This man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of Hosts in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Yahweh, were there.
The name "Lord of hosts" occurs first in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 1:3. [Note: See Matitiahu Tsevat, "Studies in the Book of Samuel," Hebrew Union College Annual 36 (1965):49-58.] This is a very commonly used divine titulary (a title that became a name) in the rest of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and the prophetic books. The "hosts" are the armies of the sovereign God and consist of humans (1 Samuel 17:45), angels (Joshua 5:14), and stars (Isaiah 40:26). This name expresses the infinite resources and power at God’s disposal as He fights for His people.