I SAMUEL 1 COMME�TARYWritten and edited by Glenn Pease

PREFACE

Any author I quote who does not wish their wisdom included in this study can let me know,and I will remove it. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com

Attention: This is the same as Hannah's Prayer vol. 1

The Birth of Samuel

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, aZuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose namewas Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the sonof Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

1. Barnes, “Ramathaim-zophim may signify “the two hills 1Sa_9:11-13 of the watchmen,”so called from its being a post from which the watchmen looked out. But since Zuph is thename of the head of the family, it is more probable that Zophin means the Zuphites, thesons of Zuph (see Zophai, 1Ch_6:26), from whom the land about Ramah was called “theland of Zuph,” 1Sa_9:5. There is reason to believe that Elkanah - an Ephrathite, orinhabitant of Bethlehem 1Sa_17:12; Rth_1:2 and of the territory of the tribe of Ephraim1Ki_11:26 - the father of Samuel, represents the fifth generation of settlers in Canaan, andtherefore that Samuel was born about 130 years after the entrance into Canaan - fourcomplete generations, or 132 years - and about 40 years before David.”

2. Clarke, “Ramathaim-zophim - Literally, the two high places of the watchman; thesewere, no doubt, two contiguous hills, on which watchtowers were built, and in whichwatchmen kept continual guard for the safety of the country and which afterwards gavename to the place.

3. Gill, “�ow there was a man of Ramathaimzophim, of Mount Ephraim,.... Ramathaim is

a word of the dual number, and signifies two Ramahs; the city consisted of two parts, beingbuilt perhaps on two hills, and were called Zophim; because, as the Rabbins say, theylooked one to another; or rather, because situated on eminences, there were watchtowers inthem, where watchmen were placed; or because they were inhabited by prophets, who weresometimes called watchmen, Eze_3:17 and here is thought to be a school of the prophets,see 1Sa_19:19 and which seems to be countenanced by the Targum, in which the words areparaphrased thus, "and there was one" man of Ramatha, of the disciples of the prophets;or, as others think, the sense is this, this man was one of the Ramathites, the inhabitants ofRamah, and of the family of Zuph, or the Zuphites, which gave the name to the land ofZuph, and the grand ancestor of Elkanah is in this verse called Zuph, see 1Sa_9:5.According to Jerom (e), this is the same with Arimathaea, of which Joseph was, Mat_27:57for thus he writes,"Armatha Sophim, the city of Helcanah and Samuel, in the Thamniticregion near Diospolis (or Lydda), from whence was Joseph, who in the Gospels is said to beof Arimathaea;''but Reland (f) thinks it cannot be the same that was about Lydda, whichwas all a champaign country; whereas this was in the mountains of Ephraim, which mustbe sought to the north of Jerusalem, and not the west, and so it follows:

of Mount Ephraim: which is added to distinguish it from other Ramahs in several tribes, asin Benjamin, �aphtali, &c. though this may refer not to the situation of Ramathaim, but tothe country of this man, who was originally of Mount Ephraim, as was the Levite inJdg_19:1 who was the cause of much evil to Israel, as this was of great good, as Kimchiobserves:

and his name was Elkanah; which signifies "God hath possessed"; that is, possessed him,or he was in possession of God; he had an ancestor of the same name, 1Ch_6:23. This manwas a Levite, one of the Kohathites, and a descendant of Korah; so that the famous prophetSamuel was of the sons of Korah:

the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph; the three last ofthese names are somewhat differently read in 1Ch_6:26, where they are Eliab, �ahath,Zophai; and in 1Ch_6:34. Eliel, Toah, Zuph:

an Ephrathite; which appellation is to be connected, according to Kimchi, not withElkanah, but with Zuph; though neither of them were so called from Bethlehemjudah, theinhabitants of which were indeed called Ephrathites from Ephratah, another name of it; soElimelech, and his sons Mahlon and Chilion, being of that city, were so called, Rth_1:2 notfrom their being of the tribe of Ephraim, as Jeroboam of that tribe is called an Ephrathite,1Ki_11:26, see Jdg_12:5 for these were Levites, the descendants of Kohath, in the line ofKorah; but because they sojourned in Mount Ephraim, or dwelt there, as Elkanah did; andit is well known that the Kohathites had cities given them in the tribe of Ephraim,Jos_21:5.”

4. Henry, “We have here an account of the state of the family into which Samuel theprophet was born. His father's name was Elkanah, a Levite, and of the family of theKohathites (the most honourable house of that tribe) as appears, 1Ch_6:33, 1Ch_6:34. His

ancestor Zuph was an Ephrathite, that is, of Bethlehem-Judah, which was calledEphrathah, Ruth, Rth_1:2. There this family of the Levites was first seated, but one branchof it, in process of time, removed to Mount Ephraim, from which Elkanah descended.Micah's Levite came from Bethlehem to Mount Ephraim, Jdg_17:8. Perhaps notice is takenof their being originally Ephrathites to show their alliance to David. This Elkanah lived atRamah, or Ramathaim, which signifies the double Ramah, the higher and lower town, thesame with Arimathea of which Joseph was, here called Ramathaim-zophim. Zophimsignifies watchmen; probably they had one of the schools of the prophets there, for prophetsare called watchmen: the Chaldee paraphrase calls Elkanah a disciple of the prophets. But itseems to me that it was in Samuel that prophecy revived, before his time there being, for agreat while, no open vision, 1Sa_3:1. �or is there any mention of a prophet of the Lordfrom Moses to Samuel, except Jdg_6:8. So that we have no reason to think that there wasany nursery or college of prophets here till Samuel himself founded one, Jdg_19:19,Jdg_19:20. This is the account of Samuel's parentage, and the place of his nativity. Let usnow take notice of the state of the family.”

5. Kyle, “This Ramah (which is invariably written with the article, ha-Ramah), whereSamuel was not only born (1Sa_1:19.), but lived, laboured, died (1Sa_7:17; 1Sa_15:34;1Sa_16:13; 1Sa_19:18-19, 1Sa_19:22-23), and was buried (1Sa_25:1; 1Sa_28:3), is not adifferent place, as has been frequently assumed..”

2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and theother Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannahhad none.

1. Hannah means beauty or charm; other say grace or graciousness, and is the same asAnnah. Peninnah means a pearl, or jewel, and is the same as Margaret.

1B. Brian Bill, “The wife’s chief role in those days was to provide children. A barren wombwas considered a curse and Hannah would have been looked down upon. She wasspiritually disturbed, socially disgraced, and emotionally depressed. She joins a long line ofother women of faith who battled barrenness: Sarah (Abraham’s wife), Rebekah (Isaac’swife), Rachel (Jacob’s wife), Ruth (Boaz’s wife), and Elizabeth (John the Baptist’s mother).In Scripture most of the childless women are righteous women.”

1C. “Abraham and Sarah had no children. Isaac and Rebekah had no children. Jacob andRachel had no children. Manoah had no children. Hannah had no children. The Shunamitehad no children. Zacharias and Elizabeth had no children. Till it came to be nothing shortof the mark of a special election, and a high calling, and a great coming service of God inIsrael to have no children. Time after time, time after time, till it became nothing short of a

special providence, those husbands and wives whose future children were predestined to bepatriarchs, and prophets, and judges, and forerunners of Jesus Christ in the house ofIsrael, began their married life with having no children. �ow, why was that ? Well, we maymake guesses, and we may propose reasons for that perplexing dispensation, but they areonly guesses and proposed reasons. We do not know. We cannot guess ; for it is only thosewho are intimately and eminently godly, and who are at the same time childless, who canhave any experience and assurance of what God s motives are in that matter.

And I do not know that any of that inner circle have anywhere come out and broken thedivine silence. All the more Why is it? Is it to spare and shield them from the preoccupationand the dispersion of affection, and from the coldness and the rudeness and the neglect ofone another that so many of their neighbors suffer from ? And is it to teach them a far finer

tenderness, and a far rarer honor, and a far sweeter solicitude for one another ? Or, on theother hand, is it out of pure jealousy on God s part ? Is it that He may be able to say to them, Am I not better to thee than ten sons ?” author unknown

2. Barnes, “The frequent recurrence of the mention of barrenness in those women whowere afterward famous through their progeny (as Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel) coupled withthe prophetic language of Hannah’s song in 1 Sam. 2, justifies us in seeking a mysticalsense. Besides the apparent purpose of marking the children so born as raised up forspecial purposes by divine Providence, the weakness and comparative barrenness of theChurch of God, to be followed at the set time by her glorious triumph and immenseincrease, is probably intended to be foreshadowed.”

3. Gill, “Very likely Hannah was his first wife, and having no children by her, he tookPeninnah, who proved to be a rough diamond: and Peninnah had children, but Hannahhad no children; how many Peninnah had is not said, perhaps ten; see 1Sa_1:8 and thatHannah had none was not because she was naturally barren, but because the Lord hadshut up her womb, or restrained her from bearing children, to put her upon praying forone, and that the birth of Samuel might be the more remarkable.”

4. Polygamy developed as a means to assure every man and woman a chance to be in theblood line of the Messiah. Elkanah loved Hannah, but he needed more than love to get achild, and so he took another wife. Had he been patient it would have worked out, for laterthey had three sons and two daughters. It looked like that would never happen, however,and so he rushed into polygamy. God allowed it, even though not his ideal for marriage, butit was necessary for everyone to have the chance to be in that special bloodline. �obody canget in that line anymore since the Messiah has come, and so polygamy does not have anyjustification for today.

3 Year after year this man went up from his town toworship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at

Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons ofEli, were priests of the LORD .

1. Barnes, “The Lord of Hosts - This title of Yahweh which, with some variations, is foundupward of 260 times in the Old Testament, occurs here for the first time. The meaning ofthe word “hosts” is doubtless the same as that of “army” Dan_4:35 and includes all themyriads of holy Angels who people the celestial spheres 1Ki_22:19. It is probably withreference to the idolatrous worship of the Host of heaven that the title the “Lord of Hosts”was given to the true God, as asserting His universal supremacy (see �eh_9:6). In the �ewTestament the phrase only occurs once Jam_5:4.

2. Clarke, “Went up out of his city yearly to worship - As the ark was at Shiloh, there wasthe temple of God, and thither all the males were bound by the law to go once a year, oneach of the great national festivals: viz., the passover, pentecost, and feast of tabernacles.

The Lord of hosts - יהוה צבאות Yehovah tsebaoth, Jehovah of armies. As all the heavenlybodies were called the hosts of heaven, צבא השמים tseba hashshamayim, Jehovah beingcalled Lord of this host showed that he was their Maker and Governor; and consequentlyHe, not they, was the proper object of religious worship. The sun, moon, planets, and stars,were the highest objects of religious worship to the heathens in general. The Jewishreligion, teaching the knowledge of a Being who was the Lord of all these, showed at onceits superiority to all that heathenism could boast. This is the first place where Lord of hostsis mentioned in the Bible; and this is so much in the style of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah,etc., that it gives some weight to the supposition that this book was written by a person wholived in or after the times of these prophets.

3. Gill, “ This man went up out of his city yearly,.... From year to year; or, as the Targum,from the time of the solemn appointed feast to the solemn appointed feast, from one toanother; there were three of them in the year, at which all the males in Israel were toappear at the tabernacle; and being a Levite, this man was the more careful to observe thisrule. He is said to "go up" out of his city, which was Ramathaim or Ramah; for though itwas built on an eminence, from whence it had its name, yet Shiloh, whither he went, washigher; that being, as Adrichomius says (a), on the highest mountain of all round aboutJerusalem, and the highest of all the mountains of the holy land. So that as he first wentdown the hill from Ramah, he went up an high ascent to Shiloh, which is the place he wentup to as follows:

to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh; where the tabernacle was, theplace of worship, and the altar of burnt offerings, on which sacrifices were offered. Thisplace, according to Bunting (b), was twelve miles from Ramah, though others say it was notmore than seven miles from it; hither he went to worship, or bow before the Lord; to prayunto him, as it is commonly interpreted; and being put before sacrifice, is said to bepreferable to that, and more acceptable to God, and more eligible to be done in thetabernacle or temple than at home; see Luk_18:10 and though he is said to go up to

sacrifice, it is not to be understood of his performing it himself, but by others, by the priest;for he himself was a Levite and could not offer sacrifices. This is the first time that mentionis made of this title of Jehovah, Lord of hosts, of all the hosts and armies in heaven and inearth, the Lord of Sabaoth, as in Jam_5:4 from צבא, an "host", or army; and from hencethe Heathens called some of their deities by the name of Sabazius, as Jupiter Sabazius (c);and the Phrygians and Thracians used to call Bacchus Sabazius, and other Greciansfollowing them did the same.”

4. Hophni and Phinehas are just mentioned here, but later we learn that they were verywicked men. The wickedness of the priests did not make the faithful worship of the peopleany less valid in the eyes of God. Many a leader of God's people may fail to be all Godexpects, but their failure does not invalidate the faith of those who come to acknowledgeGod as their Lord.

5. David Guzik, “Shiloh was the central city of Israel, the religious center, for almost fourhundred years. The tabernacle - the majestic tent God command Moses to build when theycame out of Egypt, was erected there, and in it sat the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark wasthe symbolic throne of God among Israel, the sacred chest containing the stone tablets ofthe Ten Commandments. At the Ark, once a year, the high priest would make atonementfor the sins of the nation. Though it was hidden, it was a powerful and important part ofIsrael’s religious life. Today, if you visit Shiloh, you can see the bare, ancient outline ofruined walls of stone, walls that had once surrounded Israel’s tabernacle for almost 400years. On the heights you can see desolate, fruitless hills all around; rocky and bare, exceptfor a distant Israeli neighborhood.”

4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, hewould give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnahand to all her sons and daughters.

1. Elkanah would offer an animal in sacrifice, but a large portion of that would be returnedto him for celebration of a feast. He would dish out a portion to each member of his family.Here is says to all her sons and daughters, and so Peninnah was a mother of a large numberof children. She was very fertile, and this made her all the more frustrated, because all herchildren did not win for her the deep love Elkanah had for Hannah. “How can he love hermore than me when I have given him this large family of sons and daughters?” This kind ofquestion had to run through her mind often, and it led her to be mean to Hannah.

5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he

loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb.

1. He gave double to Hannah because he loved her in a special way, and he knew she feltinferior to Peninnah because she did not have a child. Elkanah wanted her to know that heloved her greatly even though she had not given him a child. He was happy with herregardless of her lack of motherhood. It is obvious as we read on that Peninnah wasenvious of Hannah because she had her husbands deepest devotion and love that wasgreater than what she had even though she had given him children. Here we see theproblem with polygamy, for one wife always tends to be loved more than another, and so itopens the door to jealousy and conflict.

2. We do not know if this double portion encouraged Hannah or not. We do not get any ofher thoughts. She may have thought, “He cannot get me pregnant, but he is trying to fattenme up with feeding me twice as much as Peninnah who is always fat with child.” He wasdoing what he thought was a positive thing, but men do not always know how their positivething will be taken by their wives. Hannah was sad, but at least she was not hungry, for shewas well fed. Usually it is wives who feed their husbands well, and by so doing express theirlove for him. This is a rare way for men to express their love, unless they are the cook in thefamily, and many are that, but still they are the minority. Saying “I love you” with food isprobably more common that we realize.

3. Henry, “They had different blessings: Peninnah, like Leah, was fruitful and had manychildren, which should have made her easy and thankful, though she was but a second wife,and was less beloved; Hannah, like Rachel, was childless indeed, but she was very dear toher husband, and he took all occasions to let both her and others know that she was so, andmany a worthy portion he gave her (1Sa_1:5), and this should have made her easy andthankful. But they were of different tempers: Peninnah could not bear the blessing offruitfulness, but she grew haughty and insolent; Hannah could not bear the affliction ofbarrenness, but she grew melancholy and discontented: and Elkanah had a difficult part toact between them.”

4. Prov 30:15-16 There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, Itis enough: The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; andthe fire that saith not, It is enough.” The barren womb makes a wife so hunger for a babythat they will do most anything to become fertile, and this may be why God closes thewomb of so many great mothers in the Bible. It is a way to make them the greatest motherspossible when he opens their womb. So many of the great men of the Bible were born tomothers who could not have children until God opened their womb. They were specialmothers because of their gratitude to God for giving them a child. A barren womb is astrong motivation to pray for God to come to the rescue, and he loves to respond to suchprayers. Gen 25:21 And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren:and the LORD was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. (KJV) Gen 30:22

And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.”

5. It seems that when God wants a special man on the stage of history, to achieve his goalsin history, he begins with a barren woman who will so love and treasure the gift of her sonthat he will become that special man God is looking for to make a difference. Hannah washis channel to bring forth Samuel, who was greatly used of God in the history of his people.

6 And because the LORD had closed her womb, herrival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.

1. Peninnah was not very nice to Hannah because Hannah had a deeper relationship withtheir husband. She probably made snide remarks about her barrenness and inability togive her husband what she had given him. It was a constant irritation to be reminded thatshe could not give him a child. This was a dysfunctional home with persistent and perpetualirritation, and you can count on it that it was irritating to Elkanah as well, for he could seein the face of his most loved Hannah that she was miserable. It was not a happy home.

2. Jamison, “The conduct of Peninnah was most unbecoming. But domestic broils in thehouses of polygamists are of frequent occurrence, and the most fruitful cause of them hasalways been jealousy of the husband’s superior affection, as in this case of Hannah.”

3. Gill, “That is, Peninnah, the other wife of Elkanah; for when a man had more wives, twoor more, they were usually at enmity to one another, as the two wives of Socrates were,being always jealous lest one should have more love and respect than the other from thehusband; and this woman provoked Hannah one time after another, and continually, byupbraiding her with her barrenness; and this was another reason why Elkanah did all hecould to comfort her, not only because the Lord had restrained her from bearing children,but because also she that envied and emulated her sadly provoked her:

for to make her fret; and be uneasy, and murmur at and complain of her unhappycircumstances: some render it, "because she thundered" (l) against her; that is, Peninnahwas exceeding loud and clamorous with her reproaches and scoffs, which were grievouslyprovoking to Hannah. So said Socrates, when Xantippe first scolded at him, and thenpoured foul water on him: did not I say, says he, that Xantippe first thunders, and thenrains?”

4. Brian Bill, “Verse 6 describes the character and personality of Penninah: “…her rival

kept provoking her in order to irritate her.” She couldn’t just be thankful that she hadchildren but felt the need to needle and harass Hannah. The word “provoke” literallymeans, “to cause her thunder.” She’s trying to get Hannah to blow her top! The word“irritate” refers to being stirred up inwardly. Verse 7 reveals that Penninah did this every

year when they went to Shiloh. It bothered Hannah so much that she would weep and notbe able to eat. This word means that she mourned deeply with so much grief that she losther appetite. Some of you are in the middle of this kind of anguish right now.”

7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannahwent up to the house of the LORD , her rival provokedher till she wept and would not eat.

1. This was not a one time event, but something that went on for years. When two wives arerivals like this, it make polygamy a curse, and poor Hannah had to endure this rivalry andprovoking to the point of breaking down and crying. She was so upset that she had noappetite. This is a common experience for those in depression, and Hannah could not helpbeing depressed. She had to live with this woman who made her feel like a worthless humanbeing with no earthly value. We see just how crazy life can become when there is rivalry inthe home. Hannah was getting double portions of food just at the time when she was soupset she lost her appetite and could not eat. Her curse of living with another wife wasdominating her blessing of having a husband who loved her enough to give her doubleportions. What good is double when you don't feel hungry? This is a truly sad picture of avery unhappy woman. It seems that nothing is going right in her life. By the way,remember that this was a time of celebration where people were to be thankful and full ofjoy and rejoicing.

2. Henry, “ Peninnah was extremely peevish and provoking. [1.] She upbraided Hannahwith her affliction, despised her because she was barren, and gave her taunting language,as one whom Heaven did not favour. [2.] She envied the interest she had in the love ofElkanah, and the more kind he was to her the more was she exasperated against her, whichwas all over base and barbarous. [3.] She did this most when they went up to the house ofthe Lord, perhaps because then they were more together than at other times, or becausethen Elkanah showed his affection most to Hannah. But it was very sinful at such a time toshow her malice, when pure hands were to be lifted up at God's altar without wrath andquarrelling. It was likewise very unkind at that time to vex Hannah, not only because thenthey were in company, and others would take notice of it, but then Hannah was to mind herdevotions, and desired to be most calm and composed, and free from disturbance. Thegreat adversary to our purity and peace is then most industrious to ruffle us when weshould be most composed.”

8 Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah,

why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why areyou downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than tensons?"

1. Like a typical man Elkanah does not get it why she is so upset. He does encourage her bydeclaring his love for her to be strong. He should mean more to her than a house crawlingwith sons. Get over it Hannah, and stop fretting about your childless state. It waswonderful that her husband felt this way, and that he did not join Peninnah in putting herdown as a failure. Many husbands would favor the wife with children and put Hannahaway, but he loved her in whatever state she was in. It was not enough for her, however, forin that culture women had to have a child to feel fulfilled, for that was the only way theycould possibly be in the blood line to the Messiah.

1B. Brian Bill, “I might be going out on a limb here but it seems like Elkanah is doing whatmany of us husbands do when our wives are upset. Instead of listening to her pain, heseems to be rationalizing her problems and feelings. He’s trying to solve when he should beseeking to understand. He’s basically saying, “Baby, you’ve got me (or at least part of me),

what more could you want?” I picture him holding up his fingers and saying, “Hannah

honey, don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” I’m not sure he really understood howdeeply she wanted to have a child. After all, it’s possible to love one’s husband and stillwant to have children. Some of you have been hit with some insensitive comments, either byyour husband, or from others. God understands your pain.”

2. Henry, “Elkanah said what he could to her to comfort her. She did not upbraid him withhis unkindness in marrying another wife as Sarah did, nor did she render to Peninnahrailing for railing, but took the trouble wholly to herself, which made her an object of muchcompassion. Elkanah showed himself extremely grieved at her grief (1Sa_1:8): Hannah,

why weepest thou? [1.] He is much disquieted to see her thus overwhelmed with sorrow.Those that by marriage are made one flesh ought thus far to be of one spirit too, to share ineach other's troubles, so that one cannot be easy while the other is uneasy. [2.] He gives hera loving reproof for it: Why weepest thou? And why is thy heart grieved? As many as Godloves he rebukes, and so should we. He puts her upon enquiring into the cause of her grief.Though she had just reason to be troubled, yet let her consider whether she had reason tobe troubled to such a degree, especially so much as to be taken off by it from eating of theholy things. �ote, Our sorrow upon any account is sinful and inordinate when it diverts usfrom our duty to God and embitters our comfort in him, when it makes us unthankful forthe mercies we enjoy and distrustful of the goodness of God to us in further mercies, whenit casts a damp upon our joy in Christ, and hinders us from doing the duty and taking thecomfort of our particular relations. [3.] He intimates that nothing should be wanting on hispart to balance her grief: “Am not I better to thee than ten sons? Thou knowest thou hastmy entire affection, and let that comfort thee.” �ote, We ought to take notice of our

comforts, to keep us from grieving excessively for our crosses; for our crosses we deserve,but our comforts we have forfeited. If we would keep the balance even, we must look atthat which is for us, as well as at that which is against us, else we are unjust to Providenceand unkind to ourselves. God hath set the one over-against the other (Ecc_7:14) and soshould we.”

3. Elkanah loved Hannah deeply, but he had to deal with the reality of the law just asHannah did. If she did have a child, it would still always be in second place to the firstbornson of her rival. Being loved the best did not change the demand of the law. We read of it inDeut. 21:15-17, “If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bearhim sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love, 16 when he wills hisproperty to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife heloves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love. 17 He mustacknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double share of allhe has. That son is the first sign of his father's strength. The right of the firstborn belongsto him.” They were locked into a situation that was sad for their future, and this played akey role in the future of their child Samuel. He was cut off from the inheritance, but hebecame one who inherited a call of God to be one of the greatest servants of God of all time.

4. Francis Cox, “She might have demanded why her husband, instead of asking her toconceal her sorrows, did not rather reprove the provoking conduct of Peninnah, and silenceher exasperating tongue? Availing herself of the decided preference shown her, she mighthave aimed at making her husband a party in the dispute; and, by his means, havetriumphed over her adversary. But Hannah was influenced by far different sentiments. Toher husband's remonstrances she appears to have returned no answer: nor was it a sullensilence; for she took food, interrupted no longer the festivities of the occasion, but, painfulas the struggle must have been, heroically concealed her own feelings till the termination ofthe public solemnities.”

5. Grace Aguilar, “For how may man, even when most loving, most beloved, so know thesecret nature of a woman s heart, as to bring the balm it seeks, and give the strength itneeds ? Elkanah s words reveal the extent and truth of his love ; and had it not been for thedaily provocations of Peninnah, he might indeed have been to Hannah " better than tensons :" but she had griefs and trials of which he knew nothing, peculiarly her own, as whatwoman has not? and these, in childlike faith and voiceless prayer, she brought unto herGod. The condition of married women amongst the Jews, in the time of the Judges, musthave been perfectly free and unrestrained. We find her rising up after they had eaten ana drunk in Shiloh, and without even imparting her intentions to her husband, much lessasking his consent, going perfectly unattended and unrebuked to the temple of the Lord.There, in bitterness of soul weeping, she prayed unto the Lord of Hosts.”

9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking inShiloh, Hannah stood up. �ow Eli the priest wassitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD'stemple. [2]

1. Barnes, “ Rather, “after she had eaten and after she had drunk,” which is obviouslyright. Hannah, in the bitterness of her spirit, could not enjoy her feast, and so, after eatingand drinking a little, she arose and went to the temple, leaving her husband and Peninnahand her children at table, where she still found them on her return 1Sa_1:18.

Upon a seat ... - Rather, “upon the throne,” the pontifical chair of state 1Sa_4:13, whichwas probably set at the gate leading into the inner court of the tabernacle.

The temple of the Lord - The application of the word temple to the tabernacle is foundonly here, 1Sa_3:3; and Psa_5:7; and the use of this word here is thought by some anindication of the late date of the composition of this passage.”

2. Gill, “After dinner, after Elkanah and Peninnah, and their children, had eaten heartily,and drank freely, and made a comfortable meal, and even a feast of it, at the place wherethe tabernacle and altar were, and their peace offerings were offered up, part of which theyhad been regaling themselves with. The Targum is,"after she had eaten in Shiloh, and aftershe had drank;''for upon the entreaty of her husband, and to make him easy, she might beprevailed upon to eat somewhat, though it might be but little; and to drink, though it wasbut water; for as for wine and strong drink, she declares afterwards she had not drank,1Sa_1:15.

now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord; for so the tabernaclewas called, and sometimes the temple is called a tabernacle, Jer_10:20. �ow at the doorposts and side of the threshold of the temple of the Lord, as the Targum; at the entrance ofthe great court of the Israelites, Eli had a seat placed, on which he sat; this must be at thegate of the court of the tabernacle, by the pillars of it; for in the court itself none afterwardmight sit but kings of the family David (n); here Eli sat as an high priest and judge, giveadvice in difficult cases, and to try and judge all causes that were brought before him; somesay (o) that he was on this day constituted an high priest, and others say (q) he was nowmade a judge; but no doubt he was both high priest and judge before this time.”

10 In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much andprayed to the LORD .

1. Where do you go when life is barren of all joy and comfort? Hannah knew there wasonly one place to go in her sad state, and that was to prayer to her Lord. Bitterness filledher rather than the joy that should have been her portion. In tears of deep sadness sheprayed to the Lord.

1B. Francis Cox, “"After they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk," Hannahcontinued in "bitterness of soul," and rose up to withdraw. But whither did she go?Whither, under circumstances like these, was it natural for her to fly? Perhaps into solitudeto bemoan her sad situation, to pour out her unrestrained tears, to anathematize herinsulting rival, to plot revenge, to curse the day of her birth. The stream of grief andcomplaint might be expected to flow, in the secret hour, with accelerated force and rapidity,proportioned to the restraint which publicity had imposed. She did not, however, yield tothis influence, or retire for such a purpose. Perhaps she withdrew to seek the counsel of afriend, or solicit the prompt interference of others who pitied her sufferings, to checkPeninnah, or to stimulate Elkanah to stronger measures. Such a proceeding was notunlikely; it was not, however, the one she adopted. Perhaps, then, it may be supposed, shewent home to wait for some favourable opportunity of urging her husband to discardPeninnah, and of exasperating his prejudices against her. It was indeed natural for her topursue either or of all these courses; but she chose a different one. The pious mourner hasanother and a better resource. If she look around her for comfort in vain, she can lookabove. She may be pressed on every side--difficulties and distresses accumulating in everydirection--foes behind, and seas of trouble before--but the opening into heaven is free; theear of mercy is not shut; the way of access to God never can be closed! "And she vowed avow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid,and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid aman-child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall norazor come upon his head."

1C. Brian Bill, “Her weeping led to worship as her tears mingled with her prayers. Thekind of prayer that arises from the bitterness of the soul is far different than the dryprayers that I sometimes utter. When tears are in our eyes, our prayer comes from theheart. Alan Redpath has said, “When God has an impossible task, he takes an impossible

person and crushes her.” Chuck Swindoll adds, “This is how God often deals with strongwilled and stubborn people.” Hannah is definitely broken. The description of God as “TheLord Almighty” means, “The Lord of Hosts.” The hosts refer to all the armies of heaven. TheLord Almighty has all the hosts of heaven ready to do His work. She is appealing to Hispower and authority, because she knows there is nothing she can do.”

2. Henry, “They are at Shiloh, at the door of the tabernacle, where God had promised tomeet his people, and which was the house of prayer. They had recently offered their peace-offerings, to obtain the favour of God and all good and in token of their communion withhim; and, taking the comfort of their being accepted of him, they had feasted upon thesacrifice; and now it was proper to put up her prayer in virtue of that sacrifice, for thepeace-offerings, for by it not only atonement is made for sin, but the audience andacceptance of our prayers and an answer of peace to them are obtained for us: to that

sacrifice, in all our supplications, we must have an eye. �ow concerning Hannah's prayerwe may observe,

The warm and lively devotion there was in it, which appeared in several instances, for ourdirection in prayer. (1.) She improved the present grief and trouble of her spirit for theexciting and quickening of her pious affections in prayer: Being in bitterness of soul, sheprayed, 1Sa_1:10. This good use we should make of our afflictions, they should make us themore lively in our addresses to God. Our blessed Saviour himself, being in an agony, prayedmore earnestly, Luk_22:44. (2.) She mingled tears with her prayers. It was not a dry prayer:she wept sore. Like a true Israelite, she wept and made supplication (Hos_12:4), with an eyeto the tender mercy of our God, who knows the troubled soul. The prayer came from herheart, as the tears from her eyes.”

3. The Jewish author Dr. Leila Bronner gives us some information on this prayer that isvery interesting and hard to find elsewhere. She wrote, “Hannah's prayer is a personalpetition that is at once request, expostulation, and vow. Moreover, as the only petitioner inthe Bible accused of drunkenness, she answers with great eloquence and confidence,enough to elicit the blessings of the priest Eli. Altogether, Hannah is a curious combinationof assertiveness and humility. On the one hand, she is single-minded in her determinationto have a child: she goes to the shrine alone, after making a scene, to make a request thather own husband explicitly finds unnecessary; he has said to her, "Hannah, why weepestthou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee thanten sons?" (1 Sam. 1:8). On the other hand, in her prayer and her answer to Eli, shepresents herself as a person deserving attention not because she is great in virtue andpower but because she is a sincere and unhappy servant of God.

As Hannah is the only woman whose prayer to God is recorded in the Bible, one wouldexpect the rabbis to seize on her prayer as the definitive instance of how women but notmen should pray. The rabbis do no such thing. Instead, they use her prayer to teach how allpeople, male and female, should pray. Despite their marked gender consciousness, therabbis never once comment on the fact that Hannah is female when discussing her brilliantaptitude for prayer. They seem to look past Hannah's gender to her humanity to emphasize that in personal prayer there is only a human trying to communicate with God.

The key to having children is in God's hands, and a son was the great prize offered towomen of the Bible. The pain of infertility is in the stories of the barren women in theBible: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Hannah, and Samson's mother. Each of these women has atraumatic time until she is released from her infertility by divine intercession. Despite thenotable similarities between the prayer of Hannah and the prayers of Moses and Hezekiahin terms of emotion, there are notable differences as well. Hannah is the only woman andthe only petitioner who prays in a shrine, of course, but she also approaches Goddifferently. She is the only one to make a vow, and she is most humble of the three. Many of the stories in the Babylonian Talmud show Hannah trying different tactics toattract the attention of God. They have her point out to God, "Of all the hosts and hoststhat Thou has created in Thy world, is it so hard in Thy eyes to give me one son?" In the

same vein, although much more contrived, is this supposed petition: "Sovereign of theUniverse, among all the things that Thou hast created in a woman, Thou hast not createdone without a purpose, eyes to see, ears to hear, a nose to smell, a mouth to speak, hands todo work, legs to walk with, breasts to give suck. These breasts that Thou has put on myheart, are they not to give suck? Give me a son that I may suckle with them!" (b.Ber.31b).

Most of the other petitioners of the Bible are kings and prophets, heroes and sages. Thus,Hannah's story allows that rabbis to demonstrate that the commoner is as likely as theprophet to get an answer from God if the prayer is offered with a humble heart and withsincerity.”

4. John �ewton,

When Hannah, pressed with grief,Poured forth her soul in prayer;She quickly found relief,And left her burden there:Like her, in every trying case,Let us approach the throne of grace.When she began to pray,Her heart was pained and sad;But ere she went away,Was comforted and glad:In trouble, what a resting place,Have they who know the throne of grace!

Though men and devils rage,And threaten to devour;The saints, from age to age,Are safe from all their pow’r:Fresh strength they gain to run their race,By waiting at the throne of grace.

Eli her case mistook,How was her spirit movedBy his unkind rebuke?But God her cause approved.We need not fear a creature’s face,While welcome at the throne of grace.

She was not filled with wine,As Eli rashly thought;But with a faith divine,And found the help she sought:Though men despise and call us base,Still let us ply the throne of grace.

Men have not pow’r or skill,

With troubled souls to bear;Though they express good-will,Poor comforters they are:But swelling sorrows sink apace,When we approach the throne of grace.

�umbers before have tried,And found the promise true;�or one been yet denied,Then why should I or you?Let us by faith their footsteps trace,And hasten to the throne of grace.

As fogs obscure the light,And taint the morning air;But soon are put to flight,If the bright sun appear;Thus Jesus will our troubles chase,By shining from the throne of grace.

11 And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, ifyou will only look upon your servant's misery andremember me, and not forget your servant but giveher a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all thedays of his life, and no razor will ever be used on hishead."

1. Give me a son and I will give him back to serve you for the rest of his life. She justdesperately wanted to have a son, and if she had to give him up to God's service to get him,then so be it. I will do anything to have this child.

2. Jamison, “she prayed ... she vowed a vow — Here is a specimen of the intense desire thatreigned in the bosoms of the Hebrew women for children. This was the burden of Hannah’sprayer; and the strong preference she expressed for a male child originated in her purposeof dedicating him to the tabernacle service. The circumstance of his birth bound him tothis; but his residence within the precincts of the sanctuary would have to commence at anearlier age than usual, in consequence of the �azarite vow.

3Henry, “She was very particular, and yet very modest, in her petition. She begged a child,a man-child, that it might be fit to serve in the tabernacle. God gives us leave, in prayer, notonly to ask good things in general, but to mention that special good thing which we mostneed and desire. Yet she says not, as Rachel, Give me children, Gen_30:1. She will be verythankful for one. (4.) She made a solemn vow, or promise, that if God would give her a sonshe would give him up to God, 1Sa_1:11. He would be by birth a Levite, and so devoted tothe service of God, but he should be by her vow a �azarite, and his very childhood shouldbe sacred. It is probable she had acquainted Elkanah with her purpose before, and had hadhis consent and approbation. �ote, Parents have a right to dedicate their children to God,as living sacrifices and spiritual priests; and an obligation is thereby laid upon them toserve God faithfully all the days of their life. �ote further, It is very proper, when we are inpursuit of any mercy, to bind our own souls with a bond, that, if God give it us, we willdevote it to his honour and cheerfully use it in his service. �ot that hereby we can pretendto merit the gift, but thus we are qualified for it and for the comfort of it. In hope of mercy,let us promise duty”

4. Clarke, “I will give him unto the Lord - Samuel, as a descendant of the house of Levi,was the Lord’s property from twenty-five years of age till fifty; but the vow here impliesthat he should be consecrated to the Lord from his infancy to his death, and that he shouldnot only act as a Levite, but as a �azarite, on whose head no razor should pass.”

5. Davis: “In great bitterness of soul (v. 10; cf. II Kings 4:27) she prayed to the Lord andthe essence of this prayer is wrapped up in two words found in verse 11, ‘rememberme.’ These words have a familiar ring to them. They represent the prayer of a soul indesperate need. One is reminded of the simplicity of Samson’s prayer recorded inJudges 16:28. In blindness and helplessness he cried out to his God and asked to be‘remembered.’ This prayer was also found on the lips of a man being crucified atCalvary. One of the malefactors who was hanged with Jesus looked to Him with faithand said, ‘Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom’ (Luke 23:42). Thesincerity and the simplicity of this pleas were quickly recognized by the Lord, and Hereplied, ‘To day shalt thou be with me in paradise (Luke 23:42).”

