W  And  EH  said  unto  her.— The  LXX.  or
Septuag^t  attempts  to  soften  the  harshness  of  the
high  priest  to  Hannah  by  inserting  before  Eli  the
word  "servant,"  or  "young  man,"  thus  suggesting
that  the  hard,  unjust  words  were  spoken  by  an  atten-
dant. But  it  isclear  that  the  English  TersiGn  repre-
sents  the  true  text  here,  for  in  the  next  verse  Hannah
replies  directly  to  Eli  with  the  simple  words  "No,
my  lord."

i^)  HfOf  my  lord,  I  am  a  woman  of  a  Borrowfbl
spirit  .  .  . — Calvin,  quoted  by  Erdmann,  well  re-
marks here : — "  Consider  the  mqdeety  of  Hannah,  who^


296


Birth  and  DedictUion


I.  SAMUEL,  I.
o/SamueL


fore  the  Lobd.  t^*>  Count  not  thine
handmaid  for  a  daughter  of  Belial :  for
out  of  the  abundance  of  my  ^complaint
and  grief  have  I  spoken  hitherto.  ^^^^Then
Eli  answered  and  said.  Go  in  peace  :  and
the  Grod  of  Israel  grant  thee  thy  petition
that  thou  hast  asked  of  him.  (^)  And
she  said.  Let  thine  handmaid  find  grace
in  thy  sight.  So  the  woman  went  her
way,  and  did  eat,  and  her  countenance
was  no  more  sad.
(^)  And  they  rose  up  in  the  morning
early,  and  worshipped  before  the  Lord,
and  returned,  and  came  to  their  house
to  fiamah :  and  Elkanah  knew  Hannah
his  wife;  and  the  Lqbd  remembered  her.
^*>  Wherefore  it  came  to  pass,  when  *the
time  was  come  about  after  Kanna.h  had
conceived,  that  she  bare  a  son,  and  called


1  Or,  medUatiom.
S  Rrb..  revoluHon


S  TImt  is.  Atktd  of
Ood,


B.C.
clr.  ll»


his  name  'Samuel,  saying.  Because  I
have  asked  him  of  the  Lobd.
