1 Samuel 2:4

4 The bows of strong soldiers are broken, but the weak grow strong.

1 Samuel 2:4 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 2:4

The bows of the mighty men are broken
Hannah, from relating gracious experiences, and celebrating, the divine perfections of holiness, omniscience, and sovereignty, passes on to take notice of the dealings of God with men in providence and grace; bows are here put for all military arms, which men of might and war make use of, and which God can easily break in pieces, and so make war to cease in the earth, and hinder warlike men from doing what they design and attempt; they are enfeebled and weakened by him, and their hands cannot perform their enterprises: so the bows of Satan, and his principalities and powers, are broken, and his fiery darts are quenched, and the people of the Lord enabled to stand against him, and wrestle with him and them, being strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, as it follows:

and they that stumbled are girt with strength;
who, through weakness, are ready to stumble at everything they meet with in the way; yet, being girded with strength by the Lord, are able to do great exploits, as David did, that being his case, ( Psalms 18:29 Psalms 18:32 ) , so such as are weak in grace, in faith, in knowledge, and ready to stumble at every trial and exercise, let it come from what quarter it will; yet being girded by the Lord with strength, are able to exercise grace, perform duty, go through every service they are called to, whether in a way of doing or suffering, to bear the yoke and cross of Christ, to oppose every enemy, to walk on in the ways of God, and to persevere in faith and holiness to the end.

1 Samuel 2:4 In-Context

2 "No one is holy like the Lord; there is none like him, no protector like our God.
3 Stop your loud boasting; silence your proud words. For the Lord is a God who knows, and he judges all that people do.
4 The bows of strong soldiers are broken, but the weak grow strong.
5 The people who once were well fed now hire themselves out to get food, but the hungry are hungry no more. The childless wife has borne seven children, but the mother of many is left with none.
6 The Lord kills and restores to life; he sends people to the world of the dead and brings them back again.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.