1 Samuel 1:9-11 meaning
In 1 Samuel 1:9-11, Hannah can no longer endure the heartbreak and shame of not being able to have a child so she pours out her heart to the LORD and makes a vow that if He will open her womb, she will dedicate her son to Him.
Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD (v 9).
Previously in 1 Samuel 1, it was revealed that:
- Each year as Elkanah's family went to worship at the feasts in Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:3), Peninnah, Elkanah's childbearing second wife bitterly provoked Hannah over the fact that she was unable to produce any children (1 Samuel 1:6)
- Hannah was weeping and not eating because Peninnah mocked Hannah for being barren (1 Samuel 1:7)
- Elkanah encouraged her to eat (1 Samuel 1:8).
Verse 9 affirms that these events took place in Shiloh, where Hannah's family had come to worship. The Tabernacle was located at Shiloh after Joshua camped there while expanding Israel's territory in Canaan (Joshua 18:1). Shiloh is 18 miles north of Jerusalem, in Joshua's territory of the tribe of Ephraim. The Tabernacle was in Shiloh until during King Saul's time when the tabernacle was in Nob (1 Samuel 21) and King David's time the tabernacle was at Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39). Finally, King Solomon built a permanent temple for the LORD in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:1-10).
Verse 9 reveals that Hannah obeyed her husband and did eat and drink. After she ate some food and had something to drink she rose from her seat.
It was customary after sacrificing a peace offering for the family to celebrate by sharing a meal. There would be eating and drinking and fellowship, yet Hannah did not celebrate. The rival wife deliberately attacked Hannah, and Elkanah could not undo Hannah's pain with his love. Hannah rose and left behind those who were unable to comfort her and went to the only one who can help her, the LORD.
Eli the priest was sitting outside the entrance to the temple of the LORD (v 9). Eli is a descendant from the first high priest Aaron (Exodus 28:1) through Aaron's fourth son, Ithamar (1 Samuel 14:3, 22:11, 1 Chronicles 24:3). It is possible that Eli is over the age of 50 at this point so he might not have been actively serving as a priest (Numbers 8:24-25), as his sons Hophni and Phinehas were currently serving as priests (1 Samuel 1:3).
The Hebrew word for temple is "heykal" meaning "a large building for gathering." This is the first use of temple of the LORD in the Old Testament rather than "Tabernacle," "Tent of Meeting," or "House of the LORD." Temple of the LORD begins to be used here in 1 Samuel as the narrative begins to build up to the grander permanent temple that David planned and Solomon built in Jerusalem.
It appears that in Eli's time the Tabernacle had resided in Shiloh for so long that some semi-permanent structures were added to the tent which was first constructed in the wilderness. There were additions such as doors (1 Samuel 3:15), sleeping quarters (1 Samuel 3:3), and stone walls. There is archeological evidence of Late Bronze Age and Iron Age stone structures in Shiloh as well as burnt bones and gold items that could have been used in sacrificial offerings.
The fact that Eli was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD (v 9) would have given him the opportunity to observe who was gathering outside or entering its courts, including Hannah.
She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly (v 10).
Hannah goes to the only One who understands her anguish and Who can change her circumstances, the LORD. In Hebrew the phrase greatly distressed is "marah rephesh" or a "bitter soul." The idea is that Hannah is distressed and disturbed to the core of her being. The word "marah" is where the Jewish name Mary is derived from.
Hannah's weeping was directed to the LORD. She was personally bringing her sorrows and cares to Him. She was not complaining to the impersonal universe or to no one. Hannah was prayerfully pouring out her grief and brokenness to God. She was acting as Psalms often bids us to do when we are greatly distressed:
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:18)
"Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."
(Psalm 55:22)
"Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us."
(Psalm 62:8)
The text says that Hannah wept bitterly. This expression indicates that Hannah was sobbing and possibly shaking uncontrollably and that she was wailing aloud as she prayed to the LORD and wept (v 10).
She made a vow and said, "O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant but will give your maidservant a son..." (v 11a).
Before the LORD, Hannah makes a vow. Hannah's vow is one of five where the specific words of the vow are recorded (Genesis 28:20-22, Numbers 21:2, Judges 11:30-31, 2 Samuel 15:8). A biblical vow was a voluntary plea for divine action ("If You will") followed by a conditional response to God's action ("then I will"). This differs from an oath or a covenant, which was voluntary but also unconditional and usually followed by a promise of divine retribution if the oath was broken. An offering to God could be animal or monetary as the fulfillment of the conditional response (Leviticus 22:17-25, 27). Laws addressing the validity of a vow are found in Numbers 30.