6. Gill, “And she vowed a vow,.... Which might be confirmed by her husband; otherwise thevow of a woman, if disapproved of by her husband, was not valid, �um_30:8 and Elkanahmight make the same vow his wife did, and so it stood; for as this was a vow of�azariteship, it is a tradition of the Jews (r), that a man may vow his son to be a �azarite,but a woman may not; but as this instance contradicts the tradition, they endeavour toexplain away this vow, as it may respect a �azarite, as will be observed hereafter:

and said, O Lord of hosts; this is properly the first time this title was used by any that weknow of; for though it is expressed in 1Sa_1:3 there it is used as the words of the writer ofthis history, and so long after this prayer was put up; See Gill on 1Sa_1:3; and it is anobservation in the Talmud (s), that from the day God created the world, no man called himthe Lord of hosts till Hannah came and called him so:

if thou wilt indeed look upon the affliction of thine handmaid the sorrow of heart she had,the reproach she met with, on account of her having no children:

and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid; which petitions are the same in otherwords, and are repeated to denote her vehemence and importunity in prayer, and mayallude to usages among men, that will look upon a person in distress, and turn away andforget them, and never think of them more; which she deprecates may not be her case withGod:

but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child; or, "a seed of men" (t); a son in the midst ofmen, as the Targum; such as is desirable by men, as a male child for the most part is;though some Jewish writers interpret it of the seed of righteous, wise, and understandingmen, such as be fit to serve the Lord, which seems to be a sense foreign to the text; a manchild she asks, because no other could serve the Lord in the temple; and that she meant bythis phrase such an one is clear, because she vowed that a razor should not come on itshead, which is never said of females, as Kimchi observes:

then will I give him unto the Lord all the days of his life; to serve him, and minister untohim in the sanctuary; being born a Levite, it was incumbent on him to serve the Lord, andhe had a right to his service; but then a common Levite did not enter on it until twenty fiveor thirty years of age, and was not always serving, but was dismissed from it at fifty�um_8:24; but the child she vows, if the Lord would give her such an one, should betrained up in his service from his infancy, and continue it all the days of his life; and was tobe also a perpetual �azarite, as Samson was, as follows:

and there shall no razor come upon his head; as was not to come upon a �azarite, duringhis �azariteship, �um_6:5 and as such a vow made by a woman contradicts the traditionof the Jews before mentioned, they give another sense of this clause; as the Targum, whichparaphrases it,"and the fear of man shall not be upon him;''but about this there is adivision (u); but that Samuel was �azarite, and a perpetual one, is the sense of their bestinterpreters.”

7. Ron Daniel, “Hannah prayed in her vow, "...a razor shall never come on his head." Thismight seem like a strange promise: "Lord, if you give me a son, I'll make sure he never getsa haircut." It could be that she is promising that he will be a �azirite for life. Rememberthat the �azirite vow was first brought up back in �umbers 6. It was made by a man orwoman to dedicate themselves to the Lord. It was a time of separating oneself unto theLord. The �azirite abstained from the fruit of the vine: not only alcohol, but also vinegar,grape juice, grapes, and raisins. He did not cut his hair during the time of his vow, and hewas not to be defiled by touching a corpse. It is possible, though not conclusive here, thatHannah was promising the Lord that this boy would be a �azirite for life, just as Samsonhad been called to be (though didn't do a very good job of it).”

8. Joe Guglielmo, “Remember that this time frame was during or around the time ofSamson. And it is possible that the birth of Samson had reached Hannah. That she heard

how God opened the womb of Manoah's wife and she bore a son, Samson. And how thischild was to be a �azarite from birth. And so Hannah's request is no longer self-motivated,but she was willing to give this child back to the Lord. This vow of the �azarite is found in�umbers 6:1-18 and seen in Samson in Judges 13:2-5. And it means "to separate" or "toconsecrate" oneself to God.”

9. Francis Cox, “This solemn address to Heaven exemplifies some of the essential qualitiesof genuine prayer. It is marked by reverence and godly fear; for she appeals to "the Lord ofhosts," whose prerogative it is to marshal the celestial armies, and to regulate withundeviating skill and irresistible influence the affairs of this lower world: it displaysprofound humility; for she repeats the simple and self-abasing term, "thine handmaid:" itexpresses submission and dependence of spirit; for she refers with implicit obedience to thedeterminations of the divine will, as comprising whatever is best calculated to promote herreal interests, though without presumption, she solicits Omnipotent interference to removeher affliction, if it should comport with the arrangements, and seem proper to the wisdomof God; it manifests an importunity which will always operate with more or less intensenessin every genuine prayer. Her solemn vow, her judicious repetitions, her whole phraseology,evince this prevailing disposition. She kindles with holy fervor, and seems to stretch forthher eager hand to take the blessing which she cannot persuade herself will be refused. Sheis fully aware that power and goodness combine in perfect proportions to influence thedispensations of the God whom she addresses, and pleads with success, because she pleadswith fervor.”

12 As she kept on praying to the LORD , Eli observedher mouth.

1. She was focused on the Lord, but Eli was focused on her, and she seemed to be actingstrange. He saw her mouth move but there was no sound coming out.

2. Gill, “And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord,.... Being veryearnest and importunate with him to grant her request, and therefore repeated herpetition, and prolonged her prayer, being unwilling to let the Lord go, until she had apromise, or some satisfaction, that she should have the thing she liked; some think shecontinued 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 theformer; not knowing what the woman was at, and what could be the meaning of suchmotions.”

3. Brian Bill, “It’s significant that verse 12 says, “she kept on praying to the Lord.” Thiswasn’t just a quick popcorn prayer. This was a repeated request, bathed in tears. �oticealso that she prayed this prayer in her heart, not audibly like most Hebrews prayed. She

prayed secretly, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. We don’t have to always prayout loud, but simply pray from our heart because our thoughts are as words to God. Herquiet prayer had an unfortunate consequence when Eli, the priest, accused her of beingdrunk. That says a lot about the culture at that time – there were probably drunken peoplearound the temple and Eli thought she was one of them.”

13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips weremoving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought shewas drunk

1. The fact that Eli thought she was drunk indicates that people were likely to get drunkwith wine at these feasts and celebrations. It was far less of a problem in that day for theydid not drive home at 70 miles per hour, but walked or rode a donkey. Their statistics forpeople killed on the road were extremely different from ours. �evertheless, it was notacceptable for a woman to come to the tabernacle drunk, and carrying on in such a strangefashion. He had to scold her and urge her to do away with her wine.

2. Henry, “ She spoke all this so softly that none could hear her. Her lips moved, but hervoice was not heard, 1Sa_1:13. Hereby she testified her belief of God's knowledge of theheart and its desires. Thoughts are words to him, nor is he one of those gods that must becried aloud to, 1Ki_18:27. It was likewise an instance of her humility and holyshamefacedness in her approach to God. She was none of those that made her voice to be

heard on high, Isa_58:4. It was a secret prayer, and therefore, though made in a publicplace, yet was thus made secretly, and not, as the Pharisees prayed, to be seen of men. It istrue prayer is not a thing we have reason to be ashamed of, but we must avoid allappearances of ostentation. Let what passes between God and our souls be kept toourselves.”

3. Gill, “�ow Hannah, she spake in her heart,.... It was mental prayer she used, someejaculations of her mind she sent up to God, which she was sensible were well known tohim, and she needed not to express vocally: only her lips moved; as her heart spoke, andsent up her petitions, as if she had used words and phrases in form: but her voice was notheard: that she might not seem to be ostentatious in her prayer, and that she might notinterrupt others in their devotions; and she knew that her voice was not necessary withrespect to God: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken; by the motions she made, andgestures she used, as if she was muttering something to herself, and by her longcontinuance therein, and it being after a feast she had been at with her husband, and therest of the family; from all which Eli concluded this must be her case.”

4. Rev. Jeanette Mathews, “�ow the Priest Eli was definitely not a feminist. He was hardly

even a man of understanding – I have a book in my office entitled "Basic pastoral care andcounseling". It strikes me that Eli doesn't even have a basic concern for this woman in hischurch. Where Elkanah recognized his wife as a person in her own right, Eli doesn't evenseem to expect a woman to have a spiritual dimension. His only explanation for thisdistressed woman at the altar was that she was under the influence of alcohol. This is aclassic case of prejudice - what Eli expected or didn’t expect colored what he saw. Onecommentary put it this way: "difficult as it is to grasp someone else's pain, it is easy tojudge another's behavior."

But Hannah stood up for herself. She spoke respectfully to Eli, but she made an importantpolitical and social statement. In effect she asked for the empathy that we all should use inour relationships with others – there is a common saying "Do not criticize a person untilyou have walked a mile in their shoes". And Eli to his credit accepted her explanation andaffirmed her prayer. And before we judge Eli too harshly we should recognize that perhapshe did have some excuse for not expecting to see a woman in prayer: Because until thattime there had been no record of private prayer in the temple - the "house of the Lord"was a place for animal sacrifice, for public liturgy marked by high ritual and incense, forpriests to stand in the place of ordinary people. Any speech in the place of worship untilthat time had been public, representative, communal. Hannah as an individual in prayerspeaking "in her heart" was acting audaciously for her time. She had risen and entered thetemple on her own - no sacrifice, no priest to intercede, no liturgical convention: her deepneed had caused her to bring her own request to her God.”

14 and said to her, "How long will you keep on gettingdrunk? Get rid of your wine."

1. Her day could not get worse she thought, but then the priest approaches her andassuming she is loaded with wine, and in a drunken state from her excessive celebrating atthe feast, and tells her to lay off the wine, and get rid of it. This was a fine way to top off herday with the religious leader of her people labeling her a drunk. Even the best of men canbe fools and cruel by jumping to conclusions. Don't make up your mind about anotherpersons behavior until you get the facts. A woman known only as Sarah wrote what shecalled A different kind of prayer..... I want to share a portion of it because it reminds us thatwe often make judgments about people before we know any of the circumstance that arebehind their behavior.

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that that the jerk

who cut us off traffic last night is a single motherwho worked nine hours that day and is rushing home tocook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry andspend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed,disinterested young man who can't make changecorrectly is a worried 19-year-old college student,balancing his apprehension over final exams with hisfear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, beggingfor money in the same spot every day (who really oughtto get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can onlyimagine in our worst nightmares.”

2. Henry, “The hard censure she fell under for it. Eli was now high priest, and judge inIsrael; he sat upon a seat in the temple, to oversee what was done there, 1Sa_1:9. Thetabernacle is here called the temple, because it was now fixed, and served all the purposes ofa temple. There Eli sat to receive addresses and give direction, and somewhere (it isprobable in a private corner) he espied Hannah at her prayers, and by her unusual mannerfancied she was drunken, and spoke to her accordingly (1Sa_1:14): How long wilt thou be

drunken? - the very imputation that Peter and the apostles fell under when the Holy Ghostgave them utterance, Act_2:13. Perhaps in this degenerate age it was no strange thing to seedrunken women at the door of the tabernacle; for otherwise, one would think, the vile lustof Hophni and Phinehas could not have found so easy a prey there, 1Sa_2:22. Eli tookHannah for one of these. It is one bad effect of the abounding of iniquity, and its becomingfashionable, that it often gives occasion to suspect the innocent. When a disease isepidemical every one is suspected to be tainted with it. �ow, (1.) This was Eli's fault; and agreat fault it was to pass so severe a censure without better observation or information. Ifhis own eyes had already become dim, he should have employed those about him toenquire. Drunkards are commonly noisy and turbulent, but this poor woman was silentand composed. His fault was the worse that he was the priest of the Lord, who should havehad compassion on the ignorant, Heb_5:2. �ote, It ill becomes us to be rash and hasty in ourcensures of others, and to be forward to believe people guilty of bad things, while either thematter of fact on which the censure is grounded is doubtful and unproved or is capable of agood construction. Charity commands us to hope the best concerning all, and forbidscensoriousness. Paul had very good information when he did but partly believe (1Co_11:18),hoping it was not so. Especially we ought to be cautious how we censure the devotions ofothers, lest we call that hypocrisy, enthusiasm, or superstition, which is really the fruit of anhonest zeal, and it is accepted of God. (2.) It was Hannah's affliction; and a great afflictionit was, added to all the rest, vinegar to the wounds of her spirit. She had been reproved byElkanah because she would not eat and drink, and now to be reproached by Eli as if shehad eaten and drunk too much was very hard. �ote, It is no new thing for those that dowell to be ill thought of, and we must not think it strange if at any time it be our lot.”

