When [the boy] will be weaned. At the end of twenty-two (other versions, twenty-four) months, for that is the period for a child to nurse.

And shall remain there forever. Forever in the Levitic sense,⁠¹ i.e., fifty years as it is said, "from the age of fifty he shall retire from the work force.⁠"² Figuring as follows, we determine that Shemuel's lifetime was fifty-two years: Eli judged Yisroel for forty years.⁠³ On the day of Chana's prayer he was appointed judge.⁠⁴ By subtracting the year in which Chana conceived Shemuel, there remain thirty-nine years. Shemuel governed Yisroel from the time of Eli's death for thirteen years, as follows: On the day of Eli's death, the Ark was captured, and it remained in the land of the Philistines for seven months.⁠⁵ From there, it was brought to and remained in Kiryas Yearim until Dovid brought it up after he had reigned seven years in Chevron over Yehudah, and all of Yisroel had accepted him as their king. And it is written, "From the day the Ark came to rest in Kiryas Yearim, there ensued many days, and they became twenty years.⁠"⁶ Subtracting from them seven years which Dovid reigned in Chevron discloses that from the time the Ark was captured until Shaul's death, were thirteen years and seven months; and Shemuel died four months before Shaul.