1 Samuel 3:17-18

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 3:11-18

Here is, I. The message which, after all this introduction, God delivered to Samuel concerning Eli's house. God did not come to him now to tell him how great a man he should be in his day, what a figure he should make, and what a blessing he should be in Israel. Young people have commonly a great curiosity to be told their fortune, but God came to Samuel, not to gratify his curiosity, but to employ him in his service and send him on an errand to another person, which was much better; and yet... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 3:17

And he said, what is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee ?.... The word "Lord" is not in the text, but it is "that it hath said"; the voice that had so often called him in the night, and which yet Eli knew was the voice of the Lord; and as it was, he was sensible there was something of importance said, and he had great reason to believe it respected him and his family; and the rather he might conclude this, by what the man of God had lately said to him, whose words perhaps he had... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 3:18

And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him ,.... And so approved himself to be a faithful prophet of God, and man of God, as he is afterwards called; the whole counsel of God is to be declared by his servants the prophets, and the ministers of his word; nothing is to be concealed, which it is the will of God should be made known, whether it be pleasing or displeasing to man: and he said, it is the Lord ; that has said it, and there is nothing to be said against it, and that... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 3:17

God do so to thee , and more also - This was a very solemn adjuration: he suspected that God had threatened severe judgments, for he knew that his house was very criminal; and he wished to know what God had spoken. The words imply thus much: If thou do not tell me fully what God has threatened, may the same and greater curses fall on thyself. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 3:18

Samuel told him every whit - Our word whit, or wid, comes from the Anglo-Saxon, which signifies person, thing, etc.; every whit is every thing. The Hebrew הדברים כל את et col haddebarim , "all these words." It is the Lord - He is Sovereign, and will do what he pleases; he is righteous, and will do nothing but what is just. Let him do what seemeth him good - There is much of a godly submission, as well as a deep sense of his own unworthiness, found in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 3:1-18

The old priest and the child prophet. Every imagination must be struck by the contrast between the old man and the child. The more so, that the natural order of things is reversed. Instead of admonition to the child coming through the lips of age, admonition to the aged came through the lips of childhood. 1. THE CHARACTER OF ELI ILLUSTRATED . 1 . His good points. The Lord had ceased to speak to or by Eli; but when the old priest perceived that the Lord had spoken to the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 3:15-21

Diverse experiences. The principal facts are— 1 . Samuel, on entering upon his daily duties, fears to relate to Eli what had been told him. 2 . Eli, under the action of conscience, and convinced that something important has been communicated, employs strong pressure to obtain it from Samuel. 3 . Eli, hearing the account, recognises the righteousness of the judgment. 4 . Samuel's position as prophet is established through the land. Samuel rose a new youth. During one night... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 3:16-18

God do so to thee, etc. This adjuration shows how great had been the agony of Eli's suspense, yet, true to his sluggish nature, he had waited patiently till the morning came. Then he summons Samuel to him, calling him lovingly my son , and everything tends to show that there was a real affection between the two. He next asks, What is the thing that he hath said unto thee? The A.V. greatly weakens this by inserting the words "The Lord." The original is far more suggestive. Put quite... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 3:18

Resignation. "It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good." The sentence which was pronounced on Eli and his house was almost as severe as can be conceived. But the manner in which it was received by him shows that, notwithstanding the defects of his character, he possessed the "spirit of faith," which shone like a spark of fire amidst the ashes and gloom of his closing days. He did not refuse to admit its Divine Author, did not question its justice, did not rebel against it and seek... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 3:18

It is the Lord ... - Compare the devout submission of Aaron Leviticus 10:3, and of Hezekiah 2 Kings 20:19. And, for the highest conceivable submission to the will of God, compare Luke 22:42. read more

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