And she made a vow, pleading, "O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever come over his head." And she made a vowThe act of making a vow in ancient Israel was a solemn promise made to God, often in times of distress or need. The Hebrew word for vow, "נֶדֶר" (neder), signifies a binding promise. Hannah's vow reflects her deep faith and desperation, as vows were not to be taken lightly. This act demonstrates her commitment and trust in God's power to change her circumstances. O LORD of Hosts
This title for God, "יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת" (Yahweh Sabaoth), emphasizes His sovereignty and command over the heavenly armies. It is a recognition of God's supreme authority and power. By invoking this title, Hannah acknowledges God's ability to intervene in her situation, highlighting her belief in His omnipotence and her reliance on His divine intervention. if You will indeed look upon the affliction
The phrase "look upon the affliction" uses the Hebrew verb "רָאָה" (ra'ah), meaning to see or perceive. Hannah is asking God to notice her suffering and take action. This plea is reminiscent of God's compassion towards the Israelites in Egypt, where He saw their affliction and responded. It underscores the personal relationship between God and His people, where He is attentive to their struggles. of Your maidservant
The term "maidservant," "אֲמָתֶךָ" (amatecha), is a humble self-designation, indicating Hannah's submission and service to God. It reflects her humility and recognition of her position before the Almighty. By referring to herself as a maidservant, Hannah expresses her willingness to serve and her dependence on God's mercy. and remember me
To "remember" in Hebrew, "זָכַר" (zakar), goes beyond mere recollection; it implies taking action on behalf of someone. Hannah is asking God to act favorably towards her, as He did with others in biblical history. This request is rooted in the covenant relationship, where God is faithful to His promises and His people. and not forget Your maidservant
The plea for God not to forget her emphasizes the urgency and depth of Hannah's desire. Forgetting, "שָׁכַח" (shakach), in the biblical sense, often implies neglect or inaction. Hannah's repetition underscores her desperation and her hope that God will actively intervene in her life. but give her a son
Hannah's specific request for a son highlights the cultural and personal significance of having children in ancient Israel. Sons were seen as a blessing and a means of continuing the family lineage. Her request is not just for personal fulfillment but also for social and familial restoration. then I will dedicate him to the LORD
The dedication of her son to the LORD, "נָתַן" (natan), meaning to give or set apart, signifies a lifelong commitment. This vow reflects the practice of dedicating individuals to God's service, as seen with the Nazarites. It shows Hannah's willingness to sacrifice her desires for the greater purpose of serving God. all the days of his life
This phrase indicates a perpetual dedication, not limited by time. It underscores the seriousness of Hannah's vow and her understanding of the lifelong commitment she is making on behalf of her son. It reflects the biblical principle of total devotion to God. and no razor shall ever come over his head
This is a reference to the Nazarite vow, as outlined in Numbers 6:1-21, where individuals dedicated to God abstained from cutting their hair, among other things. This vow was a sign of consecration and separation unto the LORD. By including this detail, Hannah is committing her son to a life of holiness and service, setting him apart for God's purposes. Persons / Places / Events 1. HannahA devout woman who is deeply distressed by her barrenness. She is the wife of Elkanah and the mother of Samuel. 2. LORD of HostsA title for God emphasizing His sovereignty and command over the heavenly armies, highlighting His power and authority. 3. VowA solemn promise made by Hannah to dedicate her future son to the LORD, signifying her deep faith and commitment. 4. Nazirite VowThe reference to "no razor shall ever come over his head" indicates a Nazirite vow, a special dedication to God as described in Numbers 6. 5. ShilohThe place where Hannah prayed and made her vow, which was the religious center of Israel at the time. Teaching Points Faith in DistressHannah's prayer demonstrates the importance of turning to God in times of personal anguish. Her faith is a model for believers facing their own trials. Power of VowsMaking vows to God is a serious commitment. Hannah's vow shows the depth of her devotion and the seriousness with which we should approach promises to God. God's SovereigntyThe title "LORD of Hosts" reminds us of God's ultimate power and authority, encouraging believers to trust in His ability to intervene in their lives. Dedication to GodHannah's willingness to dedicate her son to the LORD challenges us to consider how we can dedicate our own lives and resources to God's service. Prayer and PersistenceHannah's persistent prayer life is an example of how believers should continually bring their requests before God, trusting in His timing and will. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Hannah's approach to prayer in 1 Samuel 1:11 inspire you to handle your own personal struggles? 2. What does the concept of a Nazirite vow teach us about dedication and holiness in our own lives? 3. In what ways can we see God's sovereignty at work in the account of Hannah, and how does this encourage us in our faith journey? 4. How can we apply the principle of making and keeping vows to God in our modern context? 5. Reflect on a time when persistent prayer led to a significant change in your life or the life of someone you know. How does this relate to Hannah's account? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 30The account of Rachel, who also experienced barrenness and prayed earnestly to God, showing a pattern of God responding to the prayers of barren women. Judges 13The birth of Samson, who was also dedicated as a Nazirite from birth, similar to Hannah's vow for Samuel. Luke 1The account of Elizabeth, another barren woman who was blessed with a child, John the Baptist, through divine intervention. People Eli, Elihu, Elkanah, Ephah, Hannah, Hophni, Jeroham, Peninnah, Phinehas, Samuel, Tohu, ZuphPlaces Ramah, Ramathaim-zophim, ShilohTopics Affliction, Almighty, Armies, Boy, Certainly, Child, Cut, Forget, Hair, Handmaid, Hast, Hosts, Indeed, Keeping, Maidservant, Male, Man-child, Mind, Misery, Note, O, Oath, Razor, Remember, Remembered, Saying, Seed, Servant, Servant's, Sorrow, Touch, Truly, Turning, Vow, Vowed, Voweth, WiltDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Samuel 1:11 5157 head
5180 shaving
5720 mothers, examples
5741 vows
7160 servants of the Lord
8223 dedication 1 Samuel 1:1-20 5225 barrenness
5733 pregnancy 1 Samuel 1:6-16 5559 stress 1 Samuel 1:9-18 8830 suspicion 1 Samuel 1:9-20 5744 wife 1 Samuel 1:9-28 5745 women 1 Samuel 1:10-11 5155 hair
5663 childbirth
8610 prayer, asking God 1 Samuel 1:10-20 8614 prayer, answers 1 Samuel 1:11-20 5468 promises, human Library Of Self-Annihilation
Of Self-Annihilation Supplication and sacrifice are comprehended in prayer, which, according to S. John, is "an incense, the smoke whereof ascendeth unto God;" therefore it is said in the Apocalypse that "unto the Angel was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints'' (Chap. viii. 3). Prayer is the effusion of the heart in the Presence of God: "I have poured out my soul before God" saith the mother of Samuel. (1 Sam. i. 15) The prayer of the wise men at the feet of …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of PrayerPrayer and Sacrifice Explained by the Similitude of a Perfume --Our Annihilation in this Sacrifice --Solidity and Fruitfulness of this Prayer as Set Forth in The
Prayer ought to be both petition and sacrifice. Prayer, according to the testimony of St John, is an incense, whose perfume rises to God. Therefore it is said in the Revelation (chap. viii. 3), that an angel held a censer, which contained the incense of the prayers of saints. Prayer is an outpouring of the heart in the presence of God. "I have poured out my soul before the Lord," said the mother of Samuel (1 Sam. i. 15). Thus the prayers of the Magi at the feet of the infant Jesus in the stable of …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents Home Dedication.
"The rose was rich in bloom on Sharon's plain, When a young mother with her first born thence Went up to Zion, for the boy was vowed Unto the Temple-service; by the hand She led him, and her silent soul, the while, Oft as the dewy laughter of his eye Met her sweet serious glance, rejoiced to think That aught so pure, so beautiful, was hers, To bring before her God!" Beautiful thought, and thrice beautiful deed,--fresh from the pure fount of maternal piety! The Hebrew mother consecrating her first-born …
Samuel Philips—The Christian Home John Newton 1Sam 1:10,18
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John Newton—Olney Hymns Hwochow Women's Bible Training School
COURSE OF STUDY FIRST TERM Book of Genesis. Gospel according to St. Luke or St. Mark. Acts of the Apostles, chapters i. to ix. "A Synopsis of the Central Themes of the Holy Bible." Reading Lessons, with necessary Explanation and Writing of Chinese Character. Arithmetic. Singing and Memorisation of Hymns. SECOND TERM Book of Exodus, Numbers, and 1 Samuel i. to xvi. The Gospel according to St. John. The Epistle of St James. "A Synopsis of the Central Themes of the Holy Bible"--(continued). Reading …
A. Mildred Cable—The Fulfilment of a Dream of Pastor Hsi's The Love of the Holy Spirit in Us.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not."--Matt. xxvii. 37. The Scripture teaches not only that the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and with Him Love, but also that He sheds abroad that Love in our hearts. This shedding abroad does not refer to the coming of the Holy Spirit's Person, for a person can not be shed abroad. He comes, takes possession, and dwells in us; but that which is shed abroad …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit The Prophet Jonah.
