1The child Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli. Yahweh’s word was rare in those days. There were not many visions, then. 2At that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see), 3and God’s lamp hadn’t yet gone out, and Samuel had laid down in Yahweh’s temple where God’s ark was, 4Yahweh called Samuel. He said, “Here I am.”
5He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; for you called me.”
He said, “I didn’t call. Lie down again.”
He went and lay down. 6Yahweh called yet again, “Samuel!”
Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; for you called me.”
He answered, “I didn’t call, my son. Lie down again.” 7Now Samuel didn’t yet know Yahweh, neither was Yahweh’s word yet revealed to him. 8Yahweh called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; for you called me.”
Eli perceived that Yahweh had called the child. 9Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down. It shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10Yahweh came, and stood, and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.”
11Yahweh said to Samuel, “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even to the end. 13For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves, and he didn’t restrain them. 14Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be removed with sacrifice or offering forever.”
15Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of Yahweh’s house. Samuel was afraid to show Eli the vision. 16Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!”
He said, “Here I am.”
17He said, “What is the thing that he has spoken to you? Please don’t hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke to you.”
18Samuel told him every bit, and hid nothing from him.
He said, “It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him.”
19Samuel grew, and Yahweh was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Yahweh. 21Yahweh appeared again in Shiloh; for Yahweh revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by Yahweh’s word.
Beersheba (or Beersheva) is a small but important Biblical town, the central town of the southern dry area known as the Negev. The small tel has two small often dry creek beds (nahalim) on either side, and thus afforded a good place for digging wells. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree and called on the name of the LORD (21:33), after having made a pact with Abimelech. Beersheva is understood as meaning either “well of seven” or “well of the oath”, either way referring to the pact with Abimelech (Gen 21:31). Hagar and Ishmael were sent out in the wilderness of Beersheva (Gen 21:14) and Isaac built an altar there (Gen 26:15-33). God was revealed here to Hagar (21:17), Isaac (26:24), Jacob (46:2), and to Elijah (1 Kgs 19:5). Beersheva is the proverbial southern marker of the Land of Israel with the phrase “from Dan to Beersheva” (Judgs 20:1; 1 Sam 3:20, etc.) between which is 150 miles. Samuel’s corrupt sons are known to be judging there (1 Sam 8:2) and Saul fortified it against the Amalekites (1 Sam 14:48 and 15:2-9) which paved the way for David to have it as a central city as seen in the census of Joab (2 Sam 24:2ff.) In the Karnak temple in Egypt, Beersheba is known as the “Fort Abram” probably relating to Shishak’s conquest of Israel in 925 BC. Zibiah, the mother of King Jehoash, was born there (2 Kgs 12:1; 2 Ch 24:1). The archaeologist Yohanan Aharoni and others have excavated Tel Beersheva, finding an ancient Israel gate and well, as well as an impressive water system dated to the eighth century. A broken down horned and hewn altar (the stones were found reused in various walls) may have been that which was criticized by Amos (5:5 and 8:14) and torn down by King Hezekiah (2 Kgs 18:4).