Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 1:9
So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
9 20. Hannah’s Prayer and its answer
9. So Hannah rose up ] Simply And. Hannah left the feast for which she had not heart, and went to pray.
Eli the priest ] Eli belonged to the house of Ithamar Aaron’s fourth son, as is clear from a comparison of 1Ch 24:3 with 2Sa 8:17 and 1Ki 2:17, and from the omission of his name in the genealogy of Eleazar in 1Ch 6:4-15. The last high-priest mentioned before him was Phinehas the son of Eleazar (Jdg 20:28); but when or why the succession passed into the family of Ithamar, we are not told. The office did not return to the line of Eleazar until Solomon deposed Abiathar in fulfilment of the doom pronounced upon the house of Eli, and appointed Zadok in his place (1Ki 2:27). Eli united the offices of Priest and Judge.
upon a seat by a post of the temple ] Rather, “upon the seat (or, his seat) by the doorpost of the temple.” “The sanctuary itself was so encased with buildings, as to give it the name and appearance of ‘a house’ or ‘temple.’ There was a gateway with a seat inside the doorposts or pillars which supported it. It was ‘the seat’ or ‘throne’ of the ruler or judge, as afterwards in the Palace of Solomon. Here Eli sat on days of religious or political solemnity, and surveyed the worshippers as they came up the eminence on which the sanctuary was placed.” Stanley’s Lectures on the Jewish Church, I. 321.
the temple ] The Heb. word denotes a spacious and stately building: hence ( a) a royal palace: ( b) the temple: ( c) heaven, as the true temple of Jehovah. It is applied to the tabernacle only here and in 1Sa 3:3, and possibly in Psa 5:7. Its use in the present passage may indicate that the book was written at a time when the religious nomenclature had been coloured by the construction of Solomon’s temple.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
After they had eaten … – Rather, after she had eaten and after she had drunk, which is obviously right. Hannah, in the bitterness of her spirit, could not enjoy her feast, and so, after eating and drinking a little, she arose and went to the temple, leaving her husband and Peninnah and 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, which was 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 found only here, 1Sa 3:3; and Psa 5:7; and the use of this word here is thought by some an indication of the late date of the composition of this passage.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. Eli – sat upon a seat] al hakkisse, upon the throne, i.e., of judgment; for he was then judge of Israel.
By a post of the temple of the Lord.] I think this is the first place where heychal Yehovah, “temple of Jehovah,” is mentioned. This gives room for a strong suspicion that the books of Samuel were not compiled till the first temple was built, or after the days of Solomon. After this the word temple is frequent in the books of Kings, Chronicles, and in the prophets. Perhaps those Psalms in which this word occurs were, like many others in the Psalms, not of David’s composition; some of them were evidently made long after his time.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
After they had eaten, i.e. Elkanah and his company, except Hannah. Or, she; for though at first she eat nothing, yet upon her husbands invitation and encouragement she might eat afterwards; though the former may seem more probable.
Upon a seat, or throne; for it is manifest it was raised higher than ordinary, 1Sa 4:18. Here he might sit, either as the judge, or rather as high priest, to hear and answer such as came to him for advice, and to inspect and direct the worship of God as need was.
By a post of the temple, i.e. of the tabernacle, which is called the temple here, and 1Sa 3:3; 2Sa 22:7; Psa 27:6; as, on the contrary, the temple is called the tabernacle, Jer 10:20; Lam 2:6. And although this tabernacle was but a tent, yet it was supported by boards and posts, and especially at the entrance, by which Eli sat, even by the entrance into the outward court, otherwise he could not have seen Hannah. See Poole on “1Sa 3:15“.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drank,…. 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 where the tabernacle and altar were, and their peace offerings were offered up, part of which they had been regaling themselves with. The Targum is,
“after she had eaten in Shiloh, and after she had drank;”
for upon the entreaty of her husband, and to make him easy, she might be prevailed upon to eat somewhat, though it might be but little; and to drink, though it was but 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 tabernacle was called, and sometimes the temple is called a tabernacle, Jer 10:20. Now at the door posts and side of the threshold of the temple of the Lord, as the Targum; at the entrance of the great court of the Israelites, Eli had a seat placed, on which he sat; this must be at the gate of the court of the tabernacle, by the pillars of it; for in the court itself none afterwards might sit but kings of the family David n; here Eli sat as an high priest and judge, give advice in difficult cases, and to try and judge all causes that were brought before him; some say o that he was on this day constituted an high priest, and others say q he was now made a judge; but no doubt he was both high priest and judge before this time.
n Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Yoma, c. 7. sect. 1. o Shoched Tob apud Yalkut, par. 2. fol. 12. 4. q Seder Olam Rabba, c. 13. p. 37.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Hannah’s prayer for a son. – 1Sa 1:9-11. “ After the eating at Shiloh, and after the drinking,” i.e., after the sacrificial meal was over, Hannah rose up with a troubled heart, to pour out her grief in prayer before God, whilst Eli was sitting before the door-posts of the palace of Jehovah, and vowed this vow: “ Lord of Zebaoth, if Thou regardest the distress of Thy maiden, and givest men’s seed to Thy maiden, I will give him to the Lord all his life long, and no razor shall come upon his head.” The choice of the infinitive absolute instead of the infinitive construct is analogous to the combination of two nouns, the first of which is defined by a suffix, and the second written absolutely (see e.g., , Exo 15:2; cf. 2Sa 23:5, and Ewald, 339, b). The words from onwards to form two circumstantial clauses inserted in the main sentence, to throw light upon the situation and the further progress of the affair. The tabernacle is called “ the palace of Jehovah ” (cf. 1Sa 2:22), not on account of the magnificence and splendour of the building, but as the dwelling-place of Jehovah of hosts, the God-king of Israel, as in Psa 5:8, etc. is probably a porch, which had been placed before the curtain that formed the entranced into the holy place, when the tabernacle was erected permanently at Shiloh. , troubled in soul (cf. 2Ki 4:27). is really subordinate to , in the sense of “weeping much during her prayer.” The depth of her trouble was also manifest in the crowding together of the words in which she poured out the desire of her heart before God: “ If Thou wilt look upon the distress of Thine handmaid, and remember and not forget,” etc. “ Men’s seed ” ( semen virorum ), i.e., a male child. is the plural of , a man (see Ewald, 186-7), from the root , which combines the two ideas of fire, regarded as life, and giving life and firmness. The vow contained two points: (1) she would give the son she had prayed for to be the Lord’s all the days of his life, i.e., would dedicate him to the Lord for a lifelong service, which, as we have already observed at 1Sa 1:1, the Levites as such were not bound to perform; and (2) no razor should come upon his head, by which he was set apart as a Nazarite for his whole life (see at Num 6:2., and Jdg 13:5). The Nazarite, again, was neither bound to perform a lifelong service nor to remain constantly at the sanctuary, but was simply consecrated for a certain time, whilst the sacrifice offered at his release from the vow shadowed forth a complete surrender to the Lord. The second point, therefore, added a new condition to the first, and one which was not necessarily connected with it, but which first gave the true consecration to the service of the Lord at the sanctuary. At the same time, the qualification of Samuel for priestly functions, such as the offering of sacrifice, can neither be deduced from the first point in the vow, nor yet from the second. If, therefore, at a later period, when the Lord had called him to be a prophet, and had thereby placed him at the head of the nation, Samuel officiated at the presentation of sacrifice, he was not qualified to perform this service either as a Levite or as a lifelong Nazarite, but performed it solely by virtue of his prophetic calling.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Hannah’s Prayer. | B. C. 1140. |
9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. 11 And she vowed a vow, 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 a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. 12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. 13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. 14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. 15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. 16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. 17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.
