This man refers to Elkanah, who is last mentioned by name in the Hebrew text in 1.1. In some languages this will be clearly understood, following the wording of the Hebrew text as reflected by Revised Standard Version, but in others it will be necessary to translate using the proper noun “Elkanah” in place of this man.
The verb to go up reflects travel across the hills and valleys of Palestine. To make the approximately twenty-eight-kilometer (about eighteen-mile) trip east to Shiloh, one ascended from the foothills into the mountains. Most common language translations (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, Spanish common language translation [Biblia Dios Habla Hoy]) leave out any reference to Elkanah’s upward movement. In some languages translators may find it natural to express the fact that Elkanah went higher up into the mountains to get to Shiloh. But in other cases, depending on the degree of difference in elevation, it may be unnatural to do so. Although the words “to go up” in some languages may mean “to go north,” that is not the meaning of the Hebrew.
Some languages may prefer to use a specific verb or expression for making regular trips to a sacred place. New American Bible says, for example, that Elkanah regularly “went on pilgrimage.”
Year by year: literally “from days to day.” This Hebrew expression is found also in 2.19; Exo 13.10; Judges 11.40; 21.19; it is best translated in English as “yearly” or “every year.” A translation such as “[he] regularly went” (New American Bible) may suggest that Elkanah made several trips each year, but the intended meaning is more likely that he went once each year. In certain languages this information will come more naturally at the beginning of the sentence rather than after the verb as in Revised Standard Version.
As verses 1.1, 19 indicate, his city refers to the city of Ramah, as Good News Translation makes explicit (also the Septuagint). However, the focus of the text may be on the fact that Elkanah left “his hometown” in order to fulfill his religious duties in Shiloh. In some languages it may be desirable to use the name of the town and at the same time indicate that it was Elkanah’s village of origin: “Ramah, his hometown.”
To worship: literally “to bow down.” The same verb occurs in verses 19 and 28 of this chapter. The person worshiping touched not only his or her knees to the ground but also the head. Fox says “to prostrate-himself.”
To sacrifice: in some languages it will be necessary to translate this verb by a more general verb plus a noun in a way similar to Good News Translation: “to offer sacrifices.” In such cases translators will have to decide whether to use the singular or plural of the noun “sacrifice.” In those cases it is recommended that the plural be used as in Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Nouvelle version Segond révisée, and La Bible du Semeur.
The expression the LORD of hosts occurs for the first time here in the Old Testament. The Hebrew is literally “Yahweh Sabaoth” (New Jerusalem Bible). The precise meaning of this title is not certain. “Sabaoth,” traditionally translated as “hosts,” may refer to (1) the armies of Israel (as in 17.45), (2) angelic beings (as in Psa 103.21; 148.2), or (3) heavenly bodies, that is, the stars (as in Isa 40.26). The general meaning of this title is clear, however. It designates the LORD as one who is an all-powerful ruler. Hence some translations use the expression “LORD Almighty” (Good News Translation, New International Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “the LORD All-Powerful” (New Century Version and Contemporary English Version). Others use the qualifier “of armies” (La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée says “l’Éternel des armées,” and Nueva Biblia Española says “al Señor de los ejércitos”). Following interpretation (1) above, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente reads “LORD of the armies of Israel.” Following interpretation (2), Fox says “YHWH of the Heavenly-Armies.” Others have LORD of hosts (Revised English Bible, New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), though the word “host” is no longer used in contemporary English to mean “army.” Translators should probably try to use a word or expression with wider meaning, like “Almighty” or “All Powerful,” rather than one with a narrower meaning like “armies.”
The city of Shiloh, located about thirty kilometers (less than twenty miles) north of Jerusalem in the territory of Ephraim, was a center for administrative affairs (see references to Shiloh in Josh 18; 19; 22; Judges 21) as well as for religious matters (see Josh 18.1) for the tribes of Israel. The tabernacle and the ark of the covenant were located here at the time when Elkanah and Hannah lived.
It is here that Eli, Hophni and Phinehas are first introduced in the Old Testament. Hophni and Phinehas are simply named without indicating which son is the elder. The following verses make clear that Eli himself is still functioning as a priest along with his two sons (see verse 9). The Septuagint says “where Eli and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas were priests of the Lord.” Translators should follow the Masoretic text (Masoretic Text), which states only that the sons of Eli were priests in Shiloh. This has the advantage of properly maintaining the focus on the two sons.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .