Live-Wire Bible Study - Day 78 - 1 Samuel 1–2 · Acts 5 · Psalm 120 - FeedTheGoodHorse

A year-long cultural and psychological reading of the entire Bible. An enduring human text.

 ← Day 77 | About | Day 79 →

Day 78: 1 Samuel 1–2 · Acts 5 · Psalm 120 · Commentary · Commentary² · Audio

---

• The Bible text is included for reading continuity; it is accurate in substance, aligned with major modern translations, and may be read alongside any Bible you prefer.¹

Special Note about the following Bible text: The following translation uses the Hebrew terms tamé (טָמֵא) and tahor (טָהוֹר) instead of the traditional “unclean” and “clean.” These terms describe ritual status in relation to sanctuary access, not moral fault, shame, or physical dirtiness. A fuller explanation will follow in a dedicated article.

1 Samuel 1

There was a man from Ramathaim, from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

He had two wives. The name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

This man went up from his town year after year to bow down and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the Lord there.

On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, because he loved Hannah, though the Lord had closed her womb.

Her rival would provoke her repeatedly, to trouble her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it happened year after year: whenever she went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her. Then she would weep and would not eat.

Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart troubled? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose. Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.

She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept intensely. She made a vow and said, “Lord of hosts, if you truly look on the affliction of your servant and remember me, and do not forget your servant, but give to your servant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor will touch his head.”

As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli watched her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.

Eli said to her, “How long will you remain drunk? Put away your wine from you.”

Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have not drunk wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my life before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken from the abundance of my complaint and my grief until now.”

Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your request that you have asked of him.”

She said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer downcast.

They rose early in the morning and bowed down before the Lord. Then they returned and came to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.

In due time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I asked for him from the Lord.”

The man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “When the child is weaned, then I will bring him, so that he may appear before the Lord and remain there permanently.”

Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems good to you. Stay until you have weaned him. Only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.

When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. The child was young.

Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the child to Eli.

She said, “Please, my lord, as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my request that I asked of him. Therefore I now give him to the Lord. All the days of his life he is given to the Lord.”

And he bowed down there before the Lord.

1 Samuel 2

Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
my strength is lifted up in the Lord.
My mouth opens wide against my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.

There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides you,
there is no rock like our God.

Do not multiply proud speech;
do not let arrogance come from your mouth,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.

The bows of the mighty are broken,
but those who stumble are equipped with strength.

Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry cease to hunger.
Even the barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children grows weak.

The Lord causes death and gives life;
he brings down to Sheol and brings up.

The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he lifts up.

He raises the lowly from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to seat them with nobles
and to give them a seat of honor.

For the foundations of the earth belong to the Lord,
and he has set the world upon them.

He guards the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked are silenced in darkness,
for not by strength does a human prevail.

Those who oppose the Lord are shattered;
against them he thunders in heaven.
The Lord judges the ends of the earth.
He gives strength to his king
and lifts up the strength of his anointed.”

Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. The boy served the Lord before Eli the priest.

Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not acknowledge the Lord.

The custom of the priests with the people was this: when anyone offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. He would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot, and whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the people of Israel who came there.

Even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give meat to roast for the priest, for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

If the person said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take whatever you desire,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.”

Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

Samuel was serving before the Lord as a boy, clothed with a linen ephod.

His mother made him a small robe and brought it to him year after year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you offspring from this woman in place of the one she gave to the Lord.” Then they would return to their home.

The Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.

Now Eli was very old, and he heard everything his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

He said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading. If one person sins against another, God may mediate for him; but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they did not listen to the voice of their father, for the Lord intended to put them to death.

Now the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with people.

A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not reveal myself to the house of your ancestor when they were in Egypt, subject to the house of Pharaoh? Did I choose him from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? Did I give to the house of your ancestor all the offerings of the people of Israel made by fire?

Why do you trample on my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded in my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the best parts of every offering of my people Israel?’

Therefore this is the declaration of the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your ancestor would walk before me permanently,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me will be treated lightly.

Look, days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestor’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.

You will look with distress at the dwelling while prosperity comes to Israel, and there will not be an old man in your house forever.

Yet I will not cut off every one of yours from my altar, to cause your eyes to fail and your life to waste away, and all the increase of your house will die in the prime of life.

This will be the sign to you that will come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on one day both of them will die.

I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will act according to what is in my heart and in my life. I will build him a lasting house, and he will walk before my anointed permanently.

Everyone who remains in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and will say, “Please assign me to one of the priestly duties, so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’

Acts 5

But a man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property. With his wife’s knowledge he kept back part of the proceeds, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the feet of the apostles.

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart for you to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And after it was sold, was it not under your authority? Why have you set this deed in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.”

When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. Great fear came upon all who heard of it. The younger men stood up, wrapped him, carried him out, and buried him.

About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to her, “Tell me, did you sell the land for this amount?”

She said, “Yes, for that amount.”

Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear came upon the whole assembly and upon all who heard these things.

Now many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles, and they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high regard. More than ever, believers in the Lord were being added, large numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and mats, so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

The crowd also came together from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those troubled by unclean spirits, and all of them were being healed.

Then the high priest rose up, and all who were with him—that is, the party of the Sadducees—and they were filled with jealousy. They laid hands on the apostles and put them in the public jail.

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, brought them out, and said, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

When they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began teaching.

Now the high priest and those with him came and called together the council and the whole senate of the people of Israel, and they sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers arrived, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, saying, “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”

Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were perplexed about them, wondering what this might lead to. Then someone came and reported to them, “Look, the men you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

Then the captain went with the officers and brought them, but not by force, because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

After bringing them, they stood them before the council, and the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly ordered you not to teach in this name, yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood on us.”

