Bede — Commentary on Scripture | TrulyRandomVerse

On 1 Samuel

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1 Samuel 3:5
He said, "I did not call," etc. The Scribes and Pharisees deny that they sought the coming of Christ; at whose birth, upon hearing, not only King Herod was troubled, but also all Jerusalem with him. And they instructed to sleep again in the temple the one whom, having repulsed from their disbelief, they sent back to reveal the secrets of the father's child. However, when he was a young man, that is, after the thirtieth year of his age, some from their number believed him to be the Son of God. And this is similar to how Eli, after the third coming of Samuel to him, understood that the Lord was calling him; after the third decade of his years, the Jews knew and believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 3:6
And he said, "Here I am," etc. Let the diligent reader note that the same allegorical interpretation is not always the same as the order of historical truth but alternates in a similar, unequal, or contrary manner. In a similar way, indeed, Samuel's simple youth and Eli's sluggish blindness signify the humility of the Lord Savior and the stubborn foolishness of the Jews. Unequally, however, the dubious words of Samuel saying, "Here I am, for you called me," prefigure the true and certain incarnation of Christ. Contrarily, as lower, David's sin in the matter of Uriah suggests the merciful grace of Christ, by which He condescended to save the nations.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 3:6
And the Lord added to call Samuel again, etc. Let us not tire of repeating in our discussions what neither the Lord tired of saying, nor the historian of repeating in writing. God the Father calls God the Son, not as a man calls another man, by moving the air with words from one place to another; but showing Him, always remaining in His invisible presence, even when He bore man on earth through visible signs. And since Samuel means "God" or "name of God," we might rightly say that the Lord called Samuel when the Father demonstrated His incarnate Son with miracles as the true God, and he responded, "Here I am." To whom the same Son said: "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me" (John 14).

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 3:7
Moreover, Samuel did not yet know the Lord, etc. Moreover, the Savior, whose name is God, was not yet recognized by the carnal as always knowing all the secrets of the Father, nor before He was baptized did John see and bear witness that the heavens were opened to Him, and that the voice of the Father was made upon Him from above. Thus, in the manner of Holy Scripture, the ignorance of the blessed Samuel in his childhood concealed demonstrates the wisdom of the Son of God in the infancy of the flesh. For it is not said in vain: Because in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom (Col. II), clearly to be manifested in the faithful, believing.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 3:8
And the Lord added, and called again Samuel the third time. The Lord calls Samuel the third time, he himself rises the third time and comes to Eli and tells who has called him. The Father showed the Son visible in the flesh, signs of the invisible God, for the third time; namely, in infancy, in boyhood, and in youth. For in infancy, He shone through the angel to the shepherds and with the star to the Magi. In boyhood indeed, when He at twelve years old, showed divine wisdom in the temple, where He Himself said among other things: Because it is necessary for me to be in what is of my Father (Luke II). Moreover, in youth, when the Father Himself from the heavens marked Him after baptism with His voice, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Mark I). But in each of these moments, in which the Son of God is declared by God the Father, He Himself, offering Himself as a mortal man to mortal men, indicated that He was present, who had been long sought, awaited, and desired.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 3:8
Eli understood that the Lord had called the boy, etc. Finally, after many great deeds and words done and spoken by the Lord, after John the Baptist's proclamations were fulfilled, the priests, scribes, and Pharisees understand that Jesus, who in the reality of the flesh was born as a boy to us, is the true contemplator of the highest mysteries of the eternal deity of the fathers; and soon, agreeing to the recognized faith, they desire to behold the divine joy, which is never absent, and wish to hear from God the Father in divinity what must be told to humans in a human way, and, like those who love and know what ought to be done, they admonish Him to do so, just as we often urge God Himself and the angels to show the devotion of our mind, as if agreeing when we know what will be done, to do it quickly and earnestly. For we say to people on earth: Arise, God, and defend your cause (Psalm 74). Stir up your power, and come (Psalm 79). Bless the Lord, all His angels (Psalm 103); and countless similar phrases.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 3:11
And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I am doing a work in Israel, etc. What the prophet previously foretold to Eli about the judgment of his house, meaning its rejection and the substitution of Samuel in the priesthood, the same Samuel now understands through the oracle of God about himself, and he announces it to Eli; because what the prophets heralded by defining the old and introducing the new — that is, the priesthood of Christ's Church — the same Christ, having conversed in the flesh, clearly heard from the Father in secret, where mortals do not have access, reveals openly and plainly to the leaders of the Jews.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 3:14
Therefore, I have sworn to the house of Eli, etc. The house of Eli according to the letter could not be cleansed by the blood of victims, which the iniquity of his sons polluted, but nevertheless, it was cleansed by the blood of martyrdom when so many priests of his lineage were innocently destroyed in the city of Nob for the sake of the grace of paternal hospitality (1 Kings 22). According to the consequence of allegory, the iniquity of the house of Eli, indeed of the whole house of Israel, could not be entirely cleansed by any kind of sacrifices or gifts of good action, until the Lamb of God came, who takes away the sins of the world. For only the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all iniquity (John 1).

