1 Samuel 2:1

THE SONG OF HANNAH

"Hannah also prayed and said,

`My heart exults in the Lord;

my strength is exalted in the Lord.

My mouth derides my enemies,

because I rejoice in thy salvation.

There is none holy like the Lord,

there is none besides thee;

there is no rock like our God.

Talk no more so very proudly,

let not arrogance come from your mouth;

for the Lord is a God of knowledge,

and by him actions are weighed.

The bows of the mighty are broken,

but the feeble gird on strength.

Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,

but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.

The barren has borne seven,

but she who has many children is forlorn.

The Lord kills and brings to life;

he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

The Lord makes poor and makes rich;

he brings low, he also exalts.

He raises up the poor from the dust;

he lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,

and on them he has set the world.

He will guard the feet of his faithful ones; but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,

for not by might shall a man prevail.

The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;

against them he will thunder in heaven.

The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;

he will give strength to his king,

and exalt the power of his anointed.'"

Willis cited six reasons why "some scholars" reject this song as pertaining in any sense to Hannah.[1] All six reasons are utterly worthless!

(1) The placement of the song is alleged as "a reason," but it appears in the text exactly where it belongs, precisely following the dedication of Samuel at the tabernacle and in connection with the worship service mentioned in 1 Samuel 1:28. Where else would the critics have placed it?

(2) The fact that 1 Samuel 2:11 is the natural continuation of 1 Samuel 1:28 is erroneously called "a reason," but there are a thousand instances in the Holy Bible were a verse, or ten verses, or a hundred verses, or whole chapters could be deleted and the disjoined portions be styled as "a natural continuation." In my commentaries, I have cited dozens of these.

(3) The criticism that the song fits Hannah's situation "only in a very general way" is simply untrue. Every line of it fits Hannah's situation perfectly. (See below.)

(4) "The details indicate a knowledge of the weapons of war, and neither Elkanah nor Hannah had any military experience." This ridiculous criticism is founded upon a single word, the word `bows' in 1 Samuel 2:4. This mention of such a weapon cannot possibly be construed as "a knowledge of military weapons, tactics, and warfare." In that age, there was not a dummy on earth who was ignorant of the fact that a bow, used to shoot arrows, was a very important military weapon.

(5) The reference to the Lord's "king" in 1 Samuel 2:10 is said to assume a time AFTER the monarchy was established. Such a conclusion is a gross error. Hannah was familiar with the Pentateuch, and Moses had specifically prophesied that Israel, in time, would have a king (Deuteronomy 13:14ff and Deuteronomy 28:36ff), and Hannah's words here are a prophesy that God would give power and strength to such a king. The real trouble that unbelieving critics have with this song is the prophetic element in it, but their wicked unbelief is of no significance whatever.

(6) 1 Samuel 2:6 here has an undeniable reference to God's raising the dead to life, and this is dubbed by critics as an example of, "theological ideas that reflect a later period." This type of nonsense is founded on the false notion that faith in the resurrection of the dead did not arise in Israel until a far later time than that of Samuel. However, Abraham, the ancestor of all Israel, believed in the resurrection, that being the sole and absolute reason for his obedience when God commanded him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice on mount Moriah (Hebrews 11:17-19). The inspired author of Hebrews could not have been wrong about that. The critical dictum that faith in the resurrection belongs to a later period than that of Abraham is merely a prejudiced and ignorant falsehood!

So much for critical efforts to get rid of this song of Hannah, their sole objective being that of nullifying the Messianic import of it.

"The refusal of modern critics to admit the genuineness of this song is founded upon an "a priori" and utter denial of the supernatural saving revelations of God, and upon a consequent inability to discern the prophetic illumination of the pious Hannah, and a complete misinterpretation of the contents of her song of praise."[2]

The genuineness of the song is attested by the following reflections of the conduct of Peninnah in Hannah's song.

(1) Proud talking and arrogance are mentioned in 1 Samuel 2:3.

(2) The barren woman bears a child in 1 Samuel 2:5.

