1 Samuel 1

Lord of Hosts

LORD of hosts — Jehovah Sabaoth, Lord of armies (of heaven and of His people)

And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. 1 Samuel 1:3

Elkanah worships and sacrifices to the LORD of hosts, the first time this title appears in the Bible. The Lord of Hosts is Jehovah, the premortal Jesus Christ, who commands the armies of heaven.

How we know: the verse itself names Him

• the same title in Isaiah 54:5 — "The LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel."
• interpreted by D&C 95:7 — The Lord speaking to Joseph Smith names Himself "the Lord of Sabaoth," that is, the Lord of hosts, "the creator of the first day."

Lord of Hosts

LORD of hosts — Jehovah Sabaoth

And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. 1 Samuel 1:11

In bitterness of soul, Hannah pours out her prayer to the LORD of hosts, trusting that He sees her affliction. The same Lord later came as Jesus, who knows our sorrows because He bore them.

How we know: the verse itself names Him

• alluded to by Alma 7:11-12 — Christ takes upon Him the pains and afflictions of His people so He may know how to succor them.

Samuel, the child given and presented to the Lord

Samuel — "heard of God" / "asked of God" (v20: "Because I have asked him of the LORD")

But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever. 1 Samuel 1:22–28

A promised child, born by the Lord's power to a woman who could not conceive, is brought to the house of the Lord and dedicated wholly to Him. It foreshadows the infant Jesus presented at the temple, the Son wholly given to the Father's work, and later Samuel's life as prophet, priest, and judge points to Christ.

• alluded to by Luke 2:22-23 — The child Jesus is brought to Jerusalem "to present him to the Lord."
• alludes to 1 Samuel 2:26 — Samuel grows "in favour both with the LORD, and also with men," words later used of Jesus in Luke 2:52.