3. Gill, “And Eli said unto her, how long wilt thou be drunken?.... What, every day drunk?what, continually in this wicked practice? when will it be stopped? for Eli might haveobserved on other days, and at other times, odd looks, and a strange behaviour in her,which he took for the effects of drinking too much wine: or how long will this drunken fitlast? she had been a considerable time as he thought in it, and it was not gone off yet: theTargum is,"how long wilt thou behave like a fool, or a mad woman?''as drunken peoplegenerally do act, as if they were fools, or mad:

put away thy wine from thee; not as if she had any with her there to drink of, but headvises her, since it had such an effect upon her, to abstain from it, and wholly disuse it,and so break off such an habit and custom she had got into; or he would have her go homeand sleep it out, and wait till she had digested it, and the strength of it was gone off, beforeshe came to such a place of devotion and worship; from hence the Jews say (w) it may belearnt, that a drunken person ought not to pray.” 4. Francis Cox, “It may be admitted, as an extenuation of this rude attack, that the goodpriest was jealous for the honor of his God, whose temple he supposed was sufferingprofanation by indecent conduct: and that, instead of turning tale-bearer and whisperer, heopenly expressed his sentiments to the party concerned, affording an opportunity foracknowledgment or explanation. Still his precipitancy cannot be justified. It was his duty tohave obtained better evidence, before he ventured upon such a crimination; or, at least, tohave been more ceremonious and considerate. Reproof may be well merited; but, in orderthat its end be answered, it should be properly administered.”

15 "�ot so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a womanwho is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wineor beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD .

1. She did not lash out at Eli for being such a jerk as to accuse her of coming to churchdrunk. She just corrects his misunderstanding without taking offense. She knew he had noidea of what she was going through, and so she just tells it like it is. She is a deeply troubledwoman pouring out her distressed soul to the Lord. I am drunk with sorrow and not withwine.

2. Gill, “ And Hannah answered and said, no, my lord,.... That is not my case, you havegreatly mistaken it; she answered with great mildness and meekness, without falling into apassion at such a scandalous imputation upon her, and with great respect and reverence toEli, suitable to his office; so in later times the high priest used to be addressed after thismanner, particularly on the day of atonement, "Lord high priest", do so and so (x); indeedthese words of Hannah are interpreted as not so very respectful, as if the sense was, not alord art thou in this matter; nor does the Holy Ghost dwell upon thee (y); which thou hastsufficiently shown, or thou wouldest never have suspected me of drunkenness:

I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: depressed with trouble and grief on account ofafflictions; if she was drunk, it was not with wine, but with sorrow: or "a woman of a hardspirit" (z); which is sometimes taken in an ill sense, and, according to Abarbinel, is heredenied by her, who connects this clause with the preceding thus; not, my lord, am I awoman of a hard spirit, or such a hardened wretch, and such an impudent woman, as Imust be, were it so, to come drunk into the house of God, and pretend to pray unto him:

I have drank neither wine nor strong drink; not any sort of intoxicating liquors that day,neither wine new or old, as the Targum: but have poured out my soul before the Lord: theaffliction of it, as the same paraphrase; the grievances and distresses, the complaints of hersoul, which were many, and which she had poured out before the Lord freely andplentifully, and which had taken up some time to do it; see Psa_42:8 where phrases similarto this are used, and which seem to be taken from hence.”

3. Henry, “Hannah's humble vindication of herself from this crime with which she wascharged. She bore it admirably well. She did not retort the charge and upbraid him withthe debauchery of his own sons, did not bid him look at home and restrain them, did nottell him how ill it became one in his place thus to abuse a poor sorrowful worshipper at thethrone of grace. When we are at any time unjustly censured we have need to set a doublewatch before the door of our lips, that we do not recriminate, and return censure forcensure. Hannah thought it enough to vindicate herself, and so must we, 1Sa_1:15,1Sa_1:16. (1.) In justice to herself, she expressly denies the charge, speaks to him with allpossible respect, calls him, My lord, intimates how very desirous she was to stand right inhis opinion and how loth to lie under his censure. “�o, my lord, it is not as you suspect; Ihave drunk neither wine nor strong drink, not any at all” (though it was proper enough tobe given to one of such a heavy heart, Pro_31:6), “much less to any excess; therefore countnot thy handmaid for a daughter of Belial.” �ote, Drunkards are children of Belial (women-drunkards, particularly), children of the wicked one, children of disobedience, childrenthat will not endure the yoke (else they would not be drunk), more especially when they areactually drunk. Those that cannot govern themselves will not bear that any one else should.Hannah owns that the crime would have been very great if she had indeed been guilty of it,and he might justly have shut her out of the courts of God's house; but the very manner ofher speaking in her own defence was sufficient to demonstrate that she was not drunk.”

4. F. B. Meyer, “Hannah's soul was fall of complaint and grief, which flowed over into herface and made it sorrowful. But when she had poured out her soul before the Lord,emptying out all its bitterness, the peace of God took the place of her soul anguish, she wenther way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. What a glad exchange! Howgreat the contrast! How much the better for herself, and for her home!

Is your face darkened by the bitterness of your soul? Perhaps the enemy has been vexingyou sorely; or there is an unrealized hope, an unfulfilled purpose. in your life; or,perchance, the Lord seems to have forgotten you. Poor sufferer, there is nothing for it butto pour out your soul before the Lord. Empty out its contents in confession and prayer. God

knows it all; yet tell Him, as if He knew nothing. "Ye people, pour out your hearts beforeHim. God is a refuge for us." "In everything, by prayer and supplication make yourrequests known unto God."

As we pour out our bitterness, God pours in his peace. Weeping goes out of one door whilstjoy enters at another. We transmit the cup of tears to the Man of Sorrows, and He hands itback to us filled with the blessings of the new covenant. Some day you will come to the spotwhere you wept and prayed, bringing your offering of praise and thanksgiving.”

16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; Ihave been praying here out of my great anguish andgrief."

1. Gill, “ Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial,.... A yokeless, a lawless,impudent, and abandoned creature; one of the most wicked, vilest, and most profligatewretches; as she must be to come drunk into the sanctuary of God; see 1Sa_25:17.Drunkenness in man is au abominable crime, but much more in a woman. The Romans (a)forbad wine to women, and drunkenness in them was a capital crime, as adultery, or anyother; and indeed a drunken woman is liable to all manner of sin: for out of the abundanceof my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto; out of the abundance of the heart themouth will speak, whether it is matter of trouble or of joy; the heart of Hannah was full ofgrief, and her mouth full of complaints, on which she long dwelt, in order to give ventthereunto, and ease herself.”

2. Henry, “In justice to him, she gives an account of her present behavior, which had givenoccasion to his suspicion: “I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit, dejected and discomposed,and that is the reason I do not look as other people; the eyes are red, not with wine, butwith weeping. And at this time I have not been talking to myself, as drunkards and fools do,but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord, who hears and understands thelanguage of the heart, and this out of the abundance of my complaint and grief.” She hadbeen more than ordinarily fervent in prayer to God, and this, she tells him, was the truereason of the transport and disorder she seemed to be in. �ote, When we are unjustlycensured we should endeavour, not only to clear ourselves, but to satisfy our brethren, bygiving them a just and true account of that which they misapprehended.”

17 Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of

Israel grant you what you have asked of him."

1. When Eli became aware of her battle, he was supportive and encouraging to her. He senther away with his blessing, and with a prayer that her prayer might be answered.

1B. Francis Cox, “Eli, perceiving his mistake, disdains to persist in it. Like a man ofintegrity and piety, he corrects himself at once, dismisses her with a blessing, and prays forher success. This was making the best possible reparation, and it was done with apromptness which evinced its sincerity. The good man was as ready to express hisapprobation, when convinced of Hannah's innocence, as he had been to censure herconduct, when he imagined it to be culpable.”

2. Henry, “ The atonement Eli made for his rash unfriendly censure, by a kind and fatherlybenediction, 1Sa_1:17. He did not (as many are apt to do in such a case) take it for anaffront to have his mistake rectified and to be convinced of his error, nor did it put him outof humour. But, on the contrary, he now encouraged Hannah's devotions as much as beforehe had discountenanced them; not only intimated that he was satisfied of her innocency bythose words, Go in peace, but, being high priest, as one having authority he blessed her inthe name of the Lord, and, though he knew not what the particular blessing was that shehad been praying for, yet he puts his Amen to it, so good an opinion had he now conceivedof her prudence and piety: The God of Israel grant thee thy petition, whatever it is, that thouhast asked of him. �ote, By our meek and humble carriage towards those that reproach usbecause they do not know us, we may perhaps make them our friends, and turn theircensures of us into prayers for us.”

3. Gill, “Then Eli answered and said, go in peace,.... He found he was mistaken in her, andthat her discourse was not only sober and rational, but religious and spiritual; andtherefore dismisses her in peace, and bids her not distress herself with what he had said toher, nor with anything she had met with from others, or from the Lord; but expect peaceand prosperity, and particularly success in what she had been engaged, and had beensolicitous for:

and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him; which may beconsidered either as a prayer for her, he joining with her in a request to the Lord, that whatshe had asked might be granted; or as a prophecy that so it would be, it being revealed tohim by the Holy Ghost, as the high priest of the Lord; or impressed by an impulse upon hisspirit that the favour asked would be given; and therefore she might go home in peace, andwith satisfaction of mind.”

4. “Possibly Eli never knew how great and good a deed he had done that day, but it is wellwe should know it, for it marked the turn of the tide in Hannah s life. Had not the priest ofGod, Jehovah s vicegerent, linked his prayer with her own, and, with the ready instinct ofher sex for favorable omens even in matters of religion, Hannah now saw that her prayer,

joined with that of the priest, would indeed be answered and her desire fulfilled. On thatsupposition alone can the words of ver. 18 be explained : " So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad." author unknown

18 She said, "May your servant find favor in youreyes." Then she went her way and ate something, andher face was no longer downcast.

1. Hannah was greatly helped by her prayer and her conversation with Eli, for she wentaway to go back to the table and eat some of her abundant plate of food. The rest of thefamily must have been pleasantly surprised, for she came back with a face no longerdowncast, but uplifted and bright with a new spirit of hope. She may not have been the lifeof the party, but at least she was now one of the celebrators at the feast.

1B. Joe Guglielmo, “What has changed in her situation? She is still barren. She has no son.And yet there is joy in her heart. Her countenance has changed. That sadness on the insidehas changed to happiness and has now burst forth outwardly. She is eating again andjoining in on the activities of this festive time. But why? Because of what Eli said. Shebelieved that God spoke through Eli and that encouraged her. She believed by faith theword of God and that was reflected in her actions.”

1C. Francis Cox, “Restored to tranquility and happiness, Hannah withdrew from thetemple, and "her countenance was no more sad." Her innocence was apparent to the priest,her petition heard in heaven. She went up weeping, she returned rejoicing. Devotion hadpacified her troubled breast, and since "committing her way to the Lord," the tide hadebbed, the sky had cleared. She knew that her request would be granted, or, if denied, thatshe should see occasion ultimately to feel perfect acquiescence and satisfaction in thedeterminations of Providence. She, therefore, wiped away her tears, and dismissed heranxiety. Such is the relief afforded by humble prayer. How often has sorrow beentransformed into joy by religious exercises! From the dark vale of life, where the windsblow and the rains descend, how often has the pious mourner ascended to that sacredmount of communion with God, the closet, or to the "holy hill of Zion," and dwelt in thesunshine of heaven! Agitated no longer with conflicting elements, and mysterious events,the clouds have appeared far, far below; while the omnipotent hand has been seen engagedin regulating their movements, directing their course, and preparing to disperse them inevery direction.

It is obvious that no combination of happy circumstances, no human power, no earthlyfriendship, could have afforded substantial consolation to Hannah, if she had not repairedto the mercy-seat. Already had her affectionate husband attempted, in vain, to sooth her

grief. He had renewed his love, wiped off her tears, kindly remonstrated and reasoned withher.--Hannah! "am not I better to thee than ten sons?" Ah! what avails it! Elkanah cansympathize, but he cannot relieve--he can reason, but he cannot remove the cause of hersorrows--he cannot turn the course of nature, or renew the springs of existence--he cannotchange weakness for strength, or convert barrenness into fertility: but he who has allresources in his hands, all elements and worlds at his disposal, can; and, at the voice ofprayer, will accomplish the holy desires of the mind.

Henceforward, the sacred narrative omits the name of Peninnah, and there is nothing inher history to induce a wish to penetrate the concealing veil. She was, in fact, originallyintroduced to notice for the purpose of illustrating the more valuable qualities of Hannah,whose excellence continues to shine with undiminished luster to the end of her days. It isindeed profitable, as a warning, to contemplate specimens of moral deformity as well asexamples of moral worth; but we naturally hasten from the offensive, to the pleasing andattractive forms of female character. Peninnah perishes unregretted from the page--Hannah continues to adorn it, and obtains an everlasting remembrance.”

