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the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

1 Samuel 2:18

But Samuel served the Lord . He was a helper who wore the linen ephod.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Ephod;   Hannah;   Hophni;   Samuel;   Thompson Chain Reference - Children;   Ephod;   Helpful Children;   Home;   Samuel;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ephod, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ephod;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Eli;   Ephod;   Hannah;   Samuel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Samuel, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ephod;   Linen;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ephod;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Dress;   Linen;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Mary;   Priests and Levites;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ephod;   Hannah ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Hannah;   Hophni;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Abner;   Eli;   Ephod;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Samuel the Prophet;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Abiathar;   David;   Dress;   Elkanah;   Ephod (1);   Images;   Linen;   Samuel;   Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ephod;   Flax;   Priest;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Samuel served in the Lord’s presence—this mere boy was dressed in the linen ephod.
Hebrew Names Version
But Shemu'el ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen efod.
King James Version
But Samuel ministered before the Lord , being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
Lexham English Bible
Now Samuel was serving before Yahweh, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.
English Standard Version
Samuel was ministering before the Lord , a boy clothed with a linen ephod.
New Century Version
But Samuel obeyed the Lord . As a boy he wore a linen holy vest.
New English Translation
Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord . The boy was dressed in a linen ephod.
Amplified Bible
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD, as a child dressed in a linen ephod [a sacred item of priestly clothing].
New American Standard Bible
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Now Samuel being a yong childe ministred before the Lord, girded with a linen Ephod.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now Samuel was ministering before Yahweh, as a young boy girded with a linen ephod.
Contemporary English Version
The boy Samuel served the Lord and wore a special linen garment
Complete Jewish Bible
But Sh'mu'el ministered in the presence of Adonai , wearing a linen ritual vest even though he was only a child.
Darby Translation
And Samuel ministered before Jehovah, a boy girded with a linen ephod.
George Lamsa Translation
But the boy Samuel ministered before the LORD, and he wore a linen ephod.
Good News Translation
In the meantime the boy Samuel continued to serve the Lord , wearing a sacred linen apron.
Literal Translation
And Samuel was serving before Jehovah, a boy girded with an ephod of linen.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Samuel was a mynister before the LORDE, and the childe was gyrded with an ouer body cote of lynnen.
American Standard Version
But Samuel ministered before Jehovah, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
Bible in Basic English
But Samuel did the work of the Lord's house, while he was a child, dressed in a linen ephod.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But the childe Samuel ministred before the Lorde, girded with a linnen Ephod.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
King James Version (1611)
But Samuel ministred before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linnen Ephod.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Samuel ministered before the Lord, a child girt with a linen ephod.
English Revised Version
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
Berean Standard Bible
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD-a boy wearing a linen ephod.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
`Forsothe Samuel, a child gird with a lynnun clooth, mynystride bifor the face of the Lord.
Young's Literal Translation
And Samuel is ministering [in] the presence of Jehovah, a youth girt [with] an ephod of linen;
Update Bible Version
But Samuel ministered before Yahweh, being a lad, girded with a linen ephod.
Webster's Bible Translation
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, [being] a child, girded with a linen ephod.
World English Bible
But Samuel ministered before Yahweh, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
New King James Version
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod.
New Living Translation
But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord . He wore a linen garment like that of a priest.
New Life Bible
Now Samuel was serving the Lord, even as a boy, wearing a linen vest.
New Revised Standard
Samuel was ministering before the Lord , a boy wearing a linen ephod.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, as for Samuel, he was ministering before Yahweh, - a boy girded with an ephod of linen.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But Samuel ministered before the face of the Lord: being a child girded with a linen ephod.
Revised Standard Version
Samuel was ministering before the LORD, a boy girded with a linen ephod.
THE MESSAGE
In the midst of all this, Samuel, a boy dressed in a priestly linen tunic, served God . Additionally, every year his mother would make him a little robe cut to his size and bring it to him when she and her husband came for the annual sacrifice. Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, " God give you children to replace this child you have dedicated to God ." Then they would go home.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.

Contextual Overview

11 Elkanah and his family went home to Ramah, but the boy stayed in Shiloh and served the Lord under Eli the priest. 12 Eli's sons were evil men who did not care about the Lord . 13 They did not care about how priests were supposed to treat people. Whenever someone brings a sacrifice, priests are supposed to put the meat in a pot of boiling water. Then their servant is supposed to get the three-pronged fork 14 and use it to get some meat out of the pot or kettle. The priest is supposed to take whatever his helper removes from the pot with the special fork. This is what the priests should have done for the Israelites who came to offer sacrifices at Shiloh. 15 But that is not what the sons of Eli did. Even before the fat was burned on the altar, their servant would go to the people offering sacrifices and say, "Give the priest some meat to roast. The priest won't accept boiled meat from you." 16 Maybe the man offering the sacrifice would say, "Burn the fat first, and then you can take whatever you want." But the servant would answer: "No, give me the meat now. If you don't give it to me, I'll take it from you!" 17 In this way Hophni and Phinehas showed that they did not respect the offerings made to the Lord . This was a terrible sin against the Lord . 18 But Samuel served the Lord . He was a helper who wore the linen ephod. 19 Every year Samuel's mother made a robe for Samuel. She took the little robe to Samuel when she went up to Shiloh with her husband for the sacrifice every year. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife. He would say, "May the Lord give you more children through Hannah who will take the place of the boy she prayed for and gave to the Lord ." Elkanah and Hannah went home.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ministered: 1 Samuel 2:11, 1 Samuel 3:1

a linen ephod: 1 Samuel 22:18, Exodus 28:4, Leviticus 8:7, 2 Samuel 6:14

Reciprocal: Judges 11:31 - shall surely Judges 11:39 - to his vow 1 Samuel 1:22 - and there 1 Kings 18:12 - from my youth 1 Chronicles 15:27 - a robe 2 Chronicles 34:1 - eight years Ecclesiastes 12:1 - Remember Hosea 3:4 - ephod Matthew 11:25 - and hast Matthew 19:14 - Suffer Matthew 20:2 - he sent Luke 1:66 - And the Luke 2:40 - the child Acts 3:24 - Samuel 2 Timothy 3:15 - from Hebrews 11:32 - Samuel

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
God looked at everything he had made. And he saw that everything was very good. There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the sixth day.
Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God took dust from the ground and made a man. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nose, and the man became a living thing.
Genesis 2:9
Then the Lord God caused all the beautiful trees that were good for food to grow in the garden. In the middle of the garden, he put the tree of life and the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil.
Genesis 2:11
The name of the first river was Pishon. This river flowed around the entire country of Havilah.
Genesis 2:12
(There is gold in that country, and that gold is pure. A kind of expensive perfume and onyx are also found there.)
Genesis 2:13
The name of the second river was Gihon. This river flowed around the whole land of Cush.
Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman you put here with me gave me fruit from that tree. So I ate it."
Ruth 3:1
Then Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, said to her, "My daughter, maybe I should find a husband and a good home for you. That would be good for you.
Proverbs 18:22
If you find a wife, you have found something good. She shows that the Lord is happy with you.
1 Corinthians 7:36
A man might think that he is not doing the right thing with his fiancée. She might be almost past the best age to marry. So he might feel that he should marry her. He should do what he wants. It is no sin for them to get married.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But Samuel ministered before the Lord,.... The ministration of Samuel, though a child, is observed both before and after the account of the ill behaviour and wickedness of Eli's sons; partly to the shame and disgrace of them, and as serving to aggravate their sin, and make it appear the more black and heinous; and partly to his honour and reputation, that he was not corrupted and turned aside from God by their evil practices. The phrase here used is different from that in 1 Samuel 2:11 there he is said to minister before Eli, under his direction and guidance, but here before the Lord; being now engaged in higher services, and which he could perform without the assistance of Eli, as in the presence of God more immediately; it seems to have respect to him when more grown in age, stature, knowledge, and experience, though here related: yet still being "a child"; not got out of his childhood, or arrived to manhood:

girded with a linen ephod; such as priests used to wear, but not Levites in common, nor extraordinary persons on extraordinary occasions, see 1 Samuel 22:18. This seems to be a peculiar favour, and a special honour which Eli granted to Samuel when so very young, on account of the grace of God bestowed on him in a wonderful manner; and because brought up in the tabernacle as a holy person, and a Nazarite; and because his birth was foretold, and he asked of God, as his name signified, as Procopius Gazaeus observes.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Girded 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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 2:18. Girded with a linen ephod — This the Targum translates אסיר כרדוט דבוץ asir cardut debuts, "Girded with a cardit of byssus, or fine linen." The word cardut they seem to have borrowed from the Greek χειριδωτος, a tunic, having χειριδας, 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.


 
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