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 3:15

Samuel slept until morning, etc. The Lord remained in secret rest with the Father, with whom he ceaselessly arranged and governed all things invisibly, waiting for when, with the night of vices dispelled by the host of virtues, the lights of evangelical truth would reveal themselves, when the shadow of the law departed. And immediately, wherever he saw the dawn of faith rising in anyone's heart by the breath of the Sun of righteousness, opening the more abundant gifts of his Spirit, he promised the hope of entrance to the eternal house in heaven. This happens not only then among the Jews but also among us to this day; for whoever has not yet received the grace of Christ, or having received it, has cast it away by the merits of sins, to this person placed in the night of blindness, Christ, who always watches in the saints, sleeps, and the entrance of the heavenly kingdom is closed to him. But when he receives the light of hoped-for and sought-for forgiveness, immediately the Lord, as if awakened from sleep, opens the doors of virtues, which he had closed at the coming of the evening o…

Samuel slept until morning, etc. The Lord remained in secret rest with the Father, with whom he ceaselessly arranged and governed all things invisibly, waiting for when, with the night of vices dispelled by the host of virtues, the lights of evangelical truth would reveal themselves, when the shadow of the law departed. And immediately, wherever he saw the dawn of faith rising in anyone's heart by the breath of the Sun of righteousness, opening the more abundant gifts of his Spirit, he promised the hope of entrance to the eternal house in heaven. This happens not only then among the Jews but also among us to this day; for whoever has not yet received the grace of Christ, or having received it, has cast it away by the merits of sins, to this person placed in the night of blindness, Christ, who always watches in the saints, sleeps, and the entrance of the heavenly kingdom is closed to him. But when he receives the light of hoped-for and sought-for forgiveness, immediately the Lord, as if awakened from sleep, opens the doors of virtues, which he had closed at the coming of the evening of faithlessness. This sense agrees beautifully with another trope, that while the Lord sleeps, the sailors are in danger; while he awakens, they are freed (Matthew 8).

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 3:19
Samuel grew, etc. The preaching of the Gospel grew, and God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself. The reputation of Jesus grew, and it spread throughout all Syria. Hence John said: He must increase (John 3); and concerning the passing away of the old law like Eli, he immediately added: But I must decrease.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 3:19
"And none of his words fell to the ground." [1 Samuel 3:19] This was said of Samuel, after he had reported to Eli in the morning the divine oracle he had received during the night: "And none of his words fell to the ground," meaning that nothing of what he spoke was in vain, but all things he said came to pass. For the words that fall to the ground are the idle ones, which are to be regarded as nothing and trodden underfoot by everyone in disdain, just as the blessed Job said: "And the light of my face did not fall to the ground" (Job 29), because he had so habituated himself to bearing a countenance of such dignity that he was never resolved into contemptible joy; but whenever he presented himself with a more cheerful disposition to those present, he always did so for their benefit for a good reason.

Questions on the Book of Kings #2
1 Samuel 3:19
And not a word from Him fell to the ground. You will find nothing earthly in the words of the Lord, nor will any of those who think earthly things understand His spiritual sayings. Or certainly it should be said that the Lord, while dwelling in the flesh, deferred the delivery of His word to the Gentiles, who, in comparison to the Jews, were like earth to heaven, yet later He deemed it worthy to call them to faith through the apostles.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 3:20

And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized, etc. And the Catholic, that is, the universal Church, the spiritual Israel, which has been gathered from the beginnings of renouncing the devil to the font of baptism, knows that Jesus Christ, who is called "God with Us," is the preacher of faith. For Dan is interpreted as "judgment." It signifies that time for the Church, of which it is said: "Now is the judgment of this world, now the prince of this world will be cast out" (John 12). Beersheba, however, which is interpreted as "well of the oath," or "seventh well," or "well of satisfaction," signifies the full reception of baptism, when, with the devil exorcised, renounced, and expelled from the heart, each one enters the font of regeneration to be consecrated by the sevenfold grace of the Spirit and to be filled by the abundance of heavenly gifts. Even the very location of these places alludes not insignificantly to the sacraments of the Church, because the terminus of the land of Judea was Dan to the north and Beersheba to the south, a mystical distance well known to those who can…

And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized, etc. And the Catholic, that is, the universal Church, the spiritual Israel, which has been gathered from the beginnings of renouncing the devil to the font of baptism, knows that Jesus Christ, who is called "God with Us," is the preacher of faith. For Dan is interpreted as "judgment." It signifies that time for the Church, of which it is said: "Now is the judgment of this world, now the prince of this world will be cast out" (John 12). Beersheba, however, which is interpreted as "well of the oath," or "seventh well," or "well of satisfaction," signifies the full reception of baptism, when, with the devil exorcised, renounced, and expelled from the heart, each one enters the font of regeneration to be consecrated by the sevenfold grace of the Spirit and to be filled by the abundance of heavenly gifts. Even the very location of these places alludes not insignificantly to the sacraments of the Church, because the terminus of the land of Judea was Dan to the north and Beersheba to the south, a mystical distance well known to those who can sing with the spouse: "Awake, O north wind, and come, south wind, blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out" (Cant. 4). Dan, moreover, is a village about four miles from Paneas towards Tyre, from which place the river Jordan takes its name, as Jor means "river" or "stream" in Hebrew; this also not insignificantly points to the beginning of baptism. Furthermore, Beersheba is a city or village in the tribe of Judah, lying to the south, as we have said. Therefore, all Israel, that is, the people of Christians intent upon the vision of God, from Dan to Beersheba, from the north to the south, that is, from the catechumens to the faithful, from those who have just now expelled the harsh blasts of the ancient enemy, to those who have already been filled with the most radiant warmth of the Holy Spirit, recognizes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believers have eternal life in His name. In this reading, the person of blessed Samuel may well be referred to those very members of Christ, exalted by the merit of pure humility, about whom He Himself says: "Whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18). Those sleeping in the temple of the Lord, that is, who have turned away from the external cares of the world with the whole light of their heart directed solely towards contemplating the divine will above, are taught how the secrets of heavenly judgments are revealed in many ways which the old, blinded, and rejected Eli did not see, just as the Lord Himself, who speaks in the Gospel, says: "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes" (Matt. 11). In this context, the crowned humility of the penitents and the condemned impiety of the proud are presented as an example, so that by these things it is manifestly shown that the hidden things of the wise of the world and the revealed mysteries to the humble are spoken.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 4:1
For Israel went out to meet the Philistines, etc. The people went out, meaning, after gaining knowledge of the law, to openly perform good works which it had learned; and to the extent it could, to root out the error of Gentile customs, by which the hearts of the wicked, intoxicated, were heading toward eternal death. Whence rightly the Philistines are said to fall by drinking. In this struggle, however, Israel cared not so much to call back foreign nations from the pollution of sins as to guard itself, lest it perish by their example.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 4:1
And they encamped beside the stone of Help. And placed all its confidence for spiritual warfare in His aid; of whom it was said: When my heart was troubled, You lifted me up on a rock (Psalm. LX). And elsewhere: The Lord is my rock and my strength (II Kings XXI).

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 4:1
Moreover, the Philistines came to Aphek, etc. As Israel was progressing in the true God, a new fury of envying and corrupting immediately seized the worshipers of many false gods; and this is what it means for the Philistines to draw up their battle lines in Aphek, that is, in new fury against Israel, teaching all the neighboring nations instructed by unclean spirits to present examples of perverse religion or action to scandalize the people of God, which they never ceased to do from the time the law was received until the grace of Christ made both one.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 4:2

When the battle began, Israel turned their backs to the Philistines, etc. Once the conflict between Israel and the pagan peoples broke out over true religion, with the former fighting for the worship of the one true God and the latter for the defense of idols, Israel’s faith failed, and it fell into the errors of the pagans more easily than the pagans could be converted to follow its faith. Nonetheless, a significant portion, although others sinned, remained steadfast in defending the camp of spiritual virtues. Do not think these words refer to the status of the ancient people of God merely allegorically, but also that they have a moral application for you. For whenever you try to fight back unclean spirits in a spiritual venture, not relying on your own strength but trusting in that stone which was cut without hands from the mountain (Dan. II), and which alone knows how to overthrow the kingdoms of the devil, immediately the enemies of truth oppose your every good deed with new fury. However, be careful not to turn the back of your mind to the enemies by sinning, as the apostle Jame…

