1 Samuel 1:20

SAMUEL BORN. (Sa1 1:20)

called his name Samuel--doubtless with her husband's consent. The names of children were given sometimes by the fathers, and sometimes by the mothers (see Gen 4:1, Gen 4:26; Gen 5:29; Gen 19:37; Gen 21:3); and among the early Hebrews, they were commonly compound names, one part including the name of God.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

1Sa 1:20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, [saying], Because I have asked him of the LORD.

Ver. 20. That she bare a son.] A singular son, Quem Deus immortalis nasci voluit ut esset in quo virtus per omnes numeros hominibus efficaciter se ostenderet, {a} whom God would have [to be] born for a pattern of piety.

And called his name Samuel,] i.e., Asked of God; sent me as a return of prayer, and therefore the more dear unto me: -

“ Quoniam charissima semper

Munera sunt, Author quae preciosa facit. ”

{a} Sic de Scipione, Val. Max.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 20. Called his name Samuel] As she gave this name to her son because she had asked him of the Lord, the word שמואל Shemuel must be here considerably contracted; if it express this sentiment, the component parts of it are the following: שאול מאל shaul meEl, "asked of God.' This name would put both the mother and the son in continual remembrance of the Divine interposition at his birth. See on 1Sa 1:28.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(20) And called his name Samuel.—The words translated “because I have asked him of the Lord,” do not explain the meaning of the name “Samuel ” they simply give the reason for his mother so calling him. The name Sh’muel (Samuel) is formed from the Hebrew words Sh’mua El (a Deo exauditus), “heard of God.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20. Wherefore] Simply And.

to Ramah] See note on Ramathaim-Zophim in 1Sa_1:1.

Samuel] This name, in Hebrew Shemuel, is familiar to us only in its Latin dress. It was borne by two other persons in the O. T. (Num_34:20; 1Ch_7:2). Three explanations of it are proposed: (a) “Name of God”: (b) “Asked of God”: (c) “Heard of God”: of which the last is the most probable; compare Ishmael = “God heareth.” Hannah gives the child a name which will be a continual memorial of God’s answer to her prayer. It found a subsequent appropriateness in the fervency and efficacy of his own prayers.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about, after Hannah had conceived,.... Or, "at the revolutions of days" (b); at the end of a year, of a complete year, as Ben Melech, from their return from Shiloh; for it might be some time after their return that she conceived; or rather the sense is, that at nine months' end, the usual time of a woman's going with child from her conception, which is the date here given:

that she bare a son: was brought to bed of a son:

and called his name Samuel, saying, because I have asked him of the Lord; one would think rather his name should have been Saul, for the reason given; but, as Ben Gersom observes, givers of names are not always grammatically strict and critical in them, or in the etymology of them, as in the names of Reuben and Noah, in which he instances; and this may be the rather overlooked in a woman, than in a man of learning. According to Kimchi, it is as if it was Saulmeel; that is, "asked of God", and by contraction Samuel; but Hillerus (c) gives a better account of this name, and takes it to be composed of Saul-mul-el, "asked before God", "in the sight of God", "before the ark of God". This name Hannah gave her son (for sometimes the father, and sometimes the mother, gave the name) in memory of the wonderful favour and goodness of God in granting her request; and to impress her own mind with a sense of the obligation she lay under, to perform her vow, and to engage her son the more readily to give up himself to the service of God, when he reflected on his name, and the reason of it.

(b) "in revolutionibus dierum", Montanus; so Piscator. (c) Onomastic. Sacr. p. 418, 419, 487.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Samuel - i. e. heard of God, because given in answer to prayer. The names “Ishmael” and “Elishama” have the same etymology.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

About, at the expiration of the year, which term the ancients frequently allowed between the conception and the nativity, Genesis xviii. 10. --- Samuel. This name imports, asked of God. (Challoner) --- Some letters are omitted for the easier pronunciation, as the Hebrews would now write it, Saul-meel; (Calmet) or it may signigy, "God placed him," sum-hal. (Tirinus) --- Shaal means, "to ask." But Vatable thinks that Anna retained only the first letter. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

So the sense is, When the usual time from the conception to the birth was past, she brought forth her son. Heb. in or after the revolution, or expiration of some days, Hannah conceived, and in due time

bare a son. So the meaning is, That although her husband knew her conjugally at his return, and God was minded of her, and intended in his time to give her his blessing, yet she did not conceive at first, but after some days or time afterwards.

And called, i.e. she called, not doubting of her husband’s consent to the name. The names of children were given to them sometimes by their fathers, and sometime by the mothers. See Gen 4:1,26; 5:29; 21:3; 19:37,38, &c.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

20. Called his name Samuel — This name (שׁמואל) is a contraction of שׁמוע אל, heard of God, and alludes to the fact that God heard Hannah’s prayer for a child. Some derive the name from שׁם אל, name of God, which etymology, though possible, does not well agree with the comment of the immediate context. The derivation from שׁאול מאל, asked of God, though agreeing well with the comment of the context, is too artificial and farfetched. “The words Because I have asked him of the Lord are not an etymological explanation of the name, but an exposition founded upon facts. Because Hannah had asked him of Jehovah, she named him the God-heard, as a memorial of the hearing of her prayer.” — Keil. “His name,” says Smith, (Old Testament History,) “is expressive of the leading feature of his whole history, the power of prayer. Himself the child of prayer, he gained all his triumphs by prayer; he is placed at the head of those ‘who called upon Jehovah and he answered them.’”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Samuel - That is, Asked of God.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

And as the seasons and days passed. The minimum of seasons [תְּקוּפוֹת] is two, and the minimum of days [יָמִים] is two. Hence, [she gave birth] after six months [=two seasons] and two days. From here [we learn] that a woman who gives birth in her seventh month of pregnancy, can give birth after entering part of the seventh month.

Shmuel. After the Name of God [א־ל], and in reference to the incident he was so called, for I requested [שָׁאַל] him of הַשֵׁם[=מא־ל].

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

As the cycles and days passed: The days of her pregnancy - like its translation [in Targum Yonatan], "at the time of the completion of the days." And the explanation of, "and Channah conceived," is that she had already conceived. For when they returned from Shiloh, Elkanah, her husband, knew her intimately; and she conceived - as it is written [in the previous verse], "and the Lord remembered her." "The cycles and days" - that is when the days of pregnancy were completed, she gave birth to a son. And there are [instances of the letter,] vav [such as at the beginning of this verse] like this, indicating the past - like (Isaiah 64:4), "indeed, You were angry and we sinned" (the vav here changes the second phrase from being future to being past); (Exodus 14:21) "and the waters were split" (the vav here too changing the future to past); and those similar to them. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said that the days of her pregnancy were six months and two days - the minimum of "cycles" is two, and the minimum of "days" is two; and a cycle is three months. And we learn from this [that] a woman who gives birth in her seventh month can give birth with cut off (partial) [months].

Shmuel: This word is constructed for this reason from, "I requested him from the Lord." As there are the letters of, shaul (requested), in Shmuel, and there are also the letters of, me'El (from God). It as is if she said, "Requested from God."

For I requested him from the Lord: It is lacking the word, said. Meaning to say, why did she call his name Shmuel? Because she said, "I requested him from the Lord." And it is like the Targum Yonatan, "For I said, 'I requested him before the Lord.'"

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.