Elkanah had gently reproved Hannah for her inordinate grief, and here we find the good effect of the reproof.
I. It brought her to her meat. She ate and drank, v. 9. She did not harden herself in sorrow, nor grow sullen when she was reproved for it; but, when she perceived her husband uneasy that she did not come and eat with them, she cheered up her own spirits as well as she could, and came to table. It is as great a piece of self-denial to control our passions as it is to control our appetites.
II. It brought her to her prayers. It put her upon considering, “Do I well to be angry? Do I well to fret? What good does it do me? Instead of binding the burden thus upon my shoulders, had I not better easy myself of it, and cast it upon the Lord by prayer?” Elkanah had said, Am not I better to thee than ten sons? which perhaps occasioned her to think within herself, “Whether he be so or no, God is, and therefore to him will I apply, and before him will I pour out my complaint, and try what relief that will give me.” If ever she will make a more solemn address than ordinary to the throne of grace upon this errand, now is the time. They are at Shiloh, at the door of the tabernacle, where God had promised to meet 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 with him; and, taking the comfort of their being accepted of him, they had feasted upon the sacrifice; and now it was proper to put up her prayer in virtue of that sacrifice, for the peace-offerings, for by it not only atonement is made for sin, but the audience and acceptance 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. Now concerning Hannah’s prayer we may observe,
1. The warm and lively devotion there was in it, which appeared in several instances, for our direction in prayer. (1.) She improved the present grief and trouble of her spirit for the exciting and quickening of her pious affections in prayer: Being in bitterness of soul, she prayed, v. 10. This good use we should make of our afflictions, they should make us the more lively in our addresses to God. Our blessed Saviour himself, being in an agony, prayed more earnestly, Luke xxii. 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. xii. 4), with an eye to the tender mercy of our God, who knows the troubled soul. The prayer came from her heart, as the tears from her eyes. (3.) 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, not only to ask good things in general, but to mention that special good thing which we most need and desire. Yet she says not, as Rachel, Give me children, Gen. xxx. 1. She will be very thankful for one. (4.) She made a solemn vow, or promise, that if God would give her a son she would give him up to God, v. 11. He would be by birth a Levite, and so devoted to the service of God, but he should be by her vow a Nazarite, and his very childhood should be sacred. It is probable she had acquainted Elkanah with her purpose before, and had had his consent and approbation. Note, Parents have a right to dedicate their children to God, as living sacrifices and spiritual priests; and an obligation is thereby laid upon them to serve God faithfully all the days of their life. Note further, It is very proper, when we are in pursuit of any mercy, to bind our own souls with a bond, that, if God give it us, we will devote it to his honour and cheerfully use it in his service. Not that hereby we can pretend to merit the gift, but thus we are qualified for it and for the comfort of it. In hope of mercy, let us promise duty. (5.) She spoke all this so softly that none could hear her. Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard, v. 13. Hereby she testified her belief of God’s knowledge of the heart and its desires. Thoughts are words to him, nor is he one of those gods that must be cried aloud to, 1 Kings xviii. 27. It was likewise an instance of her humility and holy shamefacedness in her approach to God. She was none of those that made her voice to be heard on high, Isa. lviii. 4. It was a secret prayer, and therefore, though made in a public place, yet was thus made secretly, and not, as the Pharisees prayed, to be seen of men. It is true prayer is not a thing we have reason to be ashamed of, but we must avoid all appearances of ostentation. Let what passes between God and our souls be kept to ourselves.
2. The hard censure she fell under for it. Eli was now high priest, and judge in Israel; he sat upon a seat in the temple, to oversee what was done there, v. 9. The tabernacle is here called the temple, because it was now fixed, and served all the purposes of a temple. There Eli sat to receive addresses and give direction, and somewhere (it is probable in a private corner) he espied Hannah at her prayers, and by her unusual manner fancied she was drunken, and spoke to her accordingly (v. 14): How long wilt thou be drunken?–the very imputation that Peter and the apostles fell under when the Holy Ghost gave them utterance, Acts ii. 13. Perhaps in this degenerate age it was no strange thing to see drunken women at the door of the tabernacle; for otherwise, one would think, the vile lust of Hophni and Phinehas could not have found so easy a prey there, ch. ii. 22. Eli took Hannah for one of these. It is one bad effect of the abounding of iniquity, and its becoming fashionable, that it often gives occasion to suspect the innocent. When a disease is epidemical every one is suspected to be tainted with it. Now, (1.) This was Eli’s fault; and a great fault it was to pass so severe a censure without better observation or information. If his own eyes had already become dim, he should have employed those about him to enquire. Drunkards are commonly noisy and turbulent, but this poor woman was silent and composed. His fault was the worse that he was the priest of the Lord, who should have had compassion on the ignorant, Heb. v. 2. Note, It ill becomes us to be rash and hasty in our censures of others, and to be forward to believe people guilty of bad things, while either the matter of fact on which the censure is grounded is doubtful and unproved or is capable of a good construction. Charity commands us to hope the best concerning all, and forbids censoriousness. Paul had very good information when he did but partly believe (1 Cor. xi. 18), hoping it was not so. Especially we ought to be cautious how we censure the devotions of others, lest we call that hypocrisy, enthusiasm, or superstition, which is really the fruit of an honest zeal, and it is accepted of God. (2.) It was Hannah’s affliction; and a great affliction it was, added to all the rest, vinegar to the wounds of her spirit. She had been reproved by Elkanah because she would not eat and drink, and now to be reproached by Eli as if she had eaten and drunk too much was very hard. Note, It is no new thing for those that do well to be ill thought of, and we must not think it strange if at any time it be our lot.
3. Hannah’s humble vindication of herself from this crime with which she was charged. She bore it admirably well. She did not retort the charge and upbraid him with the debauchery of his own sons, did not bid him look at home and restrain them, did not tell him how ill it became one in his place thus to abuse a poor sorrowful worshipper at the throne of grace. When we are at any time unjustly censured we have need to set a double watch before the door of our lips, that we do not recriminate, and return censure for censure. 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 all possible respect, calls him, My lord, intimates how very desirous she was to stand right in his opinion and how loth to lie under his censure. “No, my lord, it is not as you suspect; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, not any at all” (though it was proper enough to be given to one of such a heavy heart, Prov. xxxi. 6), “much less to any excess; therefore count not thy handmaid for a daughter of Belial.” Note, Drunkards are children of Belial (women-drunkards, particularly), children of the wicked one, children of disobedience, children that will not endure the yoke (else they would not be drunk), more especially when they are actually 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 of her speaking in her own defence was sufficient to demonstrate that she was not drunk. (2.) In justice to him, she gives an account of her present behaviour, which had given occasion 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, but with 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 the language of the heart, and this out of the abundance of my complaint and grief.” She had been more than ordinarily fervent in prayer to God, and this, she tells him, was the true reason of the transport and disorder she seemed to be in. Note, When we are unjustly censured we should endeavour, not only to clear ourselves, but to satisfy our brethren, by giving them a just and true account of that which they misapprehended.
