1:21,22
Elkanah continued to follow the family custom of going up to make the annual sacrifice; it seems that he had made a vow at some point to do this. This time Hannah did not go. We aren’t told why, maybe it was just to look after the boy. Whatever the case, she intends to fulfil her vow. Once the boy is weaned, i.e. no longer absolutely dependent upon his mother, she will take him to the temple and present him there. That will be his lifelong vocation. The vow must have been quite difficult for Hannah, but she was a faithful woman.
1:23-28
Elkanah trusted Hannah, and gave her permission to stay at home. “May the Lord make good his word”, could be “make good your word”. So Hannah did stay at home. Once Samuel was weaned she took him to the temple, along with a three year old bull, flour and wine. Some manuscripts have “three bulls”. Presumably Elkanah went with her. They made the sacrifices and then took the boy to Eli. She reminded him of the time when she had been praying, and he thought she was drunk. She offers the boy for the Lord’s service for the whole of his life. Samuel worshipped the Lord there.
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