The Meaning of 1 Samuel 2:20 Explained

1 Samuel 2:20

KJV: And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home.

YLT: And Eli blessed Elkanah, and his wife, and said, 'Jehovah doth appoint for thee seed of this woman, for the petition which she asked for Jehovah;' and they have gone to their place.

Darby: And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, Jehovah give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to Jehovah. And they went to their own home.

ASV: And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, Jehovah give thee seed of this woman for the petition which was asked of Jehovah. And they went unto their own home.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Eli  blessed  Elkanah  and his wife,  and said,  The LORD  give  thee seed  of this woman  for the loan  which is lent  to the LORD.  And they went  unto their own home. 

What does 1 Samuel 2:20 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 2:12-21 - Growing Before The Lord
Not only were Eli's sons strangers to the power of religion in the heart, but they had gone to great lengths of profligacy. They had seized on a larger share of the offering than was prescribed, and their rapacity had made men abhor the sacred rites. It is an awful thing when the inconsistencies of professing Christians cause men to abhor the service of Christ. It will go very hard with them at the last. The Master says that it would have been better for a millstone to be hanged about their neck; and one cannot but think that great allowance will be made at the last for those who have fallen over these stumbling-blocks.
What love and prayer Hannah must have wrought into that little coat! Every stitch was put in with such motherly pride. It was hard to give the boy up, but at least she could do something for him. How nice he would look in it! How proud she was that every year's new one had to be larger! Thus parents still make the clothes that their children wear. The little ones almost unconsciously become arrayed in the character that is constantly being shown before their quick and inquisitive eyes. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 2:20 mean?

And would bless Eli - Elkanah and his wife and say give Yahweh you descendants from woman this for the loan that was given to Yahweh and they would go to their own home
וּבֵרַ֨ךְ עֵלִ֜י אֶת־ אֶלְקָנָ֣ה וְאֶת־ אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ וְאָמַר֙ יָשֵׂם֩ יְהוָ֨ה לְךָ֥ זֶ֙רַע֙ מִן־ הָאִשָּׁ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את תַּ֚חַת הַשְּׁאֵלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׁאַ֖ל לַֽיהוָ֑ה וְהָלְכ֖וּ לִמְקֹמֽוֹ

וּבֵרַ֨ךְ  And  would  bless 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּרַךְ 
Sense: to bless, kneel.
עֵלִ֜י  Eli 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֵלִי  
Sense: descendant of Aaron through Ithamar and high priest and judge of Israel when Samuel entered service as a child.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֶלְקָנָ֣ה  Elkanah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶלְקָנָה  
Sense: Samuel’s father.
אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ  his  wife 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וְאָמַר֙  and  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יָשֵׂם֩  give 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Jussive, third person masculine singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
יְהוָ֨ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
זֶ֙רַע֙  descendants 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זֶרַע  
Sense: seed, sowing, offspring.
הָאִשָּׁ֣ה  woman 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
הַזֹּ֔את  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
הַשְּׁאֵלָ֔ה  the  loan 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁאֵלָה  
Sense: request, thing asked for, demand.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
שָׁאַ֖ל  was  given 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁאַל 
Sense: to ask, enquire, borrow, beg.
לַֽיהוָ֑ה  to  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְהָלְכ֖וּ  and  they  would  go 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
לִמְקֹמֽוֹ  to  their  own  home 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.