They that are full have hired out themselves for
bread
Such as have been full of the good things of this life have been
stripped of all, and reduced to such circumstances as to be
obliged to hire themselves out to persons to labour under them
for their bread. Hannah has either respect to some instances she
had known, or prophesies of what would be hereafter, and was
fulfilled in the Israelites, when in the hands of the Egyptians
and Assyrians, ( 4:6 ) and
may be exemplified in the case of the prodigal son, ( Luke
15:13-16 ) and is true of such who have larger gifts, but not
grace, and which they exercise for lucre sake, and are mere
hirelings; and of self-righteous persons who are full of
themselves, of their goodness and righteousness, purity, and
power; are quite mercenary do all they do for gain, work for
life, and labour for perishing meat, and for that which is not
bread, and is unsatisfying:
and they that were hungry ceased;
that is, from being hungry, being filled with good things, having
a large and sufficient supply to satisfy their craving desires, (
Luke 1:53 ) .
Such are the changes sometimes in Providence, that those who have
lived in great plenty and fulness are obliged to work for their
bread; and, on the other hand, such as have been starving, and in
furnishing circumstances, have been brought into very plentiful
and affluent ones. The "hungry", in a spiritual sense, are such
who hunger an thirst after Christ, and his righteousness, for
justification before God; after him and his blood for the
remission of their sins, and the cleansing of their souls; after
him, and salvation by him, in whom alone it is to be had; after a
view of interest in him, and a greater degree of knowledge of
him; and after more communion with him in his word and
ordinances; and after the enjoyment of them for that purpose: now
when they enjoy what they are craving after, they cease to hire
out themselves for bread, as others do; they do not cease from
working, but from dependence on their works, on which they cannot
feed and live, having found and got other and better bread to
feed upon; they cease to be hungry, for they are filled and
satisfied with the love of God, with the righteousness of Christ,
with the blessings of grace, and salvation by him, with the
goodness of his house, and with all the fulness of God and
Christ; and so having what satisfies them, they desire no other
food, shall have no more want, or be in a starving condition any
more, especially this will be the case hereafter:
so that the barren hath born seven;
meaning herself, who had born many, even five children besides
Samuel, ( 1 Samuel
2:20 1 Samuel
2:21 ) which either was the case before this song was
delivered; or rather what she believed would be the case after
Eli had blessed her, and prayed for the children by her; seven
being a number put for many, ( Proverbs
24:16 ) ( Isaiah 4:1 )
and she that hath many children is waxed
feeble;
and incapable of bearing more; and stripped of what she had; this
may be understood of Peninnah, concerning whom the Jews have this
tradition F15, which Jarchi relates, that when
Hannah bore one child, Peninnah buried two; and whereas Hannah
had five, Peninnah lost all her ten children. This may be applied
to the case of the Gentile and Jewish churches, under the Gospel
dispensation, when more were the children of the desolate or
barren, the Gentiles, than of the married wife, the Jews, (
Isaiah 54:1 )
.