4. The atonement Eli made for his rash unfriendly censure, by a kind and fatherly benediction, v. 17. He did not (as many are apt to do in such a case) take it for an affront to have his mistake rectified and to be convinced of his error, nor did it put him out of humour. But, on the contrary, he now encouraged Hannah’s devotions as much as before he had discountenanced them; not only intimated that he was satisfied of her innocency by those words, Go in peace, but, being high priest, as one having authority he blessed her in the name of the Lord, and, though he knew not what the particular blessing was that she had been praying for, yet he puts his Amen to it, so good an opinion had he now conceived of her prudence and piety: The God of Israel grant thee thy petition, whatever it is, that thou hast asked of him. Note, By our meek and humble carriage towards those that reproach us because they do not know us, we may perhaps make them our friends, and turn their censures of us into prayers for us.
5. The great satisfaction of mind with which Hannah now went away, v. 18. She begged the continuance of Eli’s good opinion of her and his good prayers for her, and then she went her way and did eat of what remained of the peace-offerings (none of which was to be left until the morning), and her countenance was no more sad, no more as it had been, giving marks of inward trouble and discomposure; but she looked pleasant and cheerful, and all was well. Why, what had happened? Whence came this sudden happy change? She had by prayer committed her case to God and left it with him, and now she was 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 up the want of it to her some other way. Note, Prayer is heart’s-ease to a gracious soul; the seed 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 do so.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES.
1Sa. 1:9. Post, or portal. Probably a porch which had been placed before the curtain that formed the entrance into the Holy Place (Keil). Temple, or palace, so called not on account of the magnificence of the building, but as the dwelling place of the God-king of Israel as in Psa. 5:8 (Keil). I think this is the first place where the temple of Jehovah is mentioned. This confirms the opinion that the book was compiled after the building of the Temple A. Clarke.
1Sa. 1:11. Sterile women in the East to this day perform pilgrimages to holy places, and often make a vow that, in case they should be blessed with a son, he shall become a monk (Fausset). Vowed a Vow. This vow contained two distinct points
(1) That she would dedicate her son to the Lord in a life-long service, while as a Levite he was only bound from the age of 20 to 50 (Num. 8:24-25), and
(2) that no razor should come upon his head, by which he was set apart as a Nazarite for the whole of his life. There is no notice in the Pentateuch of a Nazarite for life; but the regulations for the vow of a Nazarite of days are given in Num. 6:1-21. Of the Nazarites for life three are mentioned in the Scriptures: Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist. The only one actually called a Nazarite is Samson. The Rabbis raised the question whether Samuel was in reality a Nazarite. It is expressly stated that no razor shall come upon his head; but no mention is made of abstinence from wine. It is, however, worthy of notice that Philo makes a particular point of this, and seems to refer the words of Hannah, in 1Sa. 1:15, to Samuel himself. We do not know whether the vow for life was ever voluntarily taken by the individual. In all the cases mentioned in sacred history, it was made by the parents before the birth of the Nazarite himself. According to the general law of vows (Num. 30:8), the mother could not take the vow without the father. Hannah must therefore either have presumed on her husbands concurrence, or secured it beforehand. The Nazarite of days might have fulfilled his vow without attracting much notice until the day came for him to make his offering in the temple. But the Nazarite for life, on the other hand, with his flowing hair and persistent refusal of strong drink, must have been a marked man. Whether in any other particular his daily life was peculiar is uncertain. He may have had some privileges which gave him something of a priestly characterthere is an ancient tradition that Nazarites were permitted even to enter into the Holy of Holies. Perhaps it would not be unreasonable to suppose that the half-sacerdotal character of Samuel might have been connected with his prerogative as a Nazarite. Though not necessarily cut off from social life, when the turn of his mind was devotional, consciousness of his peculiar dedication must have influenced his habits and manner, and in some cases probably led him to retire from the world. And as the vow of the Nazarite was taken by his parents before he was conscious of it, his observance of it was a sign of filial obedience, like the vow of the Rechabites. The meaning of the Nazarite vow has been regarded in different lights. Some deny that it involved anything of an ascetic character; others imagine that it was intended to cultivate, and bear witness for, the sovereignty of the will over the lower tendencies of human nature; while some regard it wholly in the light of a sacrifice of the person to God. That the Nazarite vow was essentially a sacrifice of the person is obviously in accordance with the terms of the Law (Num. 6:2). In the old dispensation it may have answered to that living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which the believer is now called upon to make. (Smiths Bible Dictionary.) That part of the vow of the Nazarite which had to do with his spiritual nature was the abstinence from strong drink. The other observances were merely ceremonial, and related only to the outward man. But strong drink can and often does influence the mind, and may be the means of moral deterioration. Even when not indulged in to excess, it may be used to such an extent as to dull the spiritual sense, and to unfit men for holding intimate communion with God. It was not a mere arbitrary statute when The Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine or strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die (Num. 10:8-9).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.1Sa. 1:9-11
THE PRAYER OF HANNAH
In this prayer we have
I. A recognition of Gods faithful performance of His promises. When a parent promises to meet his child in a certain place at a certain time, and the child is found waiting at the appointed place at the given time, the act is a declaration of faith in the parents faithfulness. The childs position and attitude denote a recognition of the truthfulness of the parents word. God had promised to meet the children of Israel in an especial manner in the tabernacle (Exo. 29:43) in the place which He should choose to place His name there (Deu. 16:11). Hannahs choice of the house of God as the place whence she would direct her prayerwhence she would look up for help in her sorrowis a declaration that she believed the Divine Word. Her presence there declares that she believed in another Presence thereeven of Him who was known to Israel of old to dwell between the cherubims (Exo. 25:22; 1Sa. 4:4).
II. A recognition of Gods knowledge of the secrets of the human soul. She spake in her heart, only her lips moved (1Sa. 1:13). Speech of some kind is necessary if one human being would communicate with another, and there are some thoughts and feelings which, not being capable of being put into words, must remain for ever uncommunicated to any earthly friend. In this sense the heart is compelled sometimes to know its own bitterness, and no stranger (no one outside the spirit) can intermeddle therewith (Pro. 14:10). The human body is the means by which the human soul reveals itself, and yet it conceals often more than it reveals. So word is the body of thoughtthe great means of making thought known among menyet it often hides more than it makes known. But He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the spirit (Rom. 8:27). He stands face to face with the inmost feelingsthe deepest emotionsof every human soul. He needs not the information conveyed by wordsHe sees not through them as through a glass, darkly, but without that veil between reads the aspirations of the burdened hearthears the groanings which cannot be uttered (Rom. 8:26). Hannah recognises this truth when, without words, she speaks to the Eternal God. By her silent prayer she shows she was penetrated with that sense of the Divine Omniscience which filled Davids mind when he wrote O Lord, Thou hast searched me, and known me, Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off (Psa. 139:1-2).
III. A recognition of obligation to God before the petition is granted. Thine handmaid. Hannah was Gods handmaid whether the blessing she craved was granted or withheld. A servant (while he acknowledges the relation) is bound to obey his masters commandsto acquiesce in his will, whether that will always coincides with his own or not. While the relationship is acknowledged the obligation continues. Hannah, by her own acknowledgment, was a servant of the God of Israel. She was under an obligation to serve Him, whether He fulfilled her hearts desire or not. She recognises the fact that she was already Gods debtorbound to obey His commands and acquiesce in His will, whatever might be the issue of her prayer. She admits that her obligation will be increased if God grants the desire of her heart: If Thou wilt look upon Thine handmaid, etc.; but she does not make her obligation to God depend upon her prayer being answered.
IV. A recognition of Gods care for the individual. That system of government and that code of laws are most perfect which take cognisance, not only of a nation as a whole, but of the special need of the individualwhen it meets the need, not of men in a mass merely, but of each man. This can be done but imperfectly in human systems. Laws which are generally beneficial press hard in particular cases, or overlook particular exigencies. But it is not so in the Divine administration. His laws take hold of the individual man, and His providence works for each one, without injury to any. Each blade of grass drinks in the sunlight and is watered by the showers, as abundantly and as sufficiently as though it was alone upon the earth, instead of being a unit amid countless millions. And so each soul is as much the object of Gods care as though He had no other creature to care for. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered (Mat. 10:29-30). Hannahs prayera personal statement of her own personal sorrows and desiresshows that she recognised the fact that the God of Israel not only knew the sorrows of the nation as a whole, and was willing to come down to deliver them (Exo. 3:8), but that He had regard to the heart-grief of a single sorrowful woman among the thousands of Israel.
V. A very specific statement of her desire. If Thou wilt give unto Thy handmaid a man-child. All successful pleading is specific. If it begins with generalities it does not end with them. When a barrister pleads for his client he does not content himself with general appealshe puts definitely before the jury and the judge what he wants them to do. The widow made a definite statement of her want to the unjust judgeshe told him exactly what she wanted him to doAvenge me of mine adversary (Luk. 18:3). It has been said that Generalities are the death of prayer. Hannahs prayer was most definiteshe not only asks for a childbut for a sonand not only for a son but for one who would be in a special manner a servant of Jehovah.
VI. A recognition of the Divine working in and above natural laws. Hannah acknowledges God as the only Giver of natural life. The laws of nature, either in vegetable or animal life, are not the causes of that life, but the means by which the Creator pleases to give it. They are not the gods to whom the praise is due, but the servants of the one God who works in them and by them. Hannahs prayer recognises the truth that life can only come into being by the fiat of the Eternal. She asks for a living child from the only Life-Giver of the universefrom Him who alone hath life in Himself (Joh. 5:26).
VII. A dedication of the desired blessing to the service of the Giver. If Thou wilt give unto Thine handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life. The precious gift should be returned to the Giver. Gods gift to her should be her gift to God. The way to obtain any benefit, says Bishop Hall, is to devote it, in our hearts, to the glory of that God of whom we ask it: by this means shall God both pleasure His servant and honour Himself; whereas, if the scope of our desires be carnal, we may be sure either to fail of our suit, or of a blessing.
In all the points we have noticedin its faith in the Divine Wordin its recognition of Divine Omnisciencein its acknowledgment of the Divine claim to servicein its confidence in the Divine care for the individualin its definitenessin its discernment of a Divine power in all the laws of natureand in its purpose to devote to the service of God the boon craved for at His handsthis prayer of the Hebrew matron may serve as a model for all prayers in all circumstances and in all ages. It is especially worthy of the study of those who are pleading with God, not for the gift of childrenbut for the spiritual life of children already givenof mothers whose daily and fervent prayer is put up to God that those whom He has given to them may be, in a spiritual sense, sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
1Sa. 1:10. If a woman has prayed with so much importunity, says St. Gregory, to obtain a son from God, how ought we to pray to be made His children.De Sacy.
The hand of God in history might be the appropriate title of many of the books of Scripture, for the sacred records largely illustrate the agency of God in the affairs of men. That simple Hannah on her knees, with her face toward the tabernacle and the mercy seat, and her lips trembling with her prayer, became the link of a chain in the revival of piety and patriotism in the promised land. Her day of small things was to be succeeded by a life which would shed its blessings upon the chosen people, and illuminate a chapter of Hebrew history.Steele.
Herein she took a right course to get comfort. So did David (Psa. 109:4) and Paul (1Co. 4:13), Being defamed we pray. If she should have rendered to Peninnah railing for railing, there would have been somewhat to do. Prayer and patience are the best antidotes against contumelies and contempt; the one hot, the other cold; the one quickening, the other quenching. Prayers and tears are the saints best weapons; their great guns and their scaling ladders, saith Luther.Trapp.
A mid vexations and assaults, what should impel us to prayer?
1. The certainty that if men do us hurt, it does not occur without the Divine permission.
2. The feeling that even the best human consolation cannot satisfy the heart which is thirsting to be consoled.
3. Firm confidence in the help of the Lord, who in His faithfulness will help and in His power can help, when men will not help or cannot.Langes Commentary.
1Sa. 1:11. She thrice calls herself the Lords handmaid, out of a profound sense of her meanness and His majesty, and desires a man-child because only such could wait upon the Lord in the service of the tabernacle.Patrick.
It may be asked whether Hannah or whether any parents have the right thus to consecrate their children, and so, without their consent, to interfere with their personal liberty? I answer, here was no vow of perpetual celibacy or of religious poverty. He had the liberty of marriage, for the Scripture speaks of his sons, and he preserved the possession and use of all his property. The engagement into which Hannah entered on behalf of Samuel simply consisted in his being attached to the tabernacle service for some years longer than an ordinary Levite, which was an honour, and in being brought up in the centre of religious influences. It was a precaution against the moral contagion of the times, and tended to promote a natural growth of piety in himto make the love of God within him grow and strengthen with his years. It is true Hannah destined her son for a Nazarite, but this was only under the condition that God made him willing to accept the vow. She knew that He who inspired her to vow would inspire her childif he were grantedwith a willingness to perform his part of it; that, if God granted her the son, he would perfect his gift in inspiring him with a desire to be devoted to His service. The human spirit, as it is since the fall, would never have established the custom of vows. Such an engaging of Providence would have appeared unworthy of the Supreme Majesty. The institution could only have come through a revelation. The universal usage, diffused among all nations, proves that the tradition descended from the family of Noah. God has condescended by this religious commerce, to bind us to Himself more firmly by means of our wants and our desires. He desires to impress upon our minds the truth that He rules in the least events of our lives, and, by this kind of contract that He makes with us in vows, He would awaken our faith by accepting the conditions that we offer, and in accomplishing that which we expect of Him.Le Maistre de Sacy.
A vow is to be made with prayer, and paid with thanksgiving.Trapp.
She has received nothing as yet, and she begins her prayer with a promise. She testifies already her gratitude to God, while her hands are still empty. I have two pleas, it is as if she had said, I am Thy servant, and I am in trouble. And my child shall be entirely and absolutely Thy servant. I give up all my maternal rights. I desire to be his mother only so far as that he shall owe his existence to me, after that I give him up to Thee. She does not say, If Thou wilt give me three sons, I will give Thee two, if Thou wilt give me two, I will give Thee one, but If Thou wilt give me one only, I will consecrate him entirely to Thee. She does not name her rival in her prayer, she utters no invectives, she complains of no injury, and speaks only concerning the matters which fill her soul. If we are wise, not only will our enemies be unable to do us the least harm, but they will be the occasion of our greatest good, if prayer is our resource from the vexations that they cause us.Chrysostom.
The local service promised by the mother was afterwards interrupted, chiefly by the call of Samuel to higher duties as prophet. To the mother the sanctuary-service seemed the best pursuit of life; but God had something better for the son. Yet Hannahs devout spiritual purpose is maintained in her sons life.Translator of Langes Commentary.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Hannahs prayer. 1Sa. 1:9-18
9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord.
10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.
11 And she vowed a vow, 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 a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth.
13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.
16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.
15.
Was eating and drinking normally associated with worship? 1Sa. 1:9
God had ordained a central sanctuary for Israel (Deu. 12:5-12). He gave them instructions about the nature of their worship, and He said of the place where they were to worship: There ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households (Deu. 12:7). They were forbidden to eat the tithe of their corn or of their wine or of their oil within their gates: that is, within the towns where they lived they were not to conduct their worship services. They were further instructed: Thou must eat them before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose (Deu. 12:18). On many different occasions people enjoyed a sacrificial meal together (Gen. 31:54; Exo. 18:12). A holy feast was very much a part of Israels worship. It was this kind of a feast that was enjoyed by Elkanah and his household.
16.
Why is the Tabernacle called the Temple? 1Sa. 1:9 b
The temple proper was not built until the days of Solomon. The Tabernacle itself was more portable and less permanent than the Temple. It was intended to be a temporary place of worship which could be moved about in the wilderness. The Tabernacle was set up rather permanently in Shiloh. Excavations on the site indicate that there were some rather permanent walls erected around the court, and the fact that it was there for a long time made it seem less like a portable place of worship. All of these rather permanent arrangements led to the Tabernacle being called the Temple. Notices are made in the Scripture that there was a post erected and a seat where the high priest could sit. References to these are made again in 1Sa. 4:13; 1Sa. 4:18.
17.
What was Hannahs attitude? 1Sa. 1:10
Hannah is described as being in bitterness of soul. She prayed unto the Lord, She also wept sore. We dare not describe her as being cynical, but she was bitter. Much of her time was spent in prayer. On other occasions she was seen to be weeping. The Hebrew word used to describe the bitterness of her soul is from the same root as the word which Naomi used to describe her condition when she came back from Moab. Naomi had lost her husband and her two sons in Moab. She had gone out as a happy wife and mother and came back to her home in Bethlehem alone except for her foreign daughter-in-law. When the people came out to greet her, she asked them not to call her anymore Naomi but Mara (Rth. 1:20). The word Naomi indicates pleasantness, the word Mara is best translated as bitter. This is the same word used to describe Hannah.
18.
What vow did Hannah make? 1Sa. 1:11
The vow of Hannah stipulated that she would give her son to Jehovah all the days of his life. She intended that he would become a servant around the house of Jehovah (see Num. 8:19). A vow is a promise to give something to God, or to perform some thing for Him, in case He grants a prayer. An example of this is Jacobs vow (Gen. 28:20-22). She further vowed that he would be reared in a way that reminds one of the Nazarite vows of Samson. The regulations for a Nazarite are found in Numbers 6. He could not shave his head, neither was he to take strong drink or touch a dead body. Hannah mentions specifically the matter of not shaving the head. A married woman could vow a vow only if her husband approved. Single women could make a vow only if their fathers approved (Numbers 30). Since these limitations prevailed, Elkanah must have known of Hannahs vow and concurred in it.
19.
Did Hannah pray of ten? 1Sa. 1:12
The fact that the Scripture says she continued praying indicates that Hannah was often in the Tabernacle in prayer. The original language indicates that she multiplied her prayers. This brings to our minds the statement of Jesus that men ought always to pray and not to faint (Luk. 18:1). Jesus set the good example Himself when He went and prayed the same prayer three times in one night. The apostle Paul indicates that he prayed three times that the thorn in the flesh might be removed from him (2Co. 12:8). Hannah no doubt prayed repeatedly that God would give her a man child. Her prayer may also have been quite extended. All of this attracted Elis attention. He noticed especially that she was not saying anything audibly. His attention was thus directed to her mouth. He saw that it was moving, but he heard no sound.
20.
Why would Eli think Hannah was drunk? 1Sa. 1:13
It was no doubt not uncommon to see women drunken in that day. The specific reason was that she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Since he could see her lips moving and could not hear her voice, he supposed that she was drunken.
The fact that he supposed that she was drunk is an indication of the prevalency of intemperance. Had he been more accustomed of seeing women in deep prayer, he would have supposed she was praying silently. Hannahs attitude in prayer gives us an example of prayer that is silent. Even though we make no sound with our lips, we believe that God hears us.
21.
What light does Elis accusation throw on the moral condition of the Israelites at this time? 1Sa. 1:14
Eli was evidently so accustomed to seeing the wickedness around about him that he spoke the way he did to Hannah. This would imply that the moral condition of the civilization was bad. The conduct of his sons, the religious leaders of the time, would indicate that the corruption was very generally thorough. It had touched even the worship of God, and morality was not present in the place of public worship.
22.
What explanation did Hannah make? 1Sa. 1:15
Hannah explained that she was not drunken but that she was of sorrowing spirit. She prayed Eli not to think of her as a vile woman. Greek translators render men of Belial by adjectives like vile, ungodly, senseless, contrary. It was her hope that Eli would not think of her as one who had fallen to the depths from which few arise.
23.
Who was Belial? 1Sa. 1:16
The word Belial is used in the King James version as if it were a proper name. It seems better not to transliterate it this way but rather to translate it as indicated above. In the New Testament books, the term appears in the form Belias, and Belial. This term is used in 2Co. 6:15 for example; and it is generally understood as a reference to Satan as the personification of evil. This is a proper way to render this verse. Hannah is saying that she does not want to be counted as a daughter of Satan.
24.
How could Eli say that God would answer Hannahs prayer? 1Sa. 1:17
No man has the power to forgive men their sins by himself alone. Neither does any man have the right to say what God will or will not do without a revelation from God. Those who know the Scriptures can rest assured that they are true. If they make a prophecy, man can say that it will come true. Eli was announcing what he knew was right and true, He knew that God hears and answers prayers. He knew that Hannah was sincere in her prayers. Such prayers could not go unanswered. In addition, Eli was anointed of God as high priest. He had charismatic gifts which would enable him to make announcements beyond the normal, and this was also a prayer of his own. He sent Hannah away with his spirit united with hers. He would join her in praying that God would hear her petition. He firmly believed that her prayers would be answered; and as Gods anointed high priest, he predicted that they would be answered.
25.
Why did Hannah call herself a handmaid? 1Sa. 1:18
The term was used quite frequently by women who wanted to describe themselves as being a part of a household. The word does not indicate one who is a slave, but one who had something of the stature of Hagar in the household of Abraham (Gen. 16:1). The same word is also used to describe Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah (Gen. 29:24). Hannah felt that she found a friend in Eli. She did not want to make herself equal to him, but she did want him to look upon her as one of the household of faith, willing to do what the Lord commanded as might be directed by the high priest himself.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(9) After they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk.This was the solemn sacrificial meal, at which the whole family were present.
Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat.Eli, the high priest of Israel at this time, was a descendant of Ithamar, the younger son of Aaron (see 1Ch. 24:3, where it is stated that his great-grandson, Ahimelech, was of the sons of Ithamar). The circumstances which led to the transfer of the dignity from the line of Eleazar, who succeeded his father Aaron in the office, are unknown. It has been suggested that at the death of the last high priest of the line of Eleazar, Ozi, there was no son of sufficient age and experience to succeed, and so the office passed to the next of kin, Eli, a son of the house of Ithamar. (See Josephus, Antt. v., 2, 5.)
The seat upon which Eli is represented as usually sitting (see 1Sa. 4:18) was evidently a chair or throne of state, where the high-priestly judge sat at certain times to administer justice and to transact business. The Hebrew word rendered here post, and the expression doors of the house (1Sa. 3:15), seem to suggest that now a permanent home had been erected for the sanctuary: something of a building, possibly of stone, surrounding the Tabernacle had been built.
The temple of the Lord, rather, palace of the Lord, so called not from any external magnificence but as being the earthly place where at times the visible glory of the Eternal King of Israel, the Shekinah, was pleased to manifest itself.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. Hannah rose up To go to the tabernacle to pray before the Lord. 1Sa 1:12.
Eli the priest , the priest, made thus definite by the article, means the high priest, who was distinguished from the ordinary priests by being anointed in some peculiarly solemn manner, and therefore called the anointed priest, (Lev 4:3😉 also by wearing a mitre, a breastplate, and a robe, (Exo 28:4, where see notes,) and by holding peculiar functions. Heb 9:7. Eli was a descendant of Ithamar, the younger son of Aaron. Eleazar, the elder son, had been inducted into the high priesthood on the death of his father on Mount Hor. Num 20:28. On what occasion or for what reason this honour was transferred to the line of Ithamar we are nowhere informed. Keil supposes “that at the death of the last high priest of the family of Eleazar, before the time of Eli, the remaining son was not equal to the occasion, either because he was still an infant, or too young and inexperienced to enter upon the office; and Eli, who was probably related by marriage to the high priest’s family, and a vigorous man, was compelled by the circumstances to take the oversight of the congregation.” The transfer may, however, in the lawless period of the Judges, have been brought about in a much less honourable and lawful way. Ewald supposes that Eli was in his youth a great hero and deliverer of the people, and by his remarkable prowess raised himself to the office of judge, and then “the office of high priest at Shiloh probably devolved upon him simply as a descendant of Aaron. For this office had then fallen so low, the disorganized and scattered state of the priestly class was so deep-rooted, that probably any descendant of Aaron who possessed much consideration with the people was readily acknowledged as high priest in Shiloh by all his adherents.” From 1Sa 4:18, we learn that he was also one of the Judges of Israel.
Sat upon a seat Hebrew, upon the throne; an elevated seat near the door of the tabernacle, where, as judge, he could hear the complaints of the people and render judgment, as well as preserve proper order at the holy place.
The temple of the Lord Called at 1Sa 1:7, the house of the Lord. This was the enclosure of boards and curtains which contained the sacred shrines, of all which a minute description is given in Exodus 25-27, where see notes. It was carried with the Israelites in all their journeys, (Num 1:50-51,) until they set it up at Shiloh, (Jos 18:1😉 thence it seems to have been removed by David to Jerusalem, (2Sa 6:17,) where it was superseded by the temple of Solomon. “The sanctuary itself,” says Stanley, “was so encased with buildings as to give it the name and appearance of a house or temple. ” See on chap. 1Sa 3:15.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Hannah’s Prayer For A Son And How She Became Confident That YHWH Had Answered Her Prayer ( 1Sa 1:9-18 ).
In this passage Hannah prays desperately for a son, and promises YHWH that if He will grant her a son she will give him to YHWH for as long as he lives. And when Eli ‘the Priest’ (the High Priest) has blessed her she knows that God has heard her prayer.
Analysis.
a
b Now Eli the priest was sitting on his seat by the door-post of the temple of YHWH (1Sa 1:9 b).
c And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to YHWH, and cried bitterly (1Sa 1:10).
d And she vowed a vow, and said, “O YHWH of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget your handmaid, but will give to your handmaid a man-child, then I will give him to YHWH all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come on his head” (1Sa 1:11).
e And it came about that, as she continued praying (‘multiplied to pray’) before YHWH, Eli noted carefully her mouth (1Sa 1:12).
f Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard, Eli therefore thought she was drunk (1Sa 1:13).
e And Eli said to her, ‘How long will you go on being drunk? Put away your wine from you” (1Sa 1:14).
d And Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before YHWH” (1Sa 1:15).
c “Do not count your handmaid as a wicked woman; for out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation have I spoken prior to this” (1Sa 1:16).
b Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have requested from him” (1Sa 1:17).
a And she said, “Let your handmaid find favour in your sight.” So the woman went her way, and ate, and her countenance was sad no more (1Sa 1:18).
Note that in ‘a’ Hannah rises up so that she may approach the Sanctuary in order to pray, and in the parallel she makes her way from the Sanctuary with joy in her heart because her prayer is heard. In ‘b’ Eli sits at the Temple entrance, and in the parallel it is he who tells Hannah to ‘Go in peace”. In ‘c’ she prays in bitterness of soul, and in the parallel she explains her bitterness of soul. In ‘d’ she pours out her soul to YHWH and in the parallel informs Eli that that is what she has done. In ‘e’ Eli notes the movement of her mouth, and in the parallel accuses her of being drunk. Centrally in ‘f’ we learn that far from being drunk she is praying from the heart.
1Sa 1:9
‘ So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his seat by the door-post of the temple of YHWH.’
