Elkanah made this trip every year because the law required people to attend three festivals a year (Exodus 23:14–17).
According to God's law, Israelites had to sacrifice at God's chosen sanctuary (Deuteronomy 12:1–28). From the time of Joshua to Samuel, God's sanctuary, the tabernacle, was in Shiloh (Joshua 18:1). Shiloh was a town in Ephraim about 13.7 kilometers (8.5 miles) north of Bethel on the way to Shechem. King David later moved the tabernacle to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6).
the LORD of Hosts: In the Hebrew Old Testament, God is often called Yahweh Tseba’oth or ’Elohim Tseba’oth. These titles are traditionally translated as “Lord of hosts” and “God of hosts.”
The term “hosts” (Hebrew tseba’oth, traditionally “sabaoth”) usually means “armies.” It can refer to human armies, like the armies of Israel (for example, 1 Samuel 17:45). I can also refer to foreign armies sent to carry out the Lord’s plans (for example, Isaiah 9:11–13). However, it most often refers to God's armies of angels sent from heaven to carry out his commands and fight on earth (for example, 2 Kings 6:17).
This title highlights God's role as a powerful warrior in the story involving the ark of the covenant and the Philistines (1 Samuel 4–6).