Meaning of SAMUEL

«Request to God».
Prophet of Israel (1 Chr. 6:33), he was the first great prophet after Moses, and the last of the Judges.

His father, Elkanah, was a Levite of the family of Kohath, of the house of Izhar, who descended from Zuf (1 Sam. 1:1; 1 Chron. 6:26, 35). This family had received their inheritance on Mount Ephraim (Josh. 21:5; 1 Chron. 6:26, 35).

Elkanah lived in Ramah (1 Sam. 1:1, 19; 2:11). Elkanah had two wives: Peninnah and Anna. The latter, who was barren, begged the Lord to grant her a son, and made a vow to dedicate her entire life to him, apparently as a Nazarite, since she said: "And no razor will come upon his head” (1 Sam. 1:11; cf. Num. 6:1-5).

God granted this request. Ana named the newborn Samuel. When she had weaned him, she took him to the Tabernacle at Shiloh, entrusting him to Eli, the high priest, so that she might train him for the service of the Lord (1 Sam. 1; 2:1-17).

The boy Samuel carried out his task in the presence of the Lord; He wore a simple linen ephod, the garment of the priests when they officiated, and also of the Levites (1 Sam. 2:18).

The child slept in a room next to the Tabernacle, and in the morning he opened the doors of the house of Jehovah and helped Eli (1 Sam. 3:1, 3, 15).

Samuel was only a young man when the Lord revealed to him the judgment that would fall upon the house of Eli, because of his father's foolish indulgence toward his unworthy children (1 Sam. 3:1-18).

Josephus says that Samuel was then twelve years old (Ant. 5:10, 14), a probably correct estimate, but the source of which is unknown.

When Samuel became a young man, all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, recognized that he was a prophet, because the Lord revealed himself to him at Shiloh (1 Sam. 3:20, 21).

Shortly after, the predicted judgment fell on the house of Eli and on Israel: Eli's two sons died on the battlefield, the Philistines seized the ark, and Eli died upon learning this (1 Sam. 4:1-22). .

The Philistines had to return the ark to the Israelites, however, in the face of God's plagues, and it was deposited in Kiriath-jearim, in the house of Abinadab. The spiritual level of the people was then extremely low.

After the death of Eli, Samuel exercised authority, and strove to rectify customs; Twenty years after the restitution of the ark, he had achieved this to some extent.

He then summoned the Israelites to Mizpah, near the place where the ark of the covenant had been taken. The prophet commanded them to confess his sins, fast before Jehovah, and implore his mercy.

Upon learning this, the Philistines attacked the Israelites, who asked Samuel to plead for divine help. The Lord granted the requested help by sending a terrible storm against the Philistines, under which they suffered a tremendous defeat.

While Samuel led the Israelites, the Philistines gave up attacking (1 Sam. 7:3-14). (See PHILISTINES, SAMUEL [BOOKS OF].).

Samuel was both a judge and a prophet. In the exercise of these functions, he went every year to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah. His residence was Ramah, where was a community of prophets who assisted him in his work of reform (1 Sam. 7:15-17; 19:18-20).

In Ramah he set up an altar, because God had abandoned Shiloh. The ark was not available for public worship, the covenant with God had been suspended due to the idolatry and sacrilege of the Israelites.

Samuel was considered the representative of Jehovah (see ALTAR). Under his energetic leadership the country was preserved from foreign domination.

In his old age, Samuel established his two sons in Beersheba as judges over Israel. However, they showed themselves unworthy of such a high position, allowing themselves to be bribed and trampling on justice.

Because of their evil management and the threatening attitude of the pagan nations around them, the elders and the people asked for the establishment of the monarchy.

God commanded the prophet to anoint Saul as king, and then David, after Saul had been rejected (see SAMUEL [BOOKS OF]).

Samuel died while David, fleeing from Saul, was in the desert of En-gedi. He was buried in Ramah; all Israel mourned him (1 Sam. 25:1). The night before the battle of Gilboa, Saul asked a fortune teller to summon Samuel from Sheol (1 Sam. 28:3-25). (See SAUL, b.).

Heman, one of David's singers, was Samuel's grandson (1 Chron. 6:33; cf. v. 28). Samuel is among the heroes of the OT faith (Heb. 11:32).