The time came when Hannah could bear it no longer. And when they had eaten and drunk their festival meal she rose up and made her way to the door of the sanctuary. She may well have done it many times before, but this time she was particularly distressed. The old priest Eli was there, sitting on his seat by the doorpost of ‘the temple’, watching as the people approached to worship, faithful to his duty. In spite of his sons he would appear to have been a godly man, and he appears to have grieved over his sons, and over the state of the people. Especially it grieved him how lax the people had become in their approach to YHWH. And when he saw this woman approaching he thought that here was such a one. How careful we should be in our judgments.
The description of the Tabernacle as ‘the temple’ illustrates how it had come to be seen by the people. It had been surrounded by buildings, and had been given a grand entrance. And the result was that people saw it as ‘a temple’ (the normal name for a place of worship of the time). It would seem a natural description to them. Compare also 1Sa 3:3 and Psa 5:7.
Eli was descended from Ithamar, Aaron’s fourth son. The previous Priest of the sanctuary of whom we have information had been Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s third son, in Jdg 20:28. (Aaron’s first two sons had been slain for sacrilege – Lev 10:1-2). Why the position had passed to the line of Ithamar we do not know. Perhaps when the need had arisen for a priest there had not been a mature male of the house of Eleazar, and thus someone of the line of Ithamar had been appointed. The privilege would eventually return to the line of Eleazar because of God’s penalty on the failure of Eli’s two sons (1Sa 2:31-34).
1Sa 1:10
‘ And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to YHWH, and cried bitterly.’
And there before the Temple, in great bitterness of soul, Hannah prayed silently to YHWH, mouthing her words noiselessly and weeping bitterly as she did so.
1Sa 1:11
‘ And she vowed a vow, and said, “O YHWH of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget your handmaid, but will give to your handmaid a man-child, then I will give him to YHWH all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come on his head.’
From the bottom of her heart she vowed a vow. She vowed that if the great YHWH would look on her affliction (was that not what He did best?) and would remember her, and not forget her (as He had seemed to do up to this point), and would give her a son, a male child, that most desired of gifts to a woman, then she would give him back to YHWH so that the whole of his life might be dedicated to YHWH in the most solemn way. He would be so dedicated that no razor should touch his hair. Unshaven hair was the sign of a Nazirite vow (Num 6:5; Jdg 13:5). A Nazirite vow was usually temporary, but here it was to be a permanent vow, as with Samson. It would presumably include abstinence from wine and strong drink. Perhaps indeed she had in mind what she had heard about Samson in a similar situation (Jdg 13:2-5).
It is extremely probable that she had discussed the matter with her husband before making her vow. Certainly such a vow would not have been binding on her husband if he did not agree with it (Num 30:6-7). It is true that as a Levite Samuel would enter Tabernacle service anyway (although not as a priest) when he was twenty five years of age, but this vow went far deeper than that. Now that the Sanctuary was settled in one place Levite service was limited to three times a year at the Sanctuary, and it was otherwise exercised in other duties to be performed on behalf of the people among whom they lived, such as teaching the Law, gathering tithes, ministering tithes to the poor, and advising people about God’s requirements. But Samuel was not being set aside for this. He was being devoted to YHWH for ever. He was to be a child of the Sanctuary to live only to do YHWH’s will.
That this was taken totally seriously comes out in that later we find that Samuel is operating within the sanctuary, probably as having been adopted by Eli (or by YHWH) and thus being now of priestly stock. This would explain why he could operate within the sanctuary and why later he could offer sacrifices. But no great emphasis would be laid on this by the writer. To him what was important was that Samuel was a prophet of YHWH (1Sa 3:20). Here was a prophet like unto Moses (Deu 18:18). The voice of prophecy had begun to speak again.
1Sa 1:12-13
‘ And it came about that, as she continued praying (‘multiplied to pray’) before YHWH, Eli noted carefully her mouth. Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard, Eli therefore thought she was drunk.’
What happened here speaks volumes about spiritual conditions in Israel at the time. It is clear that Eli’s expectations had sunk so low that when he saw a woman standing before the sanctuary with her lips moving up and down he did not even consider that she might be praying. (Silent prayer was probably not common at the time). He thought rather that she was drunk. This was what he had come to expect of worshippers at the sanctuary.
But Hannah was praying earnestly before YHWH, at the door of the sanctuary. She could not, of course, enter it. That was for heads of families who brought sacrifices and offerings, and also for the priests. But she had come as near to God as she could. And humbly she spoke in her heart. Her lips moved but there was no sound. It is clear that in those times this was so unusual that Eli failed to recognise what she was doing.
“Continued praying.” Literally ‘she multiplied to pray’. Thus, she prayed long and earnestly.
1Sa 1:14
‘ And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put away your wine from you.” ’
Thinking that she was drunk Eli called to her roughly. ‘How long are you going to go on in your drunkenness?’ he asked. ‘Get rid of your wine and sober up.’ He must have been sad at heart to see the condition of those who were supposed to be God’s people. But he was to receive a pleasant surprise in response to his rough words.
1Sa 1:15
‘ And Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before YHWH.” ’
Hannah addressed him respectfully as ‘my lord’, and pointed out that she was not drunk. Rather, she pointed out, she was a woman of sorrowful spirit (‘heavy of spirit’). She had drunk neither wine nor strong drink. Rather she had poured out her soul to YHWH. There may be an intended play on ideas in that she had not poured out drink for herself, but had rather poured out her soul to YHWH.
1Sa 1:16
“ Do not count your handmaid as a wicked woman; for out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation have I spoken prior to this.”
She pleaded with him not to think of her as a godless person (a ‘daughter of worthlessness (belial)’). Rather her behaviour was as a result of the fact that she had a complaint about how God had treated her, and because she had been driven to it by provocation. It was that that had driven her to behave as she had up to this point.
1Sa 1:17
‘ Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have requested from him”.’
Recognising her genuineness Eli blessed her and told her to go in peace, and asked that the God of Israel would grant what she had asked of Him. This is the only reference in Samuel to YHWH solely as ‘the God of Israel’ (usually it is ‘YHWH, the God of Israel’) apart from on the lips of the Philistines in 1 Samuel 5-6. This may indicate that through Eli the writer wants us immediately to recognise the significance of this child as the one appointed by the God of Israel to deliver the whole of Israel from the Philistines.
1Sa 1:18
‘ And she said, “Let your handmaid find favour in your sight.” So the woman went her way, and ate, and her countenance was sad no more.’
Encouraged by his words and now confident that God had heard her, Hannah politely and humbly bade him farewell and went her way. She was no longer sad and so she began to enjoy the feast for the first time for many years.
