Amplified Bible
1 Samuel 2:18
18Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a child dressed in a linen ephod [a sacred item of priestly clothing].
1 Samuel 2:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
- New International Version (NIV)But Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod.
Context of 1 Samuel 2:18
16If the man said to him, “Certainly they are to burn (offer) the fat first, and then you may take as much as you want,” then the priest’s servant would say, “No! You shall give it to me now or I will take it by force.” 17So the sin of the [two] young men [Hophni and Phinehas] was very great before the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord disrespectfully. Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a child dressed in a linen ephod [a sacred item of priestly clothing]. 19Moreover, his mother would make him a little robe and would bring it up to him each year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman in place of the one she asked for which was dedicated to the Lord.” Then they would return to their own home.
Read all of 1 Samuel 21 Samuel 2:18 word by word
וּשְׁמוּאֵ֕ל מְשָׁרֵ֖ת אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה נַ֕עַר חָג֖וּר אֵפ֥וֹד בָּֽד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 2:18
- 1 Samuel 2:11Elkanah [and his wife Hannah] returned to Ramah to his house. But the child [Samuel] served the Lord under the guidance of Eli the priest.
- 1 Samuel 3:1Now the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the Lord under the supervision of Eli. The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; visions [that is, new revelations of divine truth] were not widespread.
- 1 Samuel 22:18So the king said to Doeg, “You turn around and attack the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests, and that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the [priest’s] linen ephod.
- Exodus 28:4These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece and an ephod [for the breastpiece] and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make sacred garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, so that he may serve as a priest to Me.
- Leviticus 8:7He put the undertunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him in the robe, and put the ephod (an upper vestment) on him. He tied the [skillfully woven] band of the ephod around him, with which he secured it to Aaron.
- 2 Samuel 6:14And David was dancing before the Lord with great enthusiasm, and David was wearing a linen ephod [a priest’s upper garment].
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 2:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Girded with a linen ephod - This the Targum translates דבוץ כרדוט אסיר asir cardut debuts, "Girded with a cardit of byssus, or fine linen." The word cardut they seem to have borrowed from the Greek , a tunic, having , i.e., sleeves that came down to, or covered, the hands. This was esteemed an effeminate garment among the Romans. See Buxtorf's Talmudic Lexicon.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Girded with a linen ephod - This was the usual dress of the priests. It does not appear whether Levites wore an ephod properly. Possibly it was a mark of Samuel‘s special dedication to the Lord‘s service that he wore one. (See the marginal reference). The ephod was sometimes used as an idolatrous implement Judges 8:27.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-26Verses 11-26 Samuel, being devoted to the Lord in a special manner, was from a child employed about the sanctuary in the services he was capable of. As he did this with a pious disposition of mind, it was called ministering unto the Lord. He received a blessing from the Lord. Those young people who serve God as well as they can, he will enable to improve, that they may serve him better. Eli shunned trouble and exertion. This led him to indulge his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18The phrase Samuel served the Lord refers to the religious duties of Levites and priests (see, for example, Numbers 3:4; 8:19, 24; Deuteronomy 18:7). Samuel, like Eli's sons, was a Levite (see study note on 1 Samuel 1:1). However, unlike Eli's sons, Samuel performed his duties well. He wore a linen garment similar to what priests wore when serving in the sanctuary (see study note on 1 Samuel 22:18).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child--This notice of his early services in the outer courts of the tabernacle was made to pave the way for the remarkable prophecy regarding the high priest's family. girded with a linen ephod--A small shoulder-garment or apron, used in the sacred service by the inferior priests and Levites; sometimes also by judges or eminent persons, and hence allowed to Samuel, who, though not a Levite, was devoted to…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 2:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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