¹ tc LXX “Eli’s servant.”

¹ tn Heb “before Eli.”

³ tc LXX “Eli and his two sons.”

² tn Heb “they”; the referent (Eli’s sons) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “him”; the referent (Eli’s ancestor, i.e., Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn The term נַעַר (naʿar), here translated “boy,” often refers to a servant or apprentice in line for a position of authority. The same term describes Samuel in vs 11 and Eli’s sons in vs 17. The repetition helps establish the contrast between Samuel and Eli’s sons.

¹ tn Heb “Eli.” The pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.

³ sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).

¹ tn The term נַעַר (naʿar), here translated “young men,” often refers to a servant or apprentice in line for a position of authority. The same term describes Samuel in vs 11 and 18. The repetition helps establish the contrast between Samuel and Eli’s sons.

² tn Heb “they did not know the Lord.” The verb here has the semantic nuance “acknowledge [the authority of].” Eli’s sons obviously knew who the Lord was; they served in his sanctuary. But they did not acknowledge his moral authority.

¹ tn Heb “after eating in Shiloh, and after drinking.” Since Hannah had refused to eat, it must refer to the others. The Hebrew also sets off the phrase “and after drinking” probably to prepare the reader for Eli’s mistaken assumption that Hannah had had too much too drink.

¹ tn The term נַעַר (naʿar), here translated “boy,” often refers to a servant or apprentice in line for a position of authority. A decade or more has probably passed since Hannah brought him to Eli.

¹ tn The Qal of this verb, צָפָה (tsafah), means “to look.” (The more common word for “to see” is רָאָה, raʾah). Here the ptc. is Piel, which means “to be on the lookout for, look” (HALOT 1045 s.v. I צָפָה). Since we are told later that Eli could not see (which may mean that his eyesight was poor), the important part of using this verb is that Eli positioned himself to get the news as soon as it arrived.

¹ tc The LXX is longer, reading: “They brought [him] before the Lord and his father slaughtered the sacrifice which he would bring to the Lord from time to time. And he brought the child and slaughtered the calf. And Hannah, the child’s mother, brought him to Eli.”