Why did Hannah choose to bring three bulls, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine? Canonical Text and Immediate Context “When she had weaned him, she took him with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh” (1 Samuel 1:24). Hannah is acting in direct fulfillment of the vow she made earlier: “O LORD of Hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your servant… I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11). Everything she brings to Shiloh is shaped by that vow. Levitical Framework for Vow Fulfillment 1. Burnt Offering — Leviticus 1 prescribes a male bull “without defect” for those who can afford it. Complete consumption on the altar symbolizes total consecration. 2. Grain Offering — Leviticus 2 couples finely ground flour with oil and frankincense. The ephah (≈ 22 L / 30 lbs) Hannah brings is the largest single grain gift specified in Torah. 3. Drink Offering — Numbers 15:5-10 pairs wine with larger animals. A skin (נֹאד) could hold roughly 3-4 gallons, matching the proportion for a bull. 4. Vow/Peace Offering — Leviticus 7:11-17 allows additional animals when a vow is paid. If the Masoretic reading is original, Hannah supplies three bulls: one burnt, one peace, one sin (cf. Leviticus 4). If the three-year-old reading is original, the single bull covers the burnt offering and the rest of her generosity is expressed in the abundant grain and wine. Why Bulls? The Symbolic and Practical Dimensions • Costliness: Bulls were the most valuable livestock in Iron-Age Israel. Hannah’s offering signals that no expense is spared in giving Samuel to God. • Representation: Bulls functioned as “whole” offerings—total surrender—mirroring Hannah’s surrender of her firstborn. • Sufficiency: If three bulls were offered, they would represent all three major blood sacrifices, presenting a comprehensive atonement, fellowship, and dedication package. The Ephah of Flour: Grain Offering of Thanksgiving Grain offerings acknowledged God as sustainer. An ephah equals ten omers; Numbers 15:8-9 joins three-tenths of an ephah to one bull. Hannah’s tenfold measure is deliberate excess, echoing her overflowing gratitude (cf. 1 Samuel 2:1-10). The Skin of Wine: Drink Offering of Joy Wine poured at the altar (Numbers 15:10) signified joy and covenant fellowship. By bringing a full skin rather than the minimum half-hin, Hannah peoples the courtyard with festal gladness: a public affirmation that the LORD “exalts the horn of His anointed” (1 Samuel 2:10). Integration: A Tripartite Offering for a Tripartite Vow Hannah’s vow involved (1) her person, (2) her child, (3) lifelong service (“no razor”). Her threefold gift mirrors the vow’s three strands. Bulls, flour, and wine together meet every category of Levitical worship—blood, grain, and drink—presenting a holistic act of worship. Comparative Archaeology and Cultural Corroboration Excavations at Shiloh (e.g., Associates for Biblical Research, 2017-2023 seasons) have uncovered large animal bone deposits—predominantly bovine—dating to Iron I, consistent with bull sacrifices at the tabernacle site where Hannah worshiped. Storage-jar fragments with a 20- to 25-liter capacity correspond to ephah-sized containers, reinforcing the practicality of her flour gift. Typological Echoes Toward Christ Bulls prefigure the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 10:4-10). Grain and wine anticipate the bread and cup of the New Covenant (Luke 22:19-20). Hannah’s costly, voluntary offering foreshadows the Father offering His beloved Son and the believer’s presentation of body and life “as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). Summary Hannah’s three bulls (or one three-year-old bull), ephah of flour, and skin of wine together: • satisfy Mosaic prescriptions for vow fulfillment, • epitomize whole-hearted gratitude, • support the priesthood at Shiloh, • symbolically anticipate the complete salvation later secured by Christ. Whether counted or aged, the bull(s) represent total surrender; the flour signifies recognition of God’s provision; the wine proclaims joy in covenant fellowship. In bringing them, Hannah turns private deliverance into public, God-glorifying worship. |
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