2. Henry, “The great satisfaction of mind with which Hannah now went away, 1Sa_1:18.She begged the continuance of Eli's good opinion of her and his good prayers for her, andthen she went her way and did eat of what remained of the peace-offerings (none of whichwas to be left until the morning), and her countenance was no more sad, no more as it hadbeen, giving marks of inward trouble and discomposure; but she looked pleasant andcheerful, and all was well. Why, what had happened? Whence came this sudden happychange? She had by prayer committed her case to God and left it with him, and now shewas no more perplexed about it. She had prayed for herself, and Eli had prayed for her;and she believed that God would either give her the mercy she had prayed for or make upthe want of it to her some other way. �ote, Prayer is heart's-ease to a gracious soul; theseed of Jacob have often found it so, being confident that God will never say unto them,Seek you me in vain, see Phi_4:6, Phi_4:7. Prayer will smooth the countenance; it should doso.”

3. Barnes, “A beautiful example of the composing influence of prayer. Hannah had cast herburden upon the Lord, and so her own spirit was relieved of its load. She now returned tothe family feast, and ate her portion with a cheerful heart.”

4. Gill, “And she said, let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight,.... She had found favourin his sight she perceives, and she desires it might be continued and increased; and that ashe had prayed for her, he would still use his interest at the throne of grace for her: so thewoman went her way; took her leave of Eli, and went from the tabernacle to her husband:and did eat; what remained of the peace offerings, which were to be eaten that night, andnot left till the morning; and though she would not eat her dinner, her heart was so full ofgrief, yet she could now make a good supper, being eased and relieved in her mind: and hercountenance was no more sad; sorrowful and dejected, but cheerful, brisk, and lively;believing that her prayers, and those of the high priest, would be answered.”

19 Early the next morning they arose and worshipedbefore the LORD and then went back to their home atRamah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and theLORD remembered her.

1. Hannah was in a far better mood now, and this is always a sign to a husband that lovemaking is potential, and that is just what they did when they got home to their own bed.God was mindful of her earnest prayer, and by means of power that only he has, he madeher body do what it could not do before, and her potential for childbirth began to unfold.We cannot imagine that this was the first time Hannah pleaded with God to change herbody so she could conceive a child, but this time it seems she had a more determined spirit,and desperately wanted this child as never before. Her sorrow had reached a depth whereshe could endure it no longer, and she cried out to God for relief. Maybe it was before thistime a desire, but she also loved being free from child care like her sister wife. Maybe sheliked the independence and special time she had with her husband without children.Whatever the case, this prayer had made it through to God, and he was paying attention toher need for a child. Here we have a perfect example of how God demands that there behuman cooperation in achieving an answer to prayer. Had they never gone to bed with eachother no amount of prayer would have led to an answer to her prayer. God expects us to bepartners with him in achieving goals that call for a combination of human and divineeffort. Prayer without sex never leads to motherhood, with the exception of the virginMary. Science has come up with a way to get a baby without sex as a personal relationship,but that is still by the use of the sexual ingredients.

2. Gill, “ And they rose up in the morning early,.... Partly for devotion, and partly for thesake of their journey: and worshiped before the Lord; went up to the tabernacle, andprayed with their faces towards that part of it, the western part, where stood the ark of theLord, the symbol of the divine Presence; and when they no doubt gave thanks for all thefavours they had received there, and prayed for a safe and prosperous journey home,committing themselves to the care of divine Providence: and returned, and came to theirhouse to Ramah; or "Ramatha", the same with Ramathaim, 1Sa_1:1. Abarbinel thinks thatElkanah had two houses, one at Ramah for Peninnah, and another at Ramatha forHannah; and that this was Hannah's house, to which they returned and came: and Elkanahknew Hannah his wife: cohabited with her as a man with his wife; it is a modest expressionof the conjugal act; see Gen_4:1 and is observed to show that the conception and birth ofSamuel were not in a supernatural way, but in the ordinary way and manner of generation:and the Lord remembered her; the prayer she had made to him, opened her womb, as hehad before shut it, and gave her power to conceive.”

3. Henry, “The return of Elkanah and his family to their own habitation, when the days

appointed for the feast were over, 1Sa_1:19. Observe how they improved their time at thetabernacle. Every day they were there, even that which was fixed for their journey home,they worshipped God; and they rose up early to do it. It is good to begin the day with God.Let him that is the first have the first. They had a journey before them, and a family ofchildren to take with them, and yet they would not stir till they had worshiped Godtogether. Prayer and provender do not hinder a journey. They had spent several days nowin religious worship, and yet they attended once more. We should not be weary of well-doing.”

20 So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gavebirth to a son. She named him Samuel, [3] saying,"Because I asked the LORD for him."

1. Jamison, “called his name Samuel — doubtless with her husband’s consent. The namesof children were given sometimes by the fathers, and sometimes by the mothers (seeGen_4:1, Gen_4:26; Gen_5:29; Gen_19:37; Gen_21:3); and among the early Hebrews, theywere commonly compound names, one part including the name of God.”

2. Barnes, “Samuel - i. e. heard of God, because given in answer to prayer. The names“Ishmael” and “Elishama” have the same etymology.”

3. Gill, “ Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about, after Hannah hadconceived,.... Or, "at the revolutions of days" (b); at the end of a year, of a complete year, asBen Melech, from their return from Shiloh; for it might be some time after their returnthat she conceived; or rather the sense is, that at nine months' end, the usual time of awoman's going with child from her conception, which is the date here given: that she bare ason: was brought to bed of a son:

and called his name Samuel, saying, because I have asked him of the Lord; one would thinkrather his name should have been Saul, for the reason given; but, as Ben Gersom observes,givers of names are not always grammatically strict and critical in them, or in theetymology of them, as in the names of Reuben and �oah, in which he instances; and thismay be the rather overlooked in a woman, than in a man of learning. According to Kimchi,it is as if it was Saulmeel; that is, "asked of God", and by contraction Samuel; but Hillerus(c) gives a better account of this name, and takes it to be composed of Saul-mul-el, "askedbefore God", "in the sight of God", "before the ark of God". This name Hannah gave herson (for sometimes the father, and sometimes the mother, gave the name) in memory of thewonderful favour and goodness of God in granting her request; and to impress her ownmind with a sense of the obligation she lay under, to perform her vow, and to engage herson the more readily to give up himself to the service of God, when he reflected on his

name, and the reason of it.”

4. Henry, “The birth and name of this desired son. At length the Lord rememberedHannah, the very thing she desired (1Sa_1:11), and more she needed not desire, that wasenough, for then she conceived and bore a son. Though God seem long to forget his people'sburdens, troubles, cares, and prayers, yet he will at length make it to appear that they arenot out of his mind. This son the mother called Samuel, 1Sa_1:20. Some make theetymology of this name to be much the same with that of Ishmael - heard of God, becausethe mother's prayers were remarkably heard, and he was an answer to them. Others,because of the reason she gives for the name, make it to signify asked of God. It comesnearly to the same; she designed by it to perpetuate the remembrance of God's favour toher in answering her prayers. Thus she designed, upon every mention of his name, to takethe comfort to herself and to give God the glory of that gracious condescension. �ote,Mercies in answer to prayer are to be remembered with peculiar expressions ofthankfulness, as Psa_116:1, Psa_116:2. How many seasonable deliverances and suppliesmay we call Samuels, asked of God; and whatever is so we are in a special manner engagedto devote to him. Hannah intended by this name to put her son in mind of the obligation hewas under to be the Lord's, in consideration of this, that he was asked of God and was atthe same time dedicated to him. A child of prayer is in a special manner bound to be a goodchild. Lemuel's mother reminds him that he was the son of her vows, Pro_31:2.”

5. He was an asked for child, and so they called him asked. He was an answer to prayer,and prayer is primarily asking and receiving. His name would be a constant reminder thathe was a gift they received by asking God for him.

Hannah Dedicates Samuel

21 When the man Elkanah went up with all his familyto offer the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfillhis vow,

1. Henry, “Elkanah agrees to what she proposes (1Sa_1:23): Do what seemeth thee good. Sofar was he from delighting to cross her that he referred it entirely to her. Behold how goodand pleasant a thing it is, when yoke-fellows thus draw even in the yoke, and accommodatethemselves to one another, each thinking well of what the other does, especially in works ofpiety and charity. He adds a prayer: Only the Lord establish his word, that is, “God preservethe child through the perils of his infancy, that the solemn vow which God signified hisacceptance of, by giving us the child, may be performed in its season, and so the wholematter may be accomplished.” �ote, Those that have in sincerity devoted their children toGod may with comfort pray for them, that God will establish the word sealed to them at

the same time that they were sealed for him.”

2. Clarke, “The man Elkanah and all his house - He and the whole of his family, Hannahand her child excepted, who purposed not to go up to Shiloh till her son was old enough tobe employed in the Divine service. And his vow - Probably he had also made some vow tothe Lord on the occasion of his wife’s prayer and vow; in which, from his love to her. hecould not be less interested than herself.”

22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "Afterthe boy is weaned, I will take him and present himbefore the LORD , and he will live there always."

1. Henry, “ The close attendance Hannah gave to the nursing of him, not only because hewas dear to her, but because he was devoted to God, and for him she nursed him herself,and did not hang him on another's breast. We ought to take care of our children, not onlywith an eye to the law of nature as they are ours, but with an eye to the covenant of grace asthey are given up to God. See Eze_16:20, Eze_16:21. This sanctifies the nursing of them,when it is done as unto the Lord.”

Elkanah went up every year to worship at the tabernacle, and particularly to perform hisvow, perhaps some vow he had made distinct from Hannah's if God would give him a sonby her, 1Sa_1:21. But Hannah, though she felt a warm regard for the courts of God's house,begged leave of her husband to stay at home; for the women were not under any obligationto go up to the three yearly feasts, as the men were. However Hannah had been accustomedto go, but now desired to be excused, 1. Because she would not be so long absent from hernursery. Can a woman forget her sucking child? We may suppose she kept constantly athome, for, if she had gone any where, she would have gone to Shiloh. �ote, God will havemercy and not sacrifice. Those that are detained from public ordinances by the nursing andtending of little children may take comfort from this instance, and believe that, if they dothat with an eye to God, he will graciously accept them therein, and though they tarry athome they shall divide the spoil. 2. Because she would not go up to Shiloh till her son wasbig enough, not only to be taken thither, but to be left there; for, if once she took himthither, she thought she could never find in her heart to bring him back again. �ote, Thosewho are stedfastly resolved to pay their vows may yet see good cause to defer the paymentof them. Every thing is beautiful in its season. �o animal was accepted in sacrifice till it hadbeen for some time under the dam, Lev_22:27. Fruit is best when it is ripe.”

2. Gill, “Weaning took place very late among the Israelites. According to 2 Macc. 7:28, theHebrew mothers were in the habit of suckling their children for three years.But Hannah went not up,.... For women, though they might go if they pleased to the yearlyfeasts, yet they were not obliged to it; whether she went up at the time for her purification,

and for the presenting and redemption of the firstborn, is not certain; some say the Leviteswere not obliged by that law, the perquisites of it falling to them, and so did not go up;others that she did, though it is not expressed, the Scriptures not relating all facts that weredone; though by what follows it looks as if she did not:

for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned: which, accordingto Jarchi, was at the end of twenty two months; but others say at the end of twenty fourmonths, or two years, as Kimchi and Ben Melech; and sometimes a child was three yearsold before it was weaned, and sometimes longer, which very probably was the case here;See Gill on Gen_21:8. Comestor (d) observes, there was a three fold weaning of children inold times; the first from their mother's milk, when three years old; the second from theirtender age, and care of a dry nurse, when seven years old; the third from childish manners,when at twelve years of age; and that it is this last and metaphorical weaning which is heremeant, when Samuel was twelve years of age, and fit to serve in the temple; but the propersense is best, since she is said to bring him when weaned: her reason for it seems to be this,because had she went up with her sucking child, she must have brought him back again,since he would not be fit to be left behind, and would be entirely incapable of any kind ofservice in the sanctuary; and according to the nature of her vow, she could not think ofbringing him back again, after she had once entered him there:

and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord; and minister in the serviceof the sanctuary in what might be suitable to his age; there and then she would presenthim, and give him up to the Lord, as she had promised she would:

and there abide for ever; that is, as long as he lived; for her vow was that he should be a�azarite all the days of his life, and be separated to the service of God as long as he had abeing in the world.”

23 "Do what seems best to you," Elkanah her husbandtold her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; onlymay the LORD make good his [4] word." So thewoman stayed at home and nursed her son until shehad weaned him.

1. Henry, “The solemn entering of this child into the service of the sanctuary. We may takeit for granted that he was presented to the Lord at forty days old, as all the first-born were(Luk_2:22, Luk_2:23): but this is not mentioned, because there was nothing in it singular;but now that he was weaned he was presented, not to be redeemed. Some think it was as

soon as he was weaned from the breast, which, the Jews say, was not till he was three yearsold; it is said she gave him suck till she had weaned him, 1Sa_1:23. Others think it was nottill he was weaned from childish things, at eight or ten years old. But I see no inconveniencein admitting such an extraordinary child as this into the tabernacle at three years old, to beeducated among the children of the priests. It is said (1Sa_1:24), The child was young, but,being intelligent above his years, he was no trouble. �one can begin too soon to be religious.The child was a child, so the Hebrew reads it, in his learning-age. For whom shall he teach

knowledge but those that are newly weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts?

