1 Samuel 1:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the LORD establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.

NIV: Do what seems best to you,' her husband Elkanah told her. 'Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the LORD make good his word.' So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

NASB: Elkanah her husband said to her, 'Do what seems best to you. Stay until you have weaned him; only may the Lord confirm His word.' So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.

CSB: Her husband, Elkanah, replied, "Do what you think is best, and stay here until you've weaned him. May the Lord confirm your word." So Hannah stayed there and nursed her son until she weaned him.

NLT: Whatever you think is best,' Elkanah agreed. 'Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise. ' So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.

KJV: And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

NKJV: So Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord establish His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

The Lord has granted Hannah's request, and the time has come to pay the vow she made to the Lord. She had told the Lord she would dedicate the child to God's service for his entire life if He would allow her to conceive and give birth to a son (1 Samuel 1:11). Now the time has come to pay the vow. Hannah's husband Elkanah takes the vow very seriously and plans to take the boy to the temple at Shiloh during the annual sacrifice (Numbers 30:10–15; 1 Samuel 1:21).

It is possible Elkanah had made an additional vow to the Lord, which he planned to fulfill at this annual feast. Regardless, Hannah does not go to the feast at this time. She told her husband she would wait until the baby was weaned and could therefore survive without her. That process could take as long as three years. Hannah insists that when the time comes, she will personally deliver the boy to the priest and leave him there in the presence of the Lord at the temple (1 Samuel 1:22).

Now her husband agrees that this is best. He remains serious about it, though, and adds to his agreement the phrase "may the LORD establish his word." This seems to be a request for the Lord not to take the child away because the delay in keeping the vow is reasonable and done in good faith. With that understanding, Hannah and Samuel did not travel to Shiloh until the boy was fully weaned.

First Samuel 1:21–28 tells of how Hannah and her husband Elkanah kept their vow to give a son back to the Lord if she could conceive and give birth to one. Hannah suggests they wait to take the child to Shiloh and give him to the priest until Samuel is weaned. Once he is, they take a large offering to the temple. Hannah tells Eli the priest that this is the boy she was praying for on the night they met. The Lord granted her request. She gives the boy over to the Lord for as long as he lives.

Elkanah lives in Ephraim with two wives. Hannah is barren, while his other wife has many children. At the annual family sacrifice and feast in Shiloh, Hannah weeps and pours out her grief before the Lord. She vows to give a son to Him for lifelong service if the Lord gives her a boy. After confronting Hannah for drunkenness and then seeing that she was praying from her depth of emotion, Eli the priest blesses Hannah and affirms her prayer. Elkanah and Hannah conceive, and she gives birth to a son that she names Samuel. Once he is weaned, she presents him to Eli at the temple and gives him over to the Lord as long as he lives.

First Samuel 1 begins the story of Samuel with the account of his unlikely-seeming birth. Samuel's mother Hannah is barren. During a family trip to temple of the Lord in Shiloh, she weeps bitterly before the Lord and pours out her grief. She vows to give a son back to the Lord if He will allow her to bear one. Eli the priest blesses her and affirms her prayer. Before long, Samuel is conceived and born. Once he is weaned, Hannah brings the boy and a large sacrifice to the temple. She gives Samuel over to the Lord.

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.