Commentary - 1 Samuel 2:1-10

Bird's-eye view

Hannah's song is one of the great theological hinges of the Old Testament. It is far more than the personal thanksgiving of a formerly barren woman; it is a prophetic manifesto that lays out the foundational principles of God's kingdom. Having received her son, Samuel, in a miraculous answer to prayer, Hannah dedicates him to the Lord and then erupts in this Spirit-inspired poem. The song establishes the theme of divine reversal that will echo throughout the rest of Samuel and, indeed, the rest of Scripture. God is the one who brings low the proud and exalts the humble. He shatters the bows of the mighty and girds the stumbling with strength. He fills the hungry and sends the rich away empty. This is the grammar of the gospel, articulated centuries before Christ.

This song is the theological framework for everything that follows. The fall of the house of Eli, the rise of Samuel, the rejection of Saul, and the anointing of David are all real-world demonstrations of the principles Hannah sings about. Ultimately, her prophecy looks beyond the immediate future to the coming of God's ultimate King, His "anointed." It is a profoundly messianic song that finds its final and fullest expression in the Magnificat of Mary and the ministry of her Son, Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate expression of God's power to bring life from death, to exalt the humble, and to establish His kingdom forever.

Outline

Context In 1 Samuel

This song appears at the very beginning of 1 Samuel, immediately following the narrative of Samuel's miraculous birth and dedication. The book opens in a time of spiritual decay. The priesthood, represented by Eli and his corrupt sons Hophni and Phinehas, is failing. The word of the Lord is rare. Israel is spiritually barren, a condition perfectly mirrored in the physical barrenness of Hannah. Her personal agony and fervent prayer are therefore representative of the nation's need. God's answer to her is His answer to Israel. The birth of Samuel signals a new work of God, and Hannah's song serves as the overture to this new movement. It announces the themes that will dominate the book: God's sovereign intervention, His judgment on the corrupt establishment (Eli's house), His exaltation of the humble (Samuel and later David), and the establishment of a righteous monarchy. The entire narrative of 1 and 2 Samuel can be read as a detailed commentary on the principles laid out in this prayer.

Key Issues

The Great Reversal

The central message of Hannah's song is what we might call the Great Reversal. This is not just a change in fortune, like a poor man winning the lottery. This is a fundamental principle of God's moral government of the world. God actively opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. He has structured the world in such a way that all human attempts at self-salvation, self-exaltation, and self-sufficiency are doomed to fail. The bows of the mighty, the bread of the full, the children of the prolific, the wealth of the rich, all these things that men trust in are shown to be utterly unreliable. God delights in taking the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are.

This is the logic of the gospel. The cross is the ultimate reversal. The one who is the source of all life is put to death. The one who is infinitely rich becomes poor. The one who is exalted above all is brought low. And in that ultimate act of humiliation, God shatters the strength of sin and death, raises His Son from the grave, and offers strength to all who stumble, bread to all who are hungry, and life to all who are barren. Hannah's song is a declaration that the God who did this for her personally is the God who runs the entire cosmos this way. Mary, the mother of our Lord, clearly understood this, as her own Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) is a beautiful variation on Hannah's original theme.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in Yahweh; My horn is exalted in Yahweh; My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I am glad in Your salvation.

Hannah begins with an explosion of personal joy, but notice where it is located. Her heart exults in Yahweh. Her horn, a symbol of strength and honor, is exalted in Yahweh. Her joy is not ultimately in her son, Samuel, but in the God who gave him. This is the mark of all true spiritual worship. The gift is cherished, but the Giver is adored. Because her strength is in God, she can now open her mouth boldly against her enemies, most immediately her rival Peninnah, who had tormented her for her barrenness. But the reason for her confidence is not simply "I have a baby and you don't," but rather, "I am glad in Your salvation." She sees her personal deliverance as a participation in God's great work of salvation. She has been rescued, and this rescue gives her a voice.

2 There is no one holy like Yahweh; Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.

From her personal experience of God's salvation, Hannah moves to a declaration of God's unique character. The foundation of everything is God's holiness. This is not just about moral purity; it is about His utter "otherness," His absolute uniqueness. There is no one like Him. To emphasize this, she says it three ways. He is uniquely holy. There is no one beside Him, meaning He is in a category all by Himself. And there is no rock like our God. A rock is a symbol of stability, permanence, and refuge. All other grounds for security are shifting sand. Human strength, wealth, family, they all fail. God alone is the unshakeable foundation upon which a life can be built.

3 Do not multiply speaking so very proudly; Let arrogance not come out of your mouth; For Yahweh is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed.

Having established God's unique character, she now turns to the practical implication for mankind, and particularly for her tormentors. The response to a holy God is humility. She warns against proud, arrogant speech. Why? Because God is a God of knowledge. He knows the heart. You cannot fool Him with a pious exterior. And not only does He know, He judges. "With Him actions are weighed." God has a perfectly calibrated set of scales. He weighs not just the outward deed but the inward motive. The proud talk of Peninnah, and the arrogant self-sufficiency of the mighty, are all weighed and found wanting. This is a direct challenge to the spirit of the age, personified in men like Eli's sons, who acted as though God did not see.

4-5 The bows of the mighty are shattered, But those who stumble gird on strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, But those who were hungry cease to hunger. Even the barren gives birth to seven, But she who has many children languishes.

Here we come to the heart of the song, the theme of the Great Reversal, laid out in three sharp contrasts. First, military power is overturned. The best weapon of the strongest warrior is broken by God. At the same time, those who are weak and faltering are infused with divine strength. Second, economic security is overturned. The rich who had more than enough are reduced to selling their labor for a crust of bread, while the starving are satisfied. Third, and most personally for Hannah, family status is overturned. The barren woman is blessed with fullness (seven being the number of perfection), while the mother of many is left desolate. This is not arbitrary. This is God actively dismantling human pride and demonstrating that all good things come from His hand alone.

6-7 Yahweh puts to death and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. Yahweh makes poor and rich; He brings low; He also exalts.

Hannah now broadens her scope to show that this principle of reversal is rooted in God's absolute sovereignty over all of life. She states it in the most extreme terms possible. God is Lord over life and death itself. He is the one who brings a man to the grave (Sheol) and the one who can raise him up. This is a breathtaking claim of sovereignty that anticipates the resurrection. He is also sovereign over all economic conditions, making one man poor and another rich. He is the one who humbles and the one who exalts. There are no accidents, and there is no sphere of human existence outside of His direct, providential control. He is not a passive observer; He is the active agent in all these reversals.

8 He raises the poor from the dust; He exalts the needy from the ash heap To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of glory; For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh’s, And He set the world on them.

This verse continues the theme of exalting the humble, using the powerful image of lifting a beggar from the dust and the town garbage dump (the ash heap) and seating him in a place of highest honor among princes. This is the story of Joseph, of David, and ultimately of every believer who is taken from the ash heap of sin and seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph 2:6). And what is the basis for this staggering authority? Hannah grounds it in God's role as Creator. "For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh's." The one who established the very foundations of the cosmos certainly has the authority to arrange the seating chart at the banquet.

9 He keeps the feet of His holy ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness, For not by power shall a man prevail.

God's sovereignty is not just a matter of abstract power; it has a moral direction. He exercises His power on behalf of His people. He "keeps the feet of His holy ones," protecting them from stumbling and falling. He guards their way. Conversely, the wicked, who rely on their own strength and wisdom, are "silenced in darkness." Their arrogant mouths (v. 3) are shut, and their plans come to nothing. The verse concludes with the foundational thesis of the entire song: "not by power shall a man prevail." Human strength, in the end, is no match for the sovereign purposes of God. All attempts to prevail against Him or without Him will end in silent darkness.

10 Those who contend with Yahweh will be dismayed; Against them He will thunder in the heavens; Yahweh will render justice to the ends of the earth, And He will give strength to His king, And He will exalt the horn of His anointed.”

The song reaches its prophetic climax. Those who fight against God will not just fail; they will be shattered, dismayed. God will thunder against them from heaven, a clear image of divine judgment. His justice is not localized; it extends to the "ends of the earth." And how will this global justice be administered? Hannah's prayer, uttered before Israel even had a king, looks forward to a specific figure. God will give strength to "His king" and exalt the horn of "His anointed." The Hebrew word for anointed is mashiach, or Messiah. This is the first time in the Bible this word is used in this way, referring to a future, ideal ruler. Hannah, in her moment of personal triumph, is given a glimpse of God's ultimate plan of salvation. Her son Samuel will anoint Israel's first kings, Saul and David. But her prophecy looks beyond them to David's greatest Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Anointed One, whose kingdom will have no end.

Application

Hannah's song is a potent antidote to the twin poisons of pride and despair. To the proud, the self-made, the successful, and the arrogant, this song is a terrifying warning. God is in the business of shattering bows, emptying pantries, and silencing mouths. Any security built on your own strength, your own wealth, or your own righteousness is built on an ash heap, and God will sweep it away. The only sane response to the God of Hannah is to humble yourself before He does it for you. Confess that you are the one stumbling, hungry, and barren, and that your only hope is His unmerited grace.

To the humble, the broken, the barren, and the despairing, this song is a lifeline. It tells us that our weakness is the arena for God's strength. Our emptiness is the vessel He loves to fill. Our barrenness is the canvas for His creative power. God is for the underdog. He is the God who raises the poor from the dust. He is the God who brings life out of the tomb. When you feel you have nothing left, you are in the perfect position to receive everything from Him. This is why the gospel is such good news for sinners. We don't have to pretend we are strong or full or righteous. We can come to God as we are, because He is the one who delights in the Great Reversal, exalting the humble through the salvation found only in His Anointed One, Jesus Christ.