1 Samuel 1:25

1Sa 1:25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.

Ver. 25. And brought the child to Eli.] Not without a gratuity, that he might have the more care of the child.

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.

1Sa 1:25-27. They slew a bullock — The three bullocks mentioned 1Sa 1:22, the singular number being put for the plural, which is frequent. As thy soul liveth — As surely as thou livest. Which asseveration she thought necessary, because this was some years after the fact which she here mentions. For this child I prayed — She had told him nothing of what she prayed for when he reproved her; but only, in general, that she was extremely afflicted for want of something, which she then earnestly begged of God. But now she acquaints him with it, and with the vow she had made if God would grant her desire, which vow she was now come to fulfil.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25. they slew a bullock] The bullock; viz. the one which had been brought as a dedicatory offering with the child: the sacrifice of the others is taken for granted. We may try to picture the scene. Elkanah leads the bullock to the north side of the altar of burnt-offering, in the court before the door of the tabernacle, and binds it to the horns of the altar. Hannah brings her child, and lays his hand on the head of the victim in token that it is his representative; at that moment Elkanah or one of the priests slays it (Lev_1:5). Its blood is sprinkled and its limbs burnt upon the altar, as an emblem of the complete dedication of the child to Jehovah.

The Sept. version differs widely from our present Heb. text, and describes the presentation of Samuel as combined with the yearly sacrifice. “And she went up with him to Selom with a bullock of three years old, and bread, and an ephah of fine flour, and a bottle of wine; and entered into the house of the Lord in Selom: and the child was with them. And they brought him near before the Lord: and his father slew the sacrifice, which he used to offer year by year unto the Lord. And he brought the child near and slew the bullock. And Anna the mother of the child brought him near to Heli, and said,” &c. This may represent a different original text, or be a loose paraphrase.

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.

And they slew a bullock,.... One of the three Hannah brought, unless the singular is put for the plural, and so all three were slain, some for sacrifice, and some for food perhaps; or if only one was slain, it might be offered as a sacrifice previous to the presentation of Samuel; or else was made a present of to Eli, at the introduction of Samuel to him, as follows:

and brought the child to Eli: to be under his care, to he instructed and trained up by him in the service of the tabernacle; from hence it appears that Elkanah the husband of Hannah came along with her at this time.

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

A bullock; either, first, One of the three at the present, reserving the rest for the future. Or, secondly, The three bullocks mentioned 1Sa 1:24, to which the article here added, in the Hebrew, seems manifestly to relate; there being no one bullock there, singled out, to which it can belong. And so it is only an enallage of the singular number for the plural, which is frequent.

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

25. Slew a bullock — One of the three mentioned in the preceding verse. The Hebrew is את הפר, the bullock, that is, the particular one with which the consecration of the child was associated. This mention of one by no means implies that there was only one, or that only one of the three was offered.

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

A bullock - The three bullocks mentioned ver. 24, the singular number being put for the plural, which is frequent.

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

They brought the child to Eili. To show that his prophecy was fulfilled. Our Sages expounded what they expounded, explaining that he [Shmuel] ruled on a point of law, that a kohein is not necessary for sacrificial slaughter, as it is stated in [Maseches] Berachos.

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.

They brought the boy: After they slaughtered the bull for a sacrifice, Elkanah and Channah brought the boy to the House of the Lord to Eli, to reside and study before him; and that [Eli] should educate him about all the Torah and the commandment[s]. And there is no reason to write the homiletical teaching, as it is well-known and it is remote.

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.