Commentary - 1 Samuel 1:21-28

Bird's-eye view

This passage records the faithful fulfillment of a vow, a vow made in bitterness of soul that has now been answered with overflowing joy. Here we see the covenantal integrity of a godly household in Israel. Elkanah, the husband, leads his family in their regular, prescribed worship. Hannah, his wife, having received the desire of her heart, now prepares to fulfill her end of the bargain with God. This is not done grudgingly, but with lavish generosity. The scene is a beautiful picture of biblical patriarchy working as God designed it: the husband leads, loves, and confirms the righteous desires of his wife, and the wife, in her strength, brings forth a blessing for the entire nation. The child Samuel is not just any child; he is a gift from God, given in response to prayer, and now he is given back to God. This act of dedication is the pivot point for the book of 1 Samuel and, in many ways, for the history of Israel. It marks the transition from the corrupt and failing priesthood of Eli's sons to the new work God will do through His prophet, Samuel. This is a story about keeping your word, especially when your word has been given to God.

The central theme is covenant faithfulness, lived out in the context of the family and the public worship of God. Hannah's prayer was answered, and her promise was kept. This simple integrity stands in stark contrast to the faithlessness that characterized the priesthood at Shiloh. The passage concludes with worship, which is the only proper response to God's faithfulness. Hannah gives her son, and Elkanah, having led his family in this, leads them in worship. It is a domestic scene with massive public and historical implications.

Outline

Context In 1 Samuel

This passage is the culmination of the narrative that began the book. Chapter one opens with Israel in a state of spiritual decay, symbolized by the corrupt priesthood at Shiloh and the barrenness of a godly woman, Hannah. Hannah's desperate prayer for a son and her vow to dedicate him to the Lord (1 Sam 1:11) sets the stage for God's intervention. The Lord remembers Hannah (1 Sam 1:19) and gives her a son, Samuel, whose name means "heard by God." The verses we are considering here (1:21-28) record the direct fulfillment of her vow. This act of faithfulness by Hannah and Elkanah is the hinge upon which the story turns. It immediately precedes Hannah's magnificent prayer of praise in chapter 2, which is a theological meditation on how God reverses worldly fortunes, exalting the humble and bringing down the proud. This event establishes Samuel's legitimacy and places him at the center of God's redemptive plan for Israel, paving the way for his ministry as the last of the judges and the first of the great prophets who would anoint Israel's first kings.

Key Issues

A Promise Kept

We live in an age where words are cheap. Promises are made and broken with casual indifference. Contracts are filled with escape clauses, and marriage vows are treated as temporary suggestions. But in the economy of God, a word is a bond. A vow made to the Lord is a solemn and binding transaction. Hannah had made just such a vow in her moment of deepest anguish. She promised God that if He would give her a son, she would give that son right back to Him for a lifetime of service.

God held up His end of the deal, and now we see Hannah and her household hold up theirs. This is the very essence of covenant faithfulness. It is integrity in action. Notice that this is not presented as a grim duty or a heavy burden. The text is suffused with a sense of gravity, yes, but also of profound joy and willing sacrifice. Hannah is not losing a son; she is investing him in the courts of the King. This passage is a powerful rebuke to our modern flippancy. It teaches us that our words matter, that promises must be kept, and that the costliest obedience is the gateway to the deepest worship.

Verse by Verse Commentary

21 Then the man Elkanah went up with all his household to offer to Yahweh the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow.

The head of the household, the man Elkanah, leads. This is the biblical pattern. He is the one responsible for the spiritual direction of his family. He is taking them to Shiloh, the place of corporate worship, to fulfill his covenantal obligations. This includes the regular "yearly sacrifice," likely the Passover, and also a vow of his own. We are not told what his vow was, but his piety is established. He is a man who takes his commitments to God seriously. This provides the context for Hannah's own faithfulness. A godly wife is a great blessing, but she flourishes best under the headship of a godly husband.

22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the young boy is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before Yahweh and stay there forever.”

Hannah exercises her own judgment, but she does so in communication with her husband. Her reasoning is not one of convenience, but of propriety. It is not yet time. To wean a child in that culture could take two or three years. She wants to fulfill her vow completely and decisively. When she brings Samuel, it will not be for a visit. It will be to leave him there forever, for the entire duration of his life. Her determination is clear. This is a one-way trip for the boy. She understands the full weight of the promise she made, and she does not shrink from it.

23 And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what is good in your eyes. Remain until you have weaned him; only may Yahweh establish His word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.

