1 Samuel 3 (WEB)

God

Also called
LORD, Lord, Father, hosts, Almighty, Holy, GOD, Saviour, last, JEHOVAH, Judge, father, lawgiver, Fathers, dayspring, host, Ancient
Gender
Male
Appears in
Children AdamEve

Yahweh, the Personal Name of God

Word Study | Israel Loken • Hershel Wayne House
יְהֹוָה Yᵉhôvâh ·Strong's H3068

Strictly speaking, the only personal name of God belonging to Him alone, and the most significant name of God found in the Old Testament (over 5000 times).  Yahweh is the approximate (and likely) pronunciation of the tetragrammaton, the four-letter word YHWH.  When Moses asked what His name was to take back to the Hebrews in Egypt, God replied, “I AM THAT I AM (אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה ehyeh esher ehyeh): and he said, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, I AM (אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה, ehyeh, 1st person singular, giving God's declaration of His name) has sent me to you” (Exod 3:14).  Thus God revealed to Moses the very essential meaning of His name as Yahweh (יְהוָ֞ה, Yahweh, 3rd person singular, the response of the people of God, He is).  There is a strong indication that Jesus (or Yeshua, Yahweh is salvation) used this name and its divine implication to apply to himself when he said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (ἐγὼ εἰμί, egō eimi) (John 8:58).  Thus, the very Person who spoke to Moses out of the burning bush was the very same Person who addressed the startled Jews in the Gospel of John.

For a more complete discussion of the personal name of God, see the passage in Exodus in which He reveals His name to Moses, Exodus 3:14, 15.

A Name of God (אֱלֹהִים; 'elohim)

Word Study | Hershel Wayne House
אֱלֹהִים ʼĕlôhîym ·Strong's H430

This is a generic name for the divine being. In the Hebrew Bible, the word is regularly used in the plural in reference to the God of Israel but in regard to His majesty or intensity. The plural has a third person singular with the God of Israel, but a third plural with foreign deities.

Abba, Father

Word Study | Hershel Wayne House • Steve Stanley
Ἀββᾶ Abbâ ·Strong's G5

This Aramaic term is used only three times in the NT and approximately 80 times in the writings of the early church fathers when quoting or paraphrasing Jesus’ words. It is translated by the very next word in this verse as ὁ πατήρ (ho pater) “the Father,” as it is in all three NT uses. Jesus spoke in Aramaic, and Hebrew, both languages being used in Israel. In Jesus’ day, abba was used for the father in the family, and was a customary title for God in prayer among the Jews. It was eventually taken over by Greek-speaking Christians as a liturgical formula. Some posit that abba is equivalent to “daddy,” an American English term for “father.” This assumes that the American informality expressed by children toward their father would have an analogy in Jesus’ culture, an assumption difficult to sustain. It is, therefore, not appropriate to refer to God as “daddy.” Linguistically, then, abba means "father" in Hebrew, Greek and English. It must be noted, however, that while “father” is a term of respect in biblical literature, it is also a term of affection, very deep and abiding affection. With His use of “Abba,” Jesus expresses His respectful and intimate relationship with His Heavenly Father in prayer, a wonderful example for all believers.

Person & place data: Theographic Bible Metadata by Robert Rouse (Viz.Bible), CC BY-SA 4.0.
1 Samuel 3 (WEB)

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.

God