be a play on “God hears,” a sign that it was through Samuel that the Lord was raising up a renewed Israel to “hear” the word of the Lord. Judged by psychological or sociological factors, Shiloh would be the last place we would expect to find a faithful young priest or a prophet-in-training. The fact that Samuel was able to hear the word of Yahweh at Shiloh is further proof that Yahweh Himself was raising up new leadership in Israel. It is also significant that Samuel faithfully served before Eli