1 Samuel 2:11
New International Version
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.

New Living Translation
Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the LORD by assisting Eli the priest.

English Standard Version
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli the priest.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.

King James Bible
And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.

New King James Version
Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest.

New American Standard Bible
Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But the boy continued to attend to the service of the LORD before Eli the priest.

NASB 1995
Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But the boy ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest.

NASB 1977
Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But the boy ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But the young boy ministered to Yahweh before Eli the priest.

Amplified Bible
Elkanah [and his wife Hannah] returned to Ramah to his house. But the child [Samuel] served the LORD under the guidance of Eli the priest.

Christian Standard Bible
Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the LORD in the presence of the priest Eli.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the LORD in the presence of Eli the priest.

American Standard Version
And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto Jehovah before Eli the priest.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Halqanah went on to Ramtha to his house, he and Khannah his wife, and the boy Shemueil was ministering before LORD JEHOVAH, before Eli the Priest

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and departed to Armathaim: and the child ministered in the presence of the Lord before Heli the priest.

Contemporary English Version
Elkanah and Hannah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed to help Eli serve the LORD.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Elcana went to Ramatha, to his house: but the child ministered in the sight of the Lord before the face of Heli the priest.

English Revised Version
And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. But the boy [Samuel] served the LORD under the priest Eli.

Good News Translation
Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed in Shiloh and served the LORD under the priest Eli.

International Standard Version
Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah, while the boy was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli the priest.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.

Literal Standard Version
And Elkanah goes to Ramath, to his house, and the youth has been serving YHWH [in] the presence of Eli the priest;

Majority Standard Bible
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.

New American Bible
When Elkanah returned home to Ramah, the child remained in the service of the LORD under the priest Eli.

NET Bible
Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah. But the boy was serving the LORD under the supervision of Eli the priest.

New Revised Standard Version
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, while the boy remained to minister to the LORD, in the presence of the priest Eli.

New Heart English Bible
Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. The child served the LORD before Eli the priest.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest.

World English Bible
Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. The child served Yahweh before Eli the priest.

Young's Literal Translation
And Elkanah goeth to Ramath, unto his house, and the youth hath been serving Jehovah, in the presence of Eli the priest;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Hannah's Prayer of Thanksgiving
10Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.” 11Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.

Cross References
1 Samuel 1:1
Now there was a man named Elkanah who was from Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

1 Samuel 1:19
The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then returned home to Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.

1 Samuel 1:28
I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD." So they worshiped the LORD there.

1 Samuel 2:18
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD--a boy wearing a linen ephod.

1 Samuel 3:1
And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare and visions were scarce.

1 Samuel 7:17
Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.


Treasury of Scripture

And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister to the LORD before Eli the priest.

minister

1 Samuel 2:18
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

1 Samuel 1:28
Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

1 Samuel 3:1,15
And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision…

Jump to Previous
Boy Child Direction Eli Elkanah Elka'nah Home House Minister Ministered Presence Priest Ramah Servant Serving Youth
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Boy Child Direction Eli Elkanah Elka'nah Home House Minister Ministered Presence Priest Ramah Servant Serving Youth
1 Samuel 2
1. Hannah's song in thankfulness
12. The sin of Eli's sons
18. Samuel's ministry
20. by Eli's blessing Hannah is more fruitful
22. Eli reproves his sons
27. A prophecy against Eli's house














(11-36) The Service of the boy Samuel in the Sanctuary--The Dissolute Life of the Sons of Eli--The Doom of the House of Ithamar.

(11) Elkanah went to Ramah.--These simple words just sketch out what took place after Hannah left her boy in Shiloh. Elkanah went home, and the old family life, with its calm religious trustfulness, flowed on in the quiet town of "Ramah of the Watchers" as it did aforetime; the only disturbing sorrowful element was removed in answer to the mother's prayers, and little children grew up (1Samuel 2:21) round Hannah and Elkanah. But the life of the dedicated child Samuel was a different one; he lived under the shadow of the sanctuary, ministering with his child powers before the altar of the Invisible, and trained, we may well assume, in all the traditions and learning of Israel by the old high priest. The word "minister is the official term used to signify the duties performed by priests and Levites in connection with the service of God.

Verse 11. - The child did minister. Left by his parents at Shiloh, Samuel ministered unto the Lord; that is, certain duties were allotted him to perform suited to his age; but few at first, when he was but three years old, but increasing in importance as time went on; for the words refer to the whole period of his service, until Eli's death. At first Samuel would be but a scholar, for, as we have mentioned on 1 Samuel 1:21, there were, no doubt, regulations for the training of children devoted to the service of the sanctuary. The peculiarity about Samuel was that he was devoted for life, for possibly it was a not uncommon practice for young persons to receive some training at Shiloh; just as we find that Samuel himself subsequently gathered youths round him at Naioth in Ramah for educational purposes. Learning practically was confined to the priesthood, and we can scarcely imagine that the knowledge which Phinehas and the family of Aaron brought with them out of Egypt would be allowed to perish. Samuel certainly had himself received careful instruction (see on 1 Samuel 10:25), and this could scarcely have happened if the training of young persons had not been part of the priests' duties at Shiloh. This then explains why Samuel was brought to Eli at so tender an age, and why the charge of so young a child was undertaken without a murmur. Before Eli means under his general superintendence. Everything done at Shiloh was done before Eli, as being the chief ruler there.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then Elkanah
אֶלְקָנָ֛ה (’el·qā·nāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 511: Elkanah -- 'God has created', the name of several Israelites

went
וַיֵּ֧לֶךְ (way·yê·leḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

home
בֵּית֑וֹ (bê·ṯōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

to Ramah,
הָרָמָ֖תָה (hā·rā·mā·ṯāh)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7414: Ramah -- 'height', the name of several places in Israel

but the boy
וְהַנַּ֗עַר (wə·han·na·‘ar)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5288: A boy, lad, youth, retainer

began ministering
מְשָׁרֵת֙ (mə·šā·rêṯ)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 8334: To attend as a, menial, worshipper, to contribute to

to
אֶת־ (’eṯ-)
Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

before
פְּנֵ֖י (pə·nê)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

Eli
עֵלִ֥י (‘ê·lî)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5941: Eli -- a priest at Shiloh

the priest.
הַכֹּהֵֽן׃ (hak·kō·hên)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest


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OT History: 1 Samuel 2:11 Elkanah went to Ramah to his house (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 2:10
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