Note the threefold evidence of her complete faith. She ‘went her way — ate — her countenance was sad no more’. Contrast the threefold signs of distress in verse 8.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
1Sa 1:9. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat, &c. Eli, who was of the family of Ithamar, was both high-priest and judge at this time. He was born in the end of Gideon’s judicature, and died in the middle of the Philistines’ tyranny over the Israelites, according to Sir John Marsham, who observes, that his judicature consisted only in hearing and judging causes by his pontifical authority. He did not signalize himself by any victories: he was such a judge as Samuel’s sons were, chap. 1Sa 8:1 and Samuel himself, after Saul began to reign. See chap. 1Sa 7:15; 1Sa 7:17. Of the temple of the Lord, in this verse, would be better rendered, Of the tabernacle of the Lord. It appears from the first words of this verse, that Hannah rose up to go to the tabernacle at the time of the evening-sacrifice, for it was after they had dined.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
(9) So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
It is more than probable, that Hannah moved by her husband’s remonstrance, or what is yet more likely still, awakened by grace in the heart, from an higher authority than her husband, had been won over to partake of the feast of sacrifice. And as this sacrifice had wholly an eye to Jesus, perhaps his blessed Spirit awakened her to devotion. You may always mark it down as a most unquestionable truth, that whenever the Lord is about to visit, and bless any of his people, he pours out, sooner or later, a spirit of grace, to incline them to prayer.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Sa 1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
Ver. 9. So Hannah rose up. ] Fasting as she was – not in ease to eat, because in heaviness; compare Lev 10:19 , – she rose up to go to the place of worship and prayer, over against the most holy place. See 1Sa 1:15 ; 1Sa 1:18 .
Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
a seat = the seat. First occurrence. Compare Zec 6:13.
a post = door post, or side post.
the temple = palace. Hebrew. heykal. Seven mentioned in Scripture: (1) The Tabernacle, 1Sa 1:9; (2) Solomon’s, 1Ki 6:5, 1Ki 6:17; (3) Zerubbabel’s, Ezr 4:1, Ezr 4:2; (4) Herod’s, Joh 2:20; (5) The future one of 2Th 2:4; (6) The millennial temple of Eze 41:1; and (7) the heavenly temple of Rev 21:3, Rev 21:22. Also seven references to believers as a temple in N.T.: 1Co 3:9-17; 1Co 6:19. 2Co 6:16. Eph 2:20, Eph 2:21. Heb 3:6. 1Pe 2:5; 1Pe 4:17.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
1Sa 3:3, 1Sa 3:15, 2Sa 7:2, Psa 5:7, Psa 27:4, Psa 29:9
Reciprocal: 1Sa 1:3 – Shiloh 1Sa 4:13 – sat upon Mal 2:13 – covering
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 1:9. So Hannah rose up The kind words of her husband in a great measure removed her sorrow, and induced her to eat and drink cheerfully. In her we have an example of a dutiful wife; who, sensible of her husbands kindness, endeavoured to please him, by complying with his desires, and avoiding what she perceived would give pain to his mind. Eli sat upon a seat Hebrew, hachissee, a throne, it being a seat raised up to some height, to make him conspicuous to all that entered into the house of God; at the door of which he sat, either as judge, or as high-priest, to hear and answer such as came to him for advice, and to inspect and direct the worship of God. By a post of the temple That is, of the tabernacle, which is frequently so called; as the temple, when it was built, is called a tabernacle. See Jer 10:20; Lam 2:6.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Sa 1:9-18. Hannah Prays for a Child.In her distress Hannah betook herself to the sanctuary and prayed before Yahweh, i.e. before the Ark, for a son. She vowed that if a son were given her, she would devote him to Yahweh; the outward sign of his devotion being one of the peculiarities of the Nazirites (pp. 103, 105, Jdg 13:5*, Numbers 6*), viz. that his hair should be allowed to grow. The priest of the sanctuary, Eli, a local magnate, also spoken of as judge, (1Sa 4:18) occupied an official seat close by: he knew that the religious character of the occasion did not always prevent feasting from degenerating into excess (Isa 28:7, Amo 2:8), so that when he saw Hannah moving her lips without making any audible sound, he thought she was drunk and rebuked her; but she told him she was in trouble and he dismissed her with his blessing.
9. The LXX seems to show that in the original the first sentence read, So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and stood before the Lord, i.e. presented herself at the Temple.Eli: perhaps a contraction of Eliel, God is exalted, a name found in Semitic languages outside Israel. The names of Elis sons, Hophni and Phinheas, were also apparently not Israelite. Eli is ignored in the genealogy of high priests (1Ch 6:1-15), and there is nothing to show that our document connected Eli with Aaron.
1Sa 1:16. The phrase sons of Behal (Deu 13:13*, Pro 6:12*), bad characters, is common, but daughter of Belial occurs only here. Under the conditions of Eastern life, women had fewer opportunities for getting into mischief publicly.
1Sa 1:18. See p. 105.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the {e} temple of the LORD.
(e) That is of the house where the ark was.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Hannah’s lament and Eli’s response 1:9-18
These verses provide some insight into the godly character of Samuel’s mother and her personal relationship with Yahweh. That she would offer her son to God’s service for life was similar to asking that God would lead your child into "the ministry." Asking that he would be a lifetime Nazirite was similar to asking that your child would dedicate himself completely to God, not just by profession but also by conviction. Hannah showed that she desired the honor of Yahweh more than simply gaining relief from her abusers. She wanted to make a positive contribution to God’s program for Israel by providing a godly leader, not just to bear a child. Compare the blessing God gave Samson’s parents, in Jdg 13:2-5, that probably came just a few years before Hannah made her vow.
The record of Eli’s observations of and dialogue with Hannah (1Sa 1:12-17) confirms the sincerity and appropriateness of her petition. Eli did not rebuke Hannah but commended her. [Note: This is the only Old Testament passage that shows a priest blessing an individual worshipper.] However, Eli’s response to Hannah reveals his instability. He misunderstood Hannah because he did not perceive her correctly. This weakness surfaces again later and accounts in part for his demise.
Prayer in the ancient world was usually audible (cf. Psa 3:4; Psa 4:1; Psa 6:9; et al.; Dan 6:10-11). [Note: Ronald F. Youngblood, "1, 2 Samuel," in Deuteronomy-2 Samuel, vol. 3 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, p. 573.] Pouring out one’s soul before God (1Sa 1:15) graphically describes earnest, burdened praying. [Note: G. W. Ahlstrom, "1 Samuel 1, 15," Biblica 60:2 (1979):254.] This kind of praying normally results in a release of anxiety, as it did in Hannah’s case (1Sa 1:18; cf. Php 4:6-7).
"The issues now turn not on barrenness and birth, but upon submission to Yahweh and trust in Yahweh. Thus while the two scenes share a common problem, they approach the problem very differently. Scene 1 [1Sa 1:3-8] treats the problem of barrenness as a matter of family struggle. In scene 2 [1Sa 1:9-18] the same problem has been redefined in Yahwistic categories of need, submission, and trust." [Note: Brueggemann, p. 37.]
When we believers find ourselves in difficult situations, we should commit our desires to God in prayer. In prayer we should seek what is best for God primarily because the purpose of prayer is to enable us to accomplish God’s will, not to get Him to do our will (cf. Mat 6:9-10). When we feel a need greatly, we should also pray earnestly. When we pray this way, God will enable us to feel peace in our problem (cf. Php 4:6-7).