1 Samuel 1:12

12 As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth.

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 In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears.

11 And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”

12 As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth.

13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk

14 and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!”