And when she had weaned him: these words are not in the Septuagint, which begins this way: “And she went up with him to Shiloh.” Anchor Bible (“Then she went up with him to Shiloh”) follows the Septuagint. The Septuagint says at the end of verse 24 that the child was “with them,” which suggests that Elkanah went with Hannah. On this basis Anchor Bible translates the beginning of verse 24 as follows: “Then she went up with him to Shiloh when her husband went up to sacrifice to Yahweh at Shiloh.”
The words she took him up are a literal translation of the Hebrew. See the comments on 1.3.
The words a three-year-old bull translate the Septuagint (so the vast majority of modern translations: Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, Contemporary English Version). Three years was the length of time that a mother nursed a child, according to 2 Maccabees 7.27. The traditional Hebrew text, however, says “three bulls” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends the reading of the Septuagint and gives it a {B} rating. The Hebrew reading is probably the result of a scribe having accidentally divided two Hebrew words in the wrong place. Verse 25, which suggests that only one bull was brought to be slaughtered, supports the reading of the Septuagint. See also Gen 15.9.
An ephah of flour: though some manuscripts in other ancient languages read “bread and an ephah of flour,” the Hebrew text should probably be followed here, as in Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation. An ephah was the standard measure for measuring grains and similar articles. It is approximately two-thirds of a bushel, which is about thirty-six liters, so the ephah is about twenty-four liters. The precise measurement is less important than the overall impression. This is why common language translations prefer to round off the amounts: “a bushel of flour” (Good News Translation); “twenty liters of flour” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy); “a sack of flour” (Bible en français courant); “a small sack of flour” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).
A skin of wine: in Old Testament times liquids were transported in bags made from animal skins. But to emphasize this fact may change the focus of the text. Some translators prefer, therefore, to use a general term like “container” or “receptacle” without mentioning the material from which the container was made. In fact the Hebrew noun rendered skin of may refer to a leather container or to an earthen jar. Most versions say “a skin of wine” or “a bag of wine,” but compare “a jar of wine” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The same noun occurs also in 10.3; 25.18; 2 Sam 16.1.
Hannah took a three-year-old bull, the ephah of flour and the skin of wine in order to obey the requirements of the law concerning a sacrifice in fulfillment of a vow (see Num 15.8-10). The flour and the wine were not taken as food to be eaten during the journey but to be used for the sacrifice.
And she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh; and the child was young: instead of these words of the Hebrew, the Septuagint reads “and she entered into the house of the Lord in Shiloh, and the child [was] with them.” Osty-Trinquet is based on the Septuagint here: “and she entered into the House of Yahweh; the child was with them.” Anchor Bible (“After they had gone before Yahweh”) is based on a reconstructed text that follows neither the Hebrew nor the Septuagint. But on this point it is recommended that translators follow the Hebrew text as reflected in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.
And the child was young: literally “the child [was] a child.” It would have been unexpected that parents would bring a young child to the shrine at Shiloh and leave the child. For this reason Good News Translation says “young as he was,” and Revised English Bible has “child as he was,” attempting to express the unexpected nature of this act. Fox says “though the lad was (but) a young-lad.” On the basis of the Septuagint (see previous paragraph), New American Bible omits these words, considering them not to be original. Following these words the Septuagint has a long addition not in the Hebrew. It is possible that the Hebrew text was accidentally shortened by a scribe’s error (see the comments on verse 25). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, recommends that the Masoretic Text be followed in verses 24 and 25, giving it a {C} rating.
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 .