited to his age, which is supposed now to have been about twelve years. Whether the office had been specially assigned him, or it arose from the interest inspired by the story of his birth, Eli kept him as his immediate attendant; and he resided not in the sanctuary, but in one of the tents or apartments around it, assigned for the accommodation of the priests and Levites, his being near to that of the high priest. the word of the Lord was precious in those days--It was very rarely known to the Israelites; and in point of fact only two prophets are mentioned as having appeared during the whole administration of the judges (Jdg 4:4; Jdg 6:8). there was no open vision--no publicly recognized prophet whom the people could consult, and from whom they might learn the will of God. There must have been certain indubitable evidences by which a communication from heaven could be distinguished. Eli knew them, for he may have received them, though not so frequently as is implied in the idea of an "open vision."

ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord--The "temple" seems to have become the established designation of the tabernacle, and the time indicated was towards the morning twilight, as the lamps were extinguished at sunrise (see Lev 6:12-13).