When the battle began, Israel turned their backs to the Philistines, etc. Once the conflict between Israel and the pagan peoples broke out over true religion, with the former fighting for the worship of the one true God and the latter for the defense of idols, Israel’s faith failed, and it fell into the errors of the pagans more easily than the pagans could be converted to follow its faith. Nonetheless, a significant portion, although others sinned, remained steadfast in defending the camp of spiritual virtues. Do not think these words refer to the status of the ancient people of God merely allegorically, but also that they have a moral application for you. For whenever you try to fight back unclean spirits in a spiritual venture, not relying on your own strength but trusting in that stone which was cut without hands from the mountain (Dan. II), and which alone knows how to overthrow the kingdoms of the devil, immediately the enemies of truth oppose your every good deed with new fury. However, be careful not to turn the back of your mind to the enemies by sinning, as the apostle James warns: Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James IV). Yet since it is written: The outcome of battle is varied, and now the sword consumes one, now another (2 Sam. II), if by chance you have retreated and the enemy has prevailed for a time, if he has trampled the fruitful fields of your good conduct, and boasted that he laid low prudence, fortitude, justice, and temperance, the four most excellent leaders followed by the whole army of virtues, you should not abandon the camp of your best purpose, which you have pitched near the firm rock, but rather with the remedy of humility and repentance restore the lost ranks of virtues with new forces; according to him who said: If the spirit of a ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for composure mitigates great offenses (Eccl. X). Therefore, when the danger of conflict from adversaries presses, offer the Ark of fervent faith as your aid. But if perchance the wicked by mixing in heresy, or by any other kind of deceit, should take it away for a time, still the aid of divine mercy will not fail you, which often allows its own to fall temporarily that, recognizing their own weakness, they might afterwards be more cautious in virtues and kept perfect for rewards. Finally, the Ark soon returns home joyfully and stays in the city’s citadel for twenty years, because virtue often received again through repentance fills the mind even more ardently than before the storm of temptation, and accompanies it to fulfill the complete Decalogue of divine law, and to receive the perpetual joy of the heavenly reward. But now that we have touched on these moral interpretations, let us return to the order of the lesson and seek the new fruits of spiritual allegory in the very old forest of the letter.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 4:3
Why has the Lord struck us down today before the Philistines? etc. The wisest among the people of Israel at that time sought a way to attain salvation, inquiring, in fact, why those who received the law and wanted to fulfill it were unable to accomplish it, and why they were struck down by the Lord before the Philistines—that is, why, with the Lord permitting it and His grace not helping them, they lusted, while reading and being devoted to the law, which says, “Thou shalt not covet” (Exod. 20). Lastly, they found a useful counsel, that by seeking the grace of Christ, which is frequently promised in the Scripture of the law to the fathers (Deut. 5), they might find the grace of Christ signified in the law, through whom they might desire to be freed, that is, they should remember the ark of the covenant placed inside the veil of the tabernacle in Shiloh, and that it be brought by the people to obtain the help of salvation. We have said above in what manner Shiloh holds the type of the law.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 4:3
So the people sent to Shiloh, etc. The people sent in anticipation of their future devotion of faith; and they took unto themselves the grace of God, superior to all things, which they had learned through the occasion of the law, as their helper. It is to be noted that during the whole time of seeking and bringing the ark to themselves, the camps of Israel remained quiet; but when it arrived, they were disturbed by the enemy, because that same people did not hesitate to despise, persecute, and hate in some of its members the faith of the Lord’s Incarnation, which they had eagerly sought to come.

Commentary on Samuel
1 Samuel 4:4
And the two sons of Eli were with the ark of the covenant of the Lord, etc. The sons of Eli, by both name and merit, signify that the people not believing in Christ in the flesh was partly aided by the fault of the priests of that time. Indeed, Ophni means ‘unshod,’ as stated above; Phinehas means ‘dumb mouth.’ The former signifies dissolution of actions, and the latter also signifies the inactivity of teaching, when even the perfect priests should be adorned by the walk of good work and should be free in the voice of preaching.

Commentary on Samuel