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than people. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a piece of wood. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and rescuer, to give a change of mind to Israel and forgiveness of wrongdoings. And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. Then he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these people. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were scattered and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away people after him. He also perished, and all who followed him were scattered.

So now I tell you, keep away from these people and leave them alone. For if this plan or this work is from people, it will be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even be found fighting against God.”

They were persuaded by him. So they called in the apostles, beat them, ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.

Then they went out from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to be dishonored for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

Psalm 120

In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.

Rescue my life, Lord,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.

What will he give you,
and what more will he do to you,
you deceitful tongue?

Sharp arrows of a warrior,
with burning coals of broom wood.

Woe to me,
that I live as a foreigner in Meshech,
that I dwell among the tents of Kedar.

Too long my life has dwelt
with those who hate peace.

I am for peace,
but when I speak,
they are for war.

Commentary - Day 78

1 Samuel 1–2 · Acts 5 · Psalm 120

Summary:

Year after year, Hannah walks the same road to Shiloh under taunting that follows her into worship itself. Her silent prayer is mistaken for disorder, yet her vow ties any future child to return rather than possession. When Samuel is finally brought and left, her song widens personal reversal into a pattern of lifting and lowering that reaches beyond the household. Nearby, Eli’s sons seize offerings before their proper order, feeding on what they should guard, and a warning rises against their line.

In Acts 5, another offering fractures under hidden reservation as Ananias and Sapphira present partial surrender as whole, and collapse follows exposure. Prison doors close but do not hold, and teaching resumes each day. The psalm gives voice to life among hostile speech, where peace is spoken into surroundings shaped by deception.

The opening of 1 Samuel 1 shows how deep desire forms before anything outward changes. Hannah lives inside a divided household where Peninnah has children and she does not. The rivalry repeats year after year as the family travels to Shiloh. The pattern matters: the pressure is not sudden but constant. Each visit to the place of worship sharpens the wound instead of easing it. Hannah weeps, refuses food, and eventually moves from the shared meal into the tabernacle itself, where she prays silently while Eli watches from his seat. Her lips move, but no sound is heard, and Eli assumes disorder where there is actually restraint. Only after she explains herself does he recognize what he is seeing. Before any child exists, she makes a promise—if a son is given, he will be returned to the Lord. The request and the surrender are tied together from the beginning.

When the answer comes, it unfolds slowly. Samuel is born, named, and kept at home until he is weaned. Only then, in the closing part of 1 Samuel 1, Hannah brings him back to Shiloh and leaves him there. The movement is deliberate: what was asked for is handed over rather than held. That reversal sets the tone for what follows in 1 Samuel 2, where Hannah’s song speaks of strength being overturned—bows broken, the hungry filled, the barren made fruitful. The words widen beyond her own situation, describing a world where positions reverse and stability shifts.

At the same time, a different pattern is unfolding inside the priestly household. Still in 1 Samuel 2, Eli’s sons take meat from sacrifices before the proper moment, using force if needed. Instead of guarding the offering, they seize it. Their father speaks against them, but his words carry little weight, and the behavior continues. A messenger later arrives with a warning that their position will not stand. Side by side with that failure, Samuel grows within the same sanctuary, serving under Eli. Two paths develop in the same place—one marked by grasping, the other by steady service.

The events recorded in Acts 5 bring that same contrast into a new community. A couple named Ananias and Sapphira sell land and bring part of the money forward while presenting it as if it were the whole amount. The act is not forced—they were free to keep it—but the problem lies in pretending completeness where something has been held back. When the deception is exposed, both fall dead, first Ananias and later Sapphira after repeating the same claim. The effect spreads through the community as fear takes hold, not because generosity stops, but because hidden motives have been uncovered. Soon afterward, the apostles are arrested by religious leaders, placed in jail, and released during the night. By morning they are again teaching in the temple. Authority tries to stop the movement, but repetition—teaching day after day—keeps it alive. Even after being beaten and warned, they return to the same work.

The voice in Psalm 120 brings the focus to speech itself. The psalmist cries out while surrounded by lying tongues and hostile words. The danger described is not physical battle but verbal conflict—false speech that wounds like arrows and burns like coals. The setting feels foreign and uneasy, as if living among people who prefer conflict over peace. The speaker keeps speaking anyway, calling for rescue while surrounded by voices that distort truth.

Taken together, these readings teach a simple but demanding lesson about formation. Pressure exposes what is really being carried inside. Hannah’s longing becomes prayer and surrender. Eli’s sons turn privilege into appetite. Ananias and Sapphira hide part of what they claim to give. The apostles continue speaking even under threat. And the psalm names the strain of living among words that twist reality. In each case, what is inside eventually becomes visible—not through theory, but through repeated actions that reveal direction over time.

← Day 77 | About | How-To | Schedule | Day 79 →

1. The Bible text provided in the daily readings is included so readers can follow the commentary without interruption or needing to choose between various versions. It is accurate in substance and consistent with all major modern translations.
The longer-term aim of this project is a more fully natural modern-English rendering, one not filtered through inherited Bible-specific language nor centuries of various divergent interpretations. That work is ongoing and deliberately unrushed.
You don’t have to know anything about Bible translations to read here. You are free to use any Bible you prefer, or to read the text provided.
For a brief explanation of why this translation is provided and why it appears as it does, see So… What Bible Is This?