Isa_28:9.”

2. Gill, “And Elkanah her husband said unto her, do what seemeth thee good,.... He spakelike a kind and indulgent husband, knowing that she would not thereby break any law ofGod; and it might be more for her own health, and the health of the child, to stay longer:

tarry till thou have weaned him; when he would be more fit for the journey, and to be leftbehind:

only the Lord establish his word; which some understand of the prophecy of Eli that Godwould grant her request, which being delivered under the direction of the Spirit of God, iscalled his word; but this was already fulfilled, and established by Hannah's bearing a son:or the word "his" refers not to the Lord, but to Samuel, and so may respect the word whichhis mother spake concerning him; either when she made her vow, as Abendana, that heshould be a perpetual �azarite, and the Lord's as long as he lived: and so Elkanah wishesthat he might have health and grow strong, and be fit for the service of the Lord, and livemany years to perform it; or what she had just now said, as Abarbinel, that he should abidein the house of God for ever, or as long as he lived: so the woman abode; at home, whileElkanah and his family went up to Shiloh: and gave her son suck until she weaned him; didnot put him out to a wet or dry nurse, but suckled him herself with what nature hadprovided for his nourishment, as becomes women to do, if their circumstances of health,and the provisions of nature, will admit of it.”

3. Grace Aguilar writing from the point of view of a Jewish woman makes a point ofshowing how independent Hannah was. She wrote, “That her vow was subject to theapprobation of her husband, we believe, because such deference was commanded in ourlaw But Elkanah s full acquiescence throughout, clearly proves the high esteem in which heheld her. She does not ask even his permission to remain at home, till her child were oldenough to be left with the priest. In all relating to Samuel, Elkanah was completelysecondary. Even in the bullocks, flowers, and wine, provided for the offering, it wasHannah who brought and offered them ; Hannah, who addressed Eli ; Hannah, whochanted the song of thanksgiving to her God ; and Hannah, who devoted her child. Thehusband and father had no more to do with it, than the simple acts of acquiescence andapproval, which he would not have so unhesitatingly bestowed, had he not possessed themost perfect confidence in the judgment and actions of his wife.”

4. I want to share another quote here by Grace Aguilar, for she is obviously fighting againsta traditional prejudice against women, and the history of Hannah makes it clear that the

prejudice is not from God, but man. She wrote, “The history of Hannah is all-sufficient forus to be convinced, that such individual and heartfelt prayers are not only legal, accordingto the laws, but acceptable to the Lord. �o restrictions of man can alter or interfere withthat which is divine; therefore, nothing which may be told concerning the inefficacy ofindividual prayer, unless guided by certain rules, forms, and words, can do away with theconsolation and example afforded us by the history of our sweet and gentle ancestress, alike in the manner of her prayer and its reply, and in her unhesitating, unquestioning, andall-confiding FAITH. We are thus particular, because we would at once remove the foulstigma flung by scoffers on our blessed faith, that her female children have no power topray, and are, consequently, soulless nonentities before their God ; and bring forward,from the word of God itself, the unanswerable assurance, that woman s prayers are heard,and are acceptable to Him, needing nothing more than childlike faith in His power to hearand answer.”

24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her,young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, [5]an ephah [6] of flour and a skin of wine, and broughthim to the house of the LORD at Shiloh.

1. Henry, “Observe how she presented her child, 1. With a sacrifice; no less than threebullocks, with a meat-offering for each, 1Sa_1:24. A bullock, perhaps, for each year of thechild's life. Or one for a burnt-offering, another for a sin-offering, and the third of a peace-offering. So far was she from thinking that, by presenting her son to God, she made Godher debtor, that she thought it requisite by these slain offerings to seek God's acceptance ofher living sacrifice. All our covenants with God for ourselves and ours must be made bysacrifice, the great sacrifice.

2. Clarke, “With three bullocks - The Septuagint, the Syriac, and the Arabic, read, abullock of three years old; and this is probably correct, because we read, 1Sa_1:25, thatthey slew את הפר eth happar, The bullock. We hear of no more, and we know that a bullockor heifer of three years old was ordinarily used, see Gen_15:9.One ephah of flour - Seven gallons and a half.

A bottle of wine - נבל יין nebel yayin, a skin full of wine. Their bottles for wine and fluids ingeneral were made out of skins of goats, stripped off without being cut up; the placeswhence the legs were extracted sewed up, as also the lower part; and the top tied.”

3. Gill, “And when she had weaned him,.... At the usual time of weaning children; See Gillon 1Sa_1:23 some refer this not only to the milk of the breast, from which he was weaned,but to such food as was common to children, and so supposes him grown up to nine or ten

years of age:

she took him up with her; to the tabernacle at Shiloh, at a yearly festival: with threebullocks; for three sorts of offerings, burnt offering, sin offering, and peace offering; orsince one only is spoken of as slain, that is, for sacrifice, the other two might be for food toentertain her family and friends with while there; or as a present to the high priest, towhose care she committed her son: and one ephah of flour; if the bullocks were allsacrificed, three tenth deals, or three tenth parts of the ephah, went for a meat offering toeach bullock, which made nine parts out of ten, and the tenth part she had to dispose of atpleasure; see �um_15:9, though that seems to be restrained to a burnt offering only:

and a bottle of wine; part of which might be for the drink offering which always attended ameat offering, and the rest for her own use, and that of her friends: and brought him untothe house of the Lord in Shiloh: the tabernacle there, and delivered him up to the care ofthe high priest, to be trained up in the service of God: and the child was young; a verychild, very young in years, a little infant; not a sucking child, as the Targum, becauseweaned, otherwise of a very tender age; though some think this expresses that he was a wellgrown lad, and was sharp and acute, and could well distinguish between good and evil.”

4. Francis Cox, “As soon as the time proposed by Hannah had elapsed, she thought offulfilling her vow, and hastened to Shiloh. In the days of her distress she had pledgedherself to devote her child to the service of God; in the days of her prosperity she does notforget the obligation. �ever, so far as we can discover, was a more perfect example offemale excellence and persevering religion: in adversity and in prosperity, in sorrow and injoy, the light of her piety shone with undiminishing splendor. She had virtues appropriateto every season, and conspicuous in every situation: in affliction she cannot be reproachedwith impatience, nor in success with ingratitude.

The illustrious female before us, exhibits a singular contrast to most others. From the firstto the last mention of her name in the page of Scripture, she challenges unmitigatedadmiration; she is uniform in every character: adversity and prosperity find her the samewoman: she does not murmur in the one, she is not vain in the other. There is but a singlevariety in her character, arising from its progressive excellence. She is not the same, onlybecause she is better; our veneration keeps pace with our knowledge. Her character doesnot, like that of many others, suffer by investigation; it does not resemble an object seen atsome distance through a mist, which is magnified into unnatural dimensions, so that theillusion vanishes when you come near; but is like a tower seen afar off under a clear sky,swelling in majesty at every step of approximation.”

25 When they had slaughtered the bull, they broughtthe boy to Eli,

Gill, “And they slew a bullock,.... One of the three Hannah brought, unless the singular isput for the plural, and so all three were slain, some for sacrifice, and some for foodperhaps; or if only one was slain, it might be offered as a sacrifice previous to thepresentation of Samuel; or else was made a present of to Eli, at the introduction of Samuelto him, as follows: and brought the child to Eli: to be under his care, to he instructed andtrained up by him in the service of the tabernacle; from hence it appears that Elkanah thehusband of Hannah came along with her at this time.”

26 and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord,I am the woman who stood here beside you praying tothe LORD .

1. Henry, “With a grateful acknowledgement of God's goodness in answer to prayer. Thisshe makes to Eli, because he had encouraged her to hope for an answer of peace (1Sa_1:26,1Sa_1:27): “For this child I prayed. Here it was obtained by prayer, and here it is resignedto the prayer-hearing God. You have forgotten me, my lord, but I who now appear socheerful am the woman, the very same, that three years ago stood by thee here weeping andpraying, and this was the child I prayed for.” Answers of prayer may thus be humblytriumphed in, to the glory of God. Here is a living testimony for God. “I am his witness thathe is gracious (see Psa_66:16-19); for this mercy, this comfort, I prayed, and the Lord hasgiven me my petition.” See Psa_34:2, Psa_34:4, Psa_34:6. Hannah does not remind Eli of itby adverting to the suspicion he had formerly expressed; she does not say, “I am thewoman whom you passed that severe censure upon; what do you think of me now?” Goodmen ought not to be upbraided with their infirmities and oversights. They have themselvesrepented of them; let them hear no more of them.”

2. Gill, “And she said, O my lord,.... According to the Targum, it is a supplication orrequest, I beseech thee, my lord; that is, to look upon her son, and take him under his careas his disciple or scholar, to instruct him in the law of God, and enter him into his service;to which Eli might be very backward and indifferent, and even treat it with some degree ofcontempt, that such a young Levite should be brought to him, when the soonest the Leviteswere admitted was at twenty five years of age:

as thy soul liveth, my lord; which Ben Gersom takes for the form of an oath, as if she sworeto the truth of what follows by the life of the high priest; but as it was forbidden to swearby any but by the living God, by his life, it cannot be thought so good a woman as Hannahwould be guilty of such a sinful and Heathenish practice; this rather is a wish or prayer forhis life and health, and the continuance thereof, to bring up her son in the exercise of truereligion:

I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord: by which it appears thatEli was now at the tabernacle, and in the same place he was, 1Sa_1:9 when she was someyears ago praying near him, at the distance of four cubits, as the Jews say: she takes nonotice of his mistaking her for a drunken woman, nor of his censure on her, and the reproofhe gave her; but puts him in mind only of her praying to the Lord standing near to him,which made him take the more notice of her; standing is a prayer posture; the Jews saythere is no standing but what is prayer, or prayer is meant by it; See Gill on Mat_6:5.”

3. Barnes, “As thy soul liveth - This oath is unique to the Books of Samuel, in which itoccurs six times, and to the Books of Kings, in which however, it is found only once.”

4. C. Knapp, “Hannah's words to Eli on the presentation of her child are in markedkeeping with her lovely disposition of meekness and unresentment. She does not say, I amthe woman you so rashly misjudged at the tabernacle entrance, and this is the child forwhich I was praying when you charged me with drunkenness. �o, there is nothing of this.Her triumph is in God, as one that knows Him as the bountiful Giver of all good. "I am thewoman," she says, "that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed,and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him.

Christian reader, how much like Hannah are we in forgetting wrongs received at the handsof others? How prone we all are to resent and remember an insult or a misinterpretation ofour actions by others - we who offend so much, and have need to be ourselves forgivenwrongs done to others, which we have forgotten, perhaps. May we earnestly seek andcultivate a like spirit of non-resentment, and forget injuries, even when the insult wasunmerited, as it was with her. Alas, how often we do wrong, and then indignantly resentand hardly forgive those whose duty it maybe to rebuke or correct us. May we learn moreof Him who was "meek and lowly in heart," and then shall we indeed "find rest unto oursouls."

27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has grantedme what I asked of him.

1. Hannah says she prayed for this child, and he is a direct answer to that prayer. God gaveher just what she asked for.

2. Gill, “For this child I prayed,.... Which she now had in her hand, and was presenting toEli: and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him; and which he alsodesired might be granted her, or foretold that it would be, 1Sa_1:17 though perhaps heknew not then particularly what it was she asked; nor did she acquaint him with it atparting, as she now did, having obtained of the Lord what she was so solicitous for, andnow makes mention of with thankfulness.

3. She made a hard journey through barrenness and brokenness, but by persistence andendurance she ended up in a state of blessedness. She is another story illustrating that weare to never give up, but press on with faith that the joy of the Lord will be the destinationthat we arrive at.

4. Steven Cole, “If God was looking for a prophet, why didn’t He pick one of Peninnah’ssons? She had plenty to spare. Why did He close (rather than open) the womb of a womanfrom whom He wanted to produce His man? Because God doesn’t help the strong. Hedoesn’t help those who help themselves. God helps those who are helpless who call out toHim. That’s what grace means, that God showers His favor, not on those who deserve it,but on those who do not. By the way, the name Hannah, in Hebrew, means “grace.” Ourproblem is not usually that we are too weak for God to work, but that we are too strong.We trust in ourselves; we think we can do it with just a boost from God. Sure, we ask God’sblessing, but then we use the latest methods that are guaranteed to work. Sure enough, themethods work and God gets a tip of the hat, but the methods get the glory. We tell others,“You’ve got to try this! It worked for me; it will work for you!” But where is the praise toGod that comes from saying, “I was helpless and hopeless. I cried out to God and Hedelivered me! Glory to God alone!”

