1 Samuel 3:15

15. Doors of the house “Originally, when the tabernacle was simply a tent, travelling with the people from place to place, it had only curtains at the entrance to the holy place and court. But when Israel had become possessed of fixed houses in the land of Canaan, and the dwelling-place of God was permanently erected at Shiloh, instead of the tents that were pitched for the priests and Levites, who encamped round about during the journey through the desert, there were erected fixed houses, which were built against or inside the court, and not only served as dwellings for the priests and Levites who were officiating, but were also used for the reception and custody of the gifts that were brought as offerings to the sanctuary. These buildings, in all probability, supplanted the original tent-like enclosure around the court; so that, instead of the curtains at the entrance, there were folding doors, which were shut in the evening and opened in the morning.” Keil.

Samuel feared to show Eli the vision His fear arose from the sad and dreadful nature of what the Lord had told him. The word vision implies something more than a mental process. It was an external appearance. See note on 1 Samuel 3:10.