Hannah addresses her vow to God by calling Him by the name "Yhwh tsaba," which is translated the LORD of hosts. The LORD of hosts is a description of God in His full might and power. The LORD of hosts describes the LORD as the leader of vast armies. Hannah knows that only God can open her womb and that asking for a son is not too hard for the LORD of Hosts. Hannah's vow is personal and direct to You, the LORD of Hosts.
Hannah's request in her vow to the LORD of Hosts consists of four things:
- Look on the affliction of Your maidservant,
- Remember me,
- (Do) not forget Your maidservant,
- Give your maidservant a son.
Hannah's first three asks in her vow to the LORD (to look on her affliction, to remember her and not forget her) is reminiscent of Exodus 2:24-25 where God hears the Israelite slave's groaning in Egypt, and remembers His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and how God sees His people and knows their suffering. By evoking Exodus 2;24-25, Hannah is boldly requesting that the LORD do something similar for her and her suffering as to what the LORD did for Hannah's ancestors when they were suffering in Egypt centuries earlier. It is a request for God to look and be present in the current suffering, to remember and act on the suffering He has seen, and to not forget as time moves forward.
But even as she is bold, she is also humble. Hannah does not make any appeal to her own worthiness nor to her husband's faithfulness as a means to persuade God. She simply throws herself fully on the mercy of God.
Hannah shows a posture of humility by referring to herself multiple times as a maidservant to God and to Eli the priest. Hannah does not demand a child from her husband (Genesis 30:1-2), or from God. But she boldly and humbly asks Him for a child and leaves the decision to the LORD of Hosts.
The final request in Hannah's vow is for the LORD to give Your maidservant a son (v 11).
Hannah boldly asks God to open her womb and give her a son. Because sons inherited the property, protected, and provided for the family, they were greatly valued in the ancient culture. Sons ensured that the family line and inheritance would continue to the next generation. Hannah prayed for a son. If Hannah was able to produce a son, then it would remove her cultural shame and the reproach of her rival, and Elkanah's lineage could continue through her.
After stating her bold request that the LORD give Hannah a son, she then makes her promise of the vow.
"…then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head" (v 11b).
Even though this son would be her firstborn child Hannah has so longed for, she is willing to give him back to the LORD. This shows, like Abraham with his son Isaac (Genesis 22:9-12), that Hannah's reverence for the LORD is greater than her desire for her child.
Before continuing, it is important to note here that God is sovereign. This means He knows all and controls all. He knows from before time what the course of each person will be (Proverbs 16:9). Yet God paradoxically chose to create humans with free will and chooses to allow humans to interact with Him with a degree of responsiveness and openness. God chose to have humans have co-dominion over and rule the earth (Genesis 1:26-28), to be His messengers (Isaiah 61), to author the Bible (2 Peter 1:21), to spread the good news of Jesus' salvation (Matthew 28:19-20). He allows humans to discuss with Him (Genesis 18:20-33), to request things from Him (John 14:13), to question what He is doing (Psalms 22), and to cry out in anger or sadness (Lamentations 3). God is not persuaded to open Hannah's womb because she offers her son to God. This has been His plan all along (Isaiah 49:1), He has orchestrated it before time (Ephesians 1:4), because He has chosen Samuel to be the greatest last judge to pave the way for the line of David from whom will come the Messiah. And at the same time, Hannah's bitter grief and her vow are part of her story, and how God used her circumstances to grow her faith and draw her closer into relationship with Himself.
The terms of Hannah's vow for her son is that she will give him to the LORD all the days of his life. In promising this, Hannah is vowing to dedicate her son to the LORD (if He will but give her a son).
Hannah explicitly mentions one of the specific conditions of the Nazaraite vow enumerated in Numbers 6:1-21.
The word “Nazarite” comes from the root “nazar,” meaning to hold aloof, abstain, or set apart. Someone who took a Nazarite vow would not eat any grape products, including wine or other fermented drinks (Numbers 6:3). They would not cut their hair or would avoid dead bodies. To finish their vow, they would make offerings at the Temple and shave off their hair and burn it as a sacrifice. Other people who took the Nazarite vow are Sampson (Judges 13:5) and possibly John the Baptist (Luke 1:15) and the Apostle Paul (Acts 18:18).
The specific condition Hannah mentions is: and a razor shall never come on his head. This matches the Nazarite condition mentioned in Numbers 6:5.
But Hannah's vow is also different from the Nazarite vow in that she is making it for her son and not for herself. Normally a person makes a Nazarite vow for themselves and not for someone else. Also as mentioned above, a normal Nazarite vow was in effect for a limited period of time, but Hannah vows that her son will be dedicated to the LORD all the days of his life.