SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:1
¶ Y el joven Samuel ministraba al SEÑOR delante de Elí; y la palabra del SEÑOR era de estima en aquellos días; no había visión manifiesta.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 3:1
Verse 1. Samuel ministered unto the Lord] He performed minor services in the tabernacle, under the direction of Eli, such as opening the doors, &c. See ver. 15.
The word of the Lord was precious] There were but few revelations from God; and because the word was scarce, therefore it was valuable. The author of this book probably lived at a time when prophecy was frequent, See the preface.
There was no open vision.] There was no public accredited prophet; one with whom the secret of the Lord was known to dwell, and to whom all might have recourse in cases of doubt or public emergency.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 1. And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli , etc.] Under his direction and instruction; the Targum is, in the life of Eli, and in such parts of service, relating to the tabernacle of the Lord, as he was capable of, such as opening and shutting the doors of it, lighting the lamps, singing the praises of God, etc. according to Josephus f66 , and others, he was now about twelve years of age: and the word of the Lord was precious in those days ; that is, a word from the Lord in a dream or vision, directing, informing, instructing, or reproving, this was very rarely had; of late there had been but very few instances; and which accounts for it why not only the child Samuel knew not that it was the voice of the Lord that called to him, but Eli himself thought nothing of it until he had called a third time, so rare and scarce was any instance of this kind; for which reason these words are premised in the following narration: and as everything that is scarce and rare is generally precious, so the word of God in this way also was; and so it is as considered in every view of it; as the written word of God; when there was but little of it penned, as at this time, and few or none to teach and instruct in it, Eli being old, and his sons so vile; or when it is forbidden to be read, and the copies of it destroyed, and become scarce, as in the times of Dioclesian; or when there are but very few faithful evangelical ministers of the word; which, though it is always precious to them that have precious faith in it, the promises of it being exceeding great and precious, and the truths of it more precious than fine gold, and the grand subject of it a precious Saviour, who is so in his person, offices, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; yet is generally more precious when there is a scarcity of it, when God makes a man, a Gospel minister, more precious than fine gold, even than the golden wedge of Ophir, (see Isaiah 13:12) where the word is used in the same sense as here: there was no open vision ; or prophecy, as the Targum; no publicly known prophet raised up, to whom the people could apply for counsel, direction, and instruction in divine things; in all the times of the judges we read only of Deborah the prophetess, and one prophet more, ( Judges 4:14 6:8), excepting the man of God lately sent to Eli, ( 1 Samuel 2:27), and this want of prophecy served to set off with greater foil the glory of Samuel as a prophet of the Lord, when he was an established one; there having been none of that character in the memory of man, and therefore he is spoken of as at the head of the prophets, ( Acts 3:24), for though there might be some private visions to particular persons, or God might appear in vision to private persons for their own special use and instruction; yet there was no public vision, or what was for public good and general use: some render it, “no broken up vision” f67 ; it lay hid, concealed out of sight, as if it was immured and shut up within walls, or like water pent up, that cannot break through its fences, and spread itself; or “not multiplied”, as R. Isaiah, not frequent and repeated, the instances of it few and rare; the sense of this clause is much the same as the former.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 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 tha 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 u never fail to teach those who are coming after us, even such as wil soon be preferred before us, Joh 1:30. Good words should be put int children's mouths betimes, by which they may be prepared to lear Divine things, and be trained up to regard them.
Original Hebrew
והנער 5288 שׁמואל 8050 משׁרת 8334 את 853 יהוה 3068 לפני 6440 עלי 5941 ודבר 1697 יהוה 3068 היה 1961 יקר 3368 בימים 3117 ההם 1992 אין 369 חזון 2377 נפרץ׃ 6555