5. Spurgeon, “Devout souls delight to look upon those mercies which they have obtained inanswer to supplication, for they can see God’s especial love in them. When we can nameour blessings Samuel, that is, “asked of God,” they will be as dear to us as her child was toHannah. Peninnah had many children, but they came as common blessings unsought inprayer: Hannah’s one heaven-given child was dearer far, because he was the fruit ofearnest pleadings. How sweet was that water to Samson which he found at “the well of himthat prayed!” Quassia cups turn all waters bitter, but the cup of prayer puts a sweetnessinto the draughts it brings. Did we pray for the conversion of our children? How doublysweet, when they are saved, to see in them our own petitions fulfilled! Better to rejoice overthem as the fruit of our pleadings than as the fruit of our bodies. Have we sought of theLord some choice spiritual gift? When it comes to us it will be wrapped up in the gold clothof God’s faithfulness and truth, and so be doubly precious. Have we petitioned for successin the Lord’s work? How joyful is the prosperity which comes flying upon the wings ofprayer! It is always best to get blessings into our house in the legitimate way, by the door ofprayer; then they are blessings indeed, and not temptations. Even when prayer speeds not,the blessings grow all the richer for the delay; the child Jesus was all the more lovely in theeyes of Mary when she found him after having sought him sorrowing. That which we winby prayer we should dedicate to God, as Hannah dedicated Samuel. The gift came fromheaven, let it go to heaven. Prayer brought it, gratitude sang over it, let devotion consecrateit. Here will be a special occasion for saying, “Of thine own have I given unto thee.” Reader,is prayer your element or your weariness? Which?”

28 So now I give him to the LORD . For his whole lifehe will be given over to the LORD ." And he

worshiped the LORD there.

1. Henry, “With a full surrender of all her interest in this child unto the Lord (1Sa_1:28): Ihave lent him to the Lord as long as he liveth. And she repeats it, because she will neverrevoke it: He shall be (a deodand) lent or given to the Lord. �ot that she designed to call forhim back, as we do what we lend, but she uses this word Shaol, lent, because it is the sameword that she had used before (1Sa_1:20, I asked him of the Lord), only in anotherconjugation. And (1Sa_1:27) the Lord gave me the petition which I asked (Shaalti, in Kal),therefore I have lent him (Hishilti, the same word in Hiphil), and so it gives anotheretymology of his name Samuel, not only asked of God, but lent to God. And observe, (1.)Whatever we give to God, it is what we have first asked and received from him. All our giftsto him were first his gifts to us. Of thy own, Lord, have we given thee, 1Ch_29:14,1Ch_29:16. (2.) Whatever we give to God may upon this account be said to be lent to him,that though we may not recall it, as a thing lent, yet he will certainly repay it, with interest,to our unspeakable advantage, particularly what is given to his poor, Pro_19:17. When bybaptism we dedicate our children to God, let us remember that they were his before by asovereign right, and that they are ours still so much the more to our comfort. Hannahresigns him to the Lord, not for a certain term of years, as children are sent apprentices,but durante vita - as long as he liveth, he shall be lent unto the Lord, a �azarite for life. Suchmust our covenant with God be, a marriage-covenant; as long as live we must be his, andnever forsake him.

Lastly, The child Samuel did his part beyond what could have been expected from one ofhis years; for of him that seems to be spoken, He worshipped the Lord there, that is he saidhis prayers. He was no doubt extraordinarily forward (we have known children that havediscovered some sense of religion very young), and his mother, designing him for thesanctuary, took particular care to train him up to that which was to be his work in thesanctuary. �ote, Little children should learn betimes to worship God. Their parents shouldinstruct them in his worship and bring them to it, put them upon engaging in it as well asthey can, and God will graciously accept them and teach them to do better.”

2. Gill, “ Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord,.... To be employed in his service, notfor a few days, months, or years, but for his whole life. The Targum is,"I have deliveredhim, that he may minister before the Lord;''as she had received him front him as an answerof prayer, she gave him up to him again according to her vow: as long as he liveth he shallbe lent unto the Lord, or as the Targum,"all the days that he lives he shall be ministeringbefore the Lord;''

or "all the days he shall be asked" (or "required") by or for the Lord (e); that is, he shallbe lent unto him, and serve him as long as it is desired:

and he worshiped the Lord there; in the tabernacle at the same time; either Elkanah, whowith Hannah brought the child to Eli, and now gave thanks to God for giving them the

child, and prayed unto him that he might be received into the service of the sanctuary; orelse Eli, to whom the child was brought for admittance, who when he heard that Hannah'srequest was granted, which he had entreated also might be or had declared it would be,bowed his head, and gave thanks to God for it; or rather the child Samuel, as he was taughtand trained up, bowed himself before the Lord, and worshiped him in the tabernacle assoon as he was brought into it, though a child; for he only is spoken of in this and thepreceding verse; and by some interpreters (f) the name Samuel is supplied; the VulgateLatin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, read in the plural number, "and they worshiped theLord there": that is, Elkanah and his wife; so Mr. Weemse (g) translates and interprets it.”

3. Raymond Perkins, “The gift Hannah gave to God was the prophet Samuel. He wouldbecome one of the greatest men of God in Old Testament times. He would lead God’speople in righteousness, serve as their last Judge, would be the one to anoint their firstking, Saul, and solidify Israel as the nation of God’s people. Hannah’s gift was indeed atremendous sacrifice, one that she no doubt wept over, yet also one in which she tookgreat comfort. Her gift would also prove to be a great service to her God throughrighteousness, faithfulness and purpose. Through Hannah’s gift, God was provided theopportunity to do great things among His people. Are you willing to provide Him thesame through your sacrificial and purposeful giving?”

4. MacArthur: “Two things stand out. First of all, she was dedicated to that child… Shekept her vow, I'll give that child to the Lord as soon as he's weaned, for a Hebrewmother between two and three years of age, but she said I'm not going up there until thischild is recovered so that it can feed itself. Do you know that's putting the child as a realpriority. Some people might say she put the child over worshiping the Lord. �o, becauseshe was taking care of the best gift God ever gave her, she was rendering to God the highestservice possible. It was more important for that woman to stay there and nurse that childthan to go offer sacrifices to God. She knew the priorities. She stayed home with the childin total dedication and commitment, training, loving, instructing and caring for that child. ..First of all, she was dedicated to the child. That's the right home relationship. Mothers,invest your life in those children. Believe me, it didn't stop there. Then she dedicated thechild to the Lord. She was not only dedicated to the child but dedicated the child to theLord..”

5. Little Samuel could worship because he had already learned how to do so with hismother before he ever came to the the house of the Lord. John Stiles wrote a poem thatapplies so clearly to Samuel

“I have worshiped in churches and chapels. I have prayed in the busy street.

I have sought my God and have found him in the waves of His ocean beat.

I have knelt in the silent forest in the shade of some ancient tree

But the dearest of all my altars was at my mother’s knee.

God, make me the man of her vision and purge me of selfishness.

God, keep me true to her standards and help me to live to bless.

God, hallow the holy impress of the days that used to be

And keep me a pilgrim forever to the shrine at my mother’s knee.”

6. Alan Carr, “Hannah presented her son Samuel to the Lord and he, by the grace of God,became a mighty man of God. He set a standard of righteousness for the nation of Israel.He was a man greatly used of the Lord. He was the man who anointed David as king. Hewas the man who served as the spiritual leader of Israel for many years. He was the man hewas because of the investment his mother made in his life before he was born and during allthose early years. Because she made the kind of investments she did, an entire nation wasblessed for many years. In fact, Hannah’s investment in Samuel continues to reapdividends to this day anytime anyone is helped, fed, challenged or blessed through the storyof his life! Hannah’s investment in Samuel continued to live on long after she was dead!Those are the kind of dividends we should all want to reap!”

7. Steven Cole, “To understand Hannah’s radical prayer to give her son back to God, weneed to remember that she lived in a spiritually desperate time. It was the day of thejudges, when every man in Israel did what was right in his own eyes. Word from the Lordwas rare in those days, visions were infrequent (1 Sam. 3:1). Eli’s wicked sons, who wereserving as priests, committed immorality with women at the door of the tabernacle (2:22)!God wanted to raise up a man who would hear from Him and speak His word faithfully.Hannah understood that God’s purpose for His people was to raise up His Anointed asKing (2:10). “Anointed” is the Hebrew word transliterated “Messiah.” Through Hannah’sprayer, God raised up her son Samuel as the first of the prophets. Samuel anointed Davidthe King and from David came God’s true Anointed, Jesus Christ.

..let’s say that, like Hannah, you are unable to have children and you’re praying forchildren. That’s fine. But how about praying, “Lord, if you give us children, we’ll do ourbest to instill in them a vision for those who have never heard the name of Jesus. We’ll yieldthem to You to serve as missionaries some day”? The old hymn, “O Zion Haste,” has averse that goes, Give of thy sons to bear the message glorious;Give of thy wealth to speed them on their way;Pour out thy soul for them in pray’r victorious;And all thou spendest Jesus will repay.

�ote 1 Sam. 2:21. It tells us that after Hannah gave her precious Samuel to serve God, Hegraciously gave her three more sons and two daughters. You can never give more to Godthan He gives back to you, in some form or another!”

8. Bob Deffinbaugh, “Hannah is an example of a godly woman and wife. She endures yearsof silent suffering because of her barrenness and cruel harassment at the hand of her rival,Peninnah. She accompanies her husband and family (including Peninnah) to Shiloh,knowing how painful it always is. Largely she suffers silently, with no indication that sheretaliates against her counterpart, Peninnah. She faithfully worships God, pouring out hertears and petitions. And when God answers her prayers, she not only keeps her vow, shepraises God in a way that continues to inspire and encourage saints throughout the

centuries. As surely as Eli’s parental failures played a part in the shameful conduct of hissons as priests, so the godliness of Hannah and her husband positively influence Samuel’spriesthood. And they positively influence us as examples of godly faith and action today.”

9. “Samuel had become a great man a second Moses in the eyes of the people, both Judgeand Prophet we may hope that on one of those great occasions Hannah also was by the sideof her son, not only to share in his triumph, but to remind the people that the gifts andgraces that adorned his character, the piety and purity that made him a fit instrument forthe carrying out of Jehovah s purposes in that generation, were in large measure a legacyfrom a good and godly mother. We honor Samuel for all that he was in himself, for all heaccomplished for Israel ; but here and now we lay our tribute at the feet of Hannah and we say, Thank God for such a mother, and for all who in these past ages or in this present areseeking to do a like service for the Kingdom of God.” author unknown

10. C. Knapp, “"And he worshiped the Lord there," we read. If this refers to Samuel, itwould argue that he was considerably more than three years old. The Revised Version saysin a footnote, that several ancient authorities read they for he, which, if correct, wouldpresent the beautiful picture of the company - Eli, Hannah, her husband, and others - alltogether in worshipful praise of the God of Israel for this gift of His love to the nation.

It takes us in thought to that lovely scene in the temple more than a thousand years later,when another group of godly souls, who also "looked for redemption in Israel," gatheredround an Infant, to hold in their arms the Redeemer Himself, when aged Simeon adoringlysaid, "Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mineeyes have seen thy salvation" (Luke 2:29).

11. An unknown author wrote, “Hannah may have been an ordinary woman but Samuelwas not an ordinary child. Even as a tiny boy Samuel began to hear the voice of God whichthe Bible says was rare in Israel at that time. He grew up and became the greatest prophetin Israel's history. He was a Judge over Israel; he anointed Saul as Israel's first king andthen anointed David as king after Saul's disobedience disqualified him in God's eyes.Samuel's influence and power cannot be overestimated; he was a giant of a man that Godused as a bridge between two epochs in the history of his chosen people. Two books of theOld Testament are named after him.

Hannah was willing to relinquish the very thing she was asking for. What a heavy price shepaid. When Samuel was born she only had him to herself for a couple of years before givinghim up to Eli. After that she only saw him once a year when she and Elkanah went up toShiloh for the annual sacrifice. Was the outcome worth the price? Hannah thought sobecause as she released Samuel into Eli's hands she prayed another poetic prayer oftriumph exalting God. It begins this way:

"My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. �o one is holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You,

�or is there any rock like our God." (I Samuel 2:1-2)

Footnotes1:1 Or from Ramathaim Zuphim 1:9 That is, tabernacle 1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard of God. 1:23 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac your 1:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text with three bulls 1:24 That is, probably about 3/5 bushel (about 22 liters)