1 Samuel 1:12

12 As Hannah kept on praying to the Lord, Eli watched her lips.

1 Samuel 1:12 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 1:12

And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord,
&c.] Being very earnest and importunate with him to grant her request, and therefore repeated her petition, and prolonged her prayer, being unwilling to let the Lord go, until she had a promise, or some satisfaction, that she should have the thing she liked; some think she continued an hour in prayer:

that Eli marked her mouth;
observed the motion of her lips, and no doubt her distorted countenance, and uplifted eyes and hands, but chiefly the former; not knowing what the woman was at, and what could be the meaning of such motions.

1 Samuel 1:12 In-Context

10 Hannah was very bitter. She sobbed and sobbed. She prayed to the Lord.

11 She made a promise to him. She said, "Lord, you rule over all. Please see how I'm suffering! Show concern for me! Don't forget about me! Please give me a son! If you do, I'll give him back to you. Then he will serve you all the days of his life. He'll never use a razor on his head. He'll never cut his hair."

12 As Hannah kept on praying to the Lord, Eli watched her lips.

13 She was praying in her heart. Her lips were moving. But she wasn't making a sound. Eli thought Hannah was drunk.

14 He said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine."