1 Samuel 2:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength.

NIV: The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

NASB: The bows of the mighty are broken to pieces, But those who have stumbled strap on strength.

CSB: The bows of the warriors are broken, but the feeble are clothed with strength.

NLT: The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong.

KJV: The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

NKJV: “The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength.

Hannah changes the focus of her song from God's absolute holiness, power, and knowledge (1 Samuel 2:1–3) to how God uses that power among human beings. In short, when He chooses to act, He is the difference between victory and defeat. He determines success and failure. He is the ultimate power source behind all human efforts.

That "the bows of the mighty are broken" means the Lord can bring to a dead stop even the most fearsome armies and warriors. Breaking the bow was a picture of ending an enemy's ability to continue to make war. This imagery is used especially in the Psalms (Psalms 37:15; 46:9; 76:3).

At the same time, the Lord adds strength to those who are weak or stumbling. Hannah depicts God binding strength, as if it were a weapon or shield, onto the arms of those who are feeble. The picture is of God reversing fortunes and expected outcomes. We tend to size up two opponents and decide ahead of time that the one with the appearance of overwhelming strength will win. Hannah insists that the Lord can reverse that outcome in a moment.

First Samuel 2:1–11 contains Hannah's poetic prayer of praise to the Lord in response to His gift of a son, Samuel. She offers the prayer after delivering Samuel into Eli's care at the sanctuary in keeping with her vow to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:11, 24–28). The main emphasis of the prayer is that God is holy and sovereign. He can reverse life situations, bringing the rich and powerful down and lifting the poor, hungry, and barren. The one who controls life and death guards those faithful to Him.

After delivering Samuel to the Lord, Hannah offers a poetic prayer of praise. The sons of Eli the priest are evil, depraved men who abuse their power as priests. They coerce worshippers to give them additional meat. They sleep with women who serve at the sanctuary. In contrast, Samuel grows in favor with God and others as he grows up physically. Hannah and Elkanah continue to go to Shiloh yearly; they also have more children. Eli rebukes his sons, but they don't repent. The Lord tells Eli that all his descendants will die young and his two rebellious sons will die on the same day. The Lord will raise up a faithful priest to do His will.

The prior chapter explained how Hannah cried out to God for a son, and that her request was granted. First Samuel 2 begins with Hannah's praise to the Lord in response. Samuel remains in Shiloh where he ministers and matures. By contrast, Eli's sons are wicked and abuse their power as priests. A prophet reveals that God will cause all Eli's descendants to die young and his two sons to die on the same day. The Lord will raise up a faithful priest from another part of the family line. This provides background for Samuel's call from God in chapter 3.

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.

Accessed 5/2/2024 12:44:51 PM