Chapter
Verse

1 Samuel 1:24

ESV And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young.
NIV After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.
NASB Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull, one ephah of flour, and a jug of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, although the child was young.
CSB When she had weaned him, she took him with her to Shiloh, as well as a three-year-old bull, half a bushel of flour, and a clay jar of wine. Though the boy was still young, she took him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh.
NLT When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine.
KJV And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh: and the child was young.
NKJV Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young.

What does 1 Samuel 1:24 mean?

The time has come to take Samuel, now a young boy, to the temple in Shiloh and dedicate Him to the Lord for lifelong service. This was Hannah's vow, should the Lord grant her the ability to conceive and give birth to a son (1 Samuel 1:11; Numbers 30:10–15). She has delayed in paying the vow until Samuel was fully weaned and could eat independently of her (1 Samuel 1:22-23). Samuel might be three or four years old at this point.

It was common to offer sacrifices along with paying a vow to the Lord. The expensive sacrifices mentioned here show that Elkanah was wealthy and that the couple placed a high value on the gift God had given to them in Samuel. Throughout the narrative we see that Elkanah and Hannah regularly honored the Lord (1 Samuel 1:3, 15–16, 19–20, 21, 23). They seemed to worship Him in "spirit and truth" (John 4:23). Their sacrifices show not only the value they placed on God having given them a son but on God Himself.

Hannah is said to be the one to bring the sacrifices, but Elkanah was likely with her, as well. He had taken her vow as his own (Numbers 30:10–15; 1 Samuel 1:21). Together, they brought either a three-year-old bull or three bulls, depending on how the Hebrew is translated. They also brought an ephah of flour, which would have been around three-fifths of a bushel or twenty-two liters. They also brought a "skin" of wine, which scholars suggest was around six gallons or twenty-two liters. All of this would be offered to the Lord through the priests as part of dedicating Samuel to the Lord. It is possible some of these offerings were also part of the annual feast.
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