1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah's Triumphant Prayer

1 Hannah prayed: My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is lifted up by the Lord.^[a] My mouth boasts over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.

2 There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides You! And there is no rock like our God.^[b]

3 Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogant [words] come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and actions are weighed by Him.

4 The bows of the warriors are broken, but the feeble are clothed with strength.

5 Those who are full hire themselves out for food, but those who are starving [hunger] no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but the woman with many sons pines away.

6 The Lord brings death and gives life;^[c] He sends [some] to Sheol, and He raises [others] up.

7 The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth; He humbles and He exalts.

8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the garbage pile. He seats them with noblemen and gives them a throne of honor.^[d] For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's; He has set the world on them.

9 He guards the steps^[e] of His faithful ones, but the wicked are silenced in darkness, for a man does not prevail by [his own] strength.

10 Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered;^[f][g] He will thunder in the heavens against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give power to His king; He will lift up the horn of His anointed.

1 Samuel 2:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 2

In this chapter the song of Hannah is recorded, 1Sa 2:1-10, and an account is given of the return of Elkanah and Hannah to their own home, and of the care she took yearly to provide a coat for Samuel, and of her being blessed with many other children, and of the growth and ministry of Samuel before the Lord, 1Sa 2:11,18-21,26, and of the wickedness of the sons of Eli, 1Sa 2:12-17, and of Eli's too gentle treatment of them when he reproved them for it, 1Sa 2:22-25 and of a sharp message sent him from the Lord on that account, threatening destruction to his house, of which the death of his two sons would be a sign, 1Sa 2:27-36.

Footnotes

• [a] Ps 75:4-5,10; 92:10
• [b] 2 Sm 7:22; Ps 18:31
• [c] Dt 32:39
• [d] DSS, LXX add He gives the vow of the one who makes a vow and He blesses the years of the just
• [e] Lit feet
• [f] DSS, LXX read The Lord shatters those who dispute with Him
• [g] Isa 45:9