It has been asserted without any sufficient reason, that Jonah is older than Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah,--that he is the oldest among the prophets whose written monuments have been preserved to us. The passage in 2 Kings xiv. 25, where it is said, that Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, prophesied to Jeroboam the happy success of his arms, and the restoration of the ancient boundaries of Israel, and that this prophecy was confirmed by the event, cannot decide in favour of this assertion, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament And V the Kingdom Undivided and the Kingdom Divided
THE HISTORICAL BOOKS: I and II Samuel. I and II Kings. I and II Chronicles. NOTE.--As these three pairs of books are so closely related in their historical contents, it is deemed best to study them together, though they overlap the two divisions of IV and V. I. CHARTS Chart A. General Contents +--+ " I AND II SAMUEL " +-------------+-----+------+ "Samuel "Saul "David " +-------------+-----+------+----------+ " " " " I AND II KINGS "NOTE.--Biblical …
Frank Nelson Palmer—A Bird's-Eye View of the Bible Divers Matters.
I. Beth-cerem, Nehemiah 3:14. "The stones, as well of the altar, as of the ascent to the altar, were from the valley of Beth-cerem, which they digged out beneath the barren land. And thence they are wont to bring whole stones, upon which the working iron came not." The fathers of the traditions, treating concerning the blood of women's terms, reckon up five colours of it; among which that, "which is like the water of the earth, out of the valley of Beth-cerem."--Where the Gloss writes thus, "Beth-cerem …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Ramah. Ramathaim Zophim. Gibeah.
There was a certain Ramah, in the tribe of Benjamin, Joshua 18:25, and that within sight of Jerusalem, as it seems, Judges 19:13; where it is named with Gibeah:--and elsewhere, Hosea 5:8; which towns were not much distant. See 1 Samuel 22:6; "Saul sat in Gibeah, under a grove in Ramah." Here the Gemarists trifle: "Whence is it (say they) that Ramah is placed near Gibea? To hint to you, that the speech of Samuel of Ramah was the cause, why Saul remained two years and a half in Gibeah." They blindly …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The King --Continued.
The years thus well begun are, in the historical books, characterized mainly by three events, namely, the bringing up of the ark to the newly won city of David, Nathan's prophecy of the perpetual dominion of his house, and his victories over the surrounding nations. These three hinges of the narrative are all abundantly illustrated in the psalms. As to the first, we have relics of the joyful ceremonial connected with it in two psalms, the fifteenth and twenty-fourth, which are singularly alike not …
Alexander Maclaren—The Life of David Nature of Covenanting.
A covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions. It may be made between superiors and inferiors, or between equals. The sentiment that a covenant can be made only between parties respectively independent of one another is inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Parties to covenants in a great variety of relative circumstances, are there introduced. There, covenant relations among men are represented as obtaining not merely between nation and nation, …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also-
OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING PRAYER; WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY DISCOVERED, 1. WHAT PRAYER IS. 2. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT. 3. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO. WRITTEN IN PRISON, 1662. PUBLISHED, 1663. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought:--the Spirit--helpeth our infirmities" (Rom 8:26). ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. "It is …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Samuel
Alike from the literary and the historical point of view, the book[1] of Samuel stands midway between the book of Judges and the book of Kings. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. xii.; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 1 Samuel 1:11 NIV1 Samuel 1:11 NLT1 Samuel 1:11 ESV1 Samuel 1:11 NASB1 Samuel 1:11 KJV
1 Samuel 1:11 Commentaries
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