Here is a beautiful picture of godly headship. Elkanah does not pull rank or demand submission for its own sake. He hears his wife's wise and pious plan, and he affirms it. "Do what is good in your eyes." He recognizes the godliness of her intent and gives his blessing. This is not abdication; it is confirmation. Under the law (Numbers 30), a husband had the authority to nullify a vow made by his wife. By affirming her plan, Elkanah is formally ratifying her vow, making it a household commitment. His prayer, "may Yahweh establish His word," is his patriarchal blessing upon the whole affair. He is asking God to bring this solemn promise to its intended fulfillment, to make it stand. And so, under the protection and provision of her husband, Hannah does what a mother does. She nurses her son, pouring her life into him for those few short years she has him.

24 Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull and one ephah of flour and a jug of wine and brought him to the house of Yahweh in Shiloh, although the boy was young.

The time has come. The promise is now due. Notice the lavishness of the offering. The law required a one-year-old lamb for a Nazirite dedication, but they bring a robust three-year-old bull, a substantial amount of flour (an ephah was over 20 liters), and wine. This is not the bare minimum. This is a sacrifice of gratitude, reflecting a heart overflowing with thanksgiving. They are not resentfully paying a debt; they are joyfully presenting a gift. And they brought the boy himself, Samuel, who was still young, likely just three or four years old. This was not a teenager being sent off to college; this was a toddler. The cost to a mother's heart must have been immense.

25 Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the young boy to Eli.

The sacrifice is made, and the dedication is formalized. The bull is slaughtered, an atonement and a fellowship offering. Blood is shed, which is the center of all true worship. Only after the sacrifice is the boy brought to Eli, the high priest. This is the proper order. We cannot approach God or offer Him our gifts except through the blood of a substitute. This whole scene is a beautiful Old Testament picture of the gospel. We give our children, and indeed our own lives, to God only on the basis of a sacrifice He has provided.

26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to Yahweh.

Hannah addresses Eli with respect. She reminds him of their previous encounter. Eli had initially misjudged her, thinking she was drunk (1 Sam 1:14). Now she stands before him, her prayer answered, her sorrow turned to joy. "I am that woman." There is a quiet power in her testimony. She is a living, breathing demonstration of the fact that Yahweh hears and answers prayer. Her presence there, with the boy, is a sermon in itself.

27 For this young boy I prayed, and Yahweh has given me my petition which I asked of Him.

She gives all the credit to God. She prayed, and Yahweh gave. It is that simple. There is no triumphalism in her, only gratitude. She acknowledges that this child is a direct gift from the Lord in response to her specific request. This is the foundation for what she is about to do. Because the child is a gift from God, she is free to give him back to God.

28 So I have also dedicated him to Yahweh; as long as he lives, he is dedicated to Yahweh.” So he worshiped Yahweh there.

Here is the heart of the matter. The word translated "dedicated" is literally "lent." "I have lent him to Yahweh." But this is a permanent loan. He is given to God for the entirety of his life. This is the fulfillment of the vow, stated plainly and publicly. And what is the immediate result? Worship. The text says, "So he worshiped Yahweh there." The "he" could refer to Elkanah, as the head of the house, leading the family in worship. It could refer to the boy Samuel, already beginning his life of service with an act of worship. Or it could refer to Eli, moved by this display of profound faith. Most likely it refers to Elkanah, completing the arc of his leadership. He brought his family to Shiloh to worship, and now, having completed the costly act of obedience, he worships. This is how it should always be. True worship is not the prelude to obedience; it is the fruit of it.

Application

This passage puts a number of pointed questions to us. First, what do we do with our promises? When we make a vow, whether to God in prayer or to a spouse at the altar, do we have the integrity of Hannah? Or are our words just air, dissipated by the first sign of inconvenience or cost? God is not mocked. Let your yes be yes.

Second, how does headship function in our homes? Husbands, do you lead like Elkanah, creating a framework of piety and order where your wife's godly ambitions can flourish? Do you affirm and confirm what is good, or do you frustrate it? Wives, do you bring your plans and desires to your husband, operating within the covenantal structure of your home?

Third, what is our attitude toward our children? We are tempted to see our children as our possessions, our projects, our chance at a legacy. Hannah reminds us that they are gifts from God, lent to us for a time. Our primary duty as parents is not to make them successful by the world's standards, but to dedicate them to the Lord. This means training them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, recognizing that they belong ultimately to Him. We must hold them with an open hand, ready to "lend" them to whatever service God calls them to, whether that is in the home or on the mission field.

Finally, all our promises, all our family order, and all our child-rearing must culminate in worship. Our obedience is not a grim-faced duty. It is the pathway to joy. When we give God what is most precious to us, we do not find ourselves impoverished. Rather, we find our hearts filled with a worship that is real, deep, and lasting, grounded not in fleeting emotions, but in the steadfast faithfulness of the God who hears our prayers.