(3) The critical woman that had many children is forlorn in 1 Samuel 2:5.

(4) The poor are made rich; the lowly are exalted, etc., appear in 1 Samuel 2:8.

No more appropriate words pertaining to that situation between Hannah and Peninnah could possibly have been written. Note especially the honor that was said to be reserved for the poor and needy who would sit among "princes." As the mother of the distinguished prophet and judge of Israel and the great king-maker of Israel, Hannah fulfilled this perfectly.

"There is no rock like our God." This line indicates that Hannah was familiar with Genesis 49:24, which records Jacob's blessing of Joseph, wherein he referred to God as the "Rock of Israel." There are many other reflections of the Pentateuch in the books of Samuel.

In the first chapter of Luke, we find that the Magnificat and the song of Zacharias are both written within the influence of the song of Hannah, indicating dramatically that the Messianic import of Hannah's song was recognized by the pious Israelites of all subsequent ages.[3]

Prior to the arrogant, unjustified criticisms that originated in the 19th century, the accepted translations of the entire Christian period, until that time, reflected the prophetic nature of this song.

Adam Clarke, for example, translated 1 Samuel 2:10, as follows:

"Jehovah shall bruise them who contend with him;

Upon them shall he thunder in the heavens.

Jehovah shall judge the ends of the earth;

And he shall give strength to his King,

And shall exalt the horn of his Messiah."[4]

In the words of F. C. Cook:

"The song of Hannah is a prophetic psalm; it is poetry, and it is prophecy. It takes its place by the side of the songs of Moses, Miriam, Deborah, the Virgin Mary, David, and Hezekiah."[5]

That the Bible indeed is filled with predictive prophecy was affirmed by Willis in these words:

"God can reveal coming events before they occur. Several passages in Isaiah 44-55 affirm that one thing that distinguishes God from the false gods is that He predicts what will come to pass and then causes it to happen as he had said (Isaiah 41:23,26; 42:9; 44:7; 45:21; 46:10-11; and Isaiah 48:3-8). Isaiah often referred to predictions that the Lord had made in the past which had already come to pass, and it seems unlikely that He would have made such arguments if His hearers did not know that they came to pass as prophesied."[6]

We should add that such evidences of fulfilled prophecies are by no means restricted to Isaiah. The Bible is literally filled with them. Who can deny that Micah prophesied that Christ would be born in Bethlehem?

In this light, therefore, we declare unequivocally that the Song of Hannah is authentic, and that the interpretation of it as Messianic, both by Jewish and Christian scholars, for thousands of years should by no means be abandoned because of Satan's being uncomfortable with it!

Like the Magnificat, Hannah's hymn of thanksgiving begins with the temporal mercies accorded to herself, but rises immediately into the realms of prophecy, foretelling Christ's kingdom and the triumphs of his Church."[7]

"The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn." This was interpreted by R. Payne Smith as, "A typical reference to the long barrenness of the Gentile world, to be followed by a fruitfulness far exceeding that of fleshly Israel."[8] The text supports this view because "seven" is a number standing for perfection, completeness, or infinity, and this did not apply to Hannah who bore six, (not seven) children.

"The Lord will judge the ends of the earth." This definitely is not a reference to the islands or to the ends of the Mediterranean Sea, but a reference to the final judgment of the Last Day when God shall judge all mankind. "`Ends of the earth' means the whole earth up to its remotest quarters."[9]

"He will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed." We are delighted to find in the Interpreter's Bible the following regarding this verse:

"This verse seems to envisage the miraculous discomfiture (defeat) of the enemies of Israel, followed by the judgment of the nations and the coming of the Messiah."[10]

Of course, the term anointed was applied especially to the kings of Israel from the times of Saul and afterward, especially to the Davidic dynasty; but "The `King' here is the Ideal Son of David (The Christ)."[11] (We do not agree with the reason for this interpretation by Caird, but his analysis of what the passage says is exactly correct).

It is not necessary to suppose that Hannah herself knew the full meaning of her prophecy (See 1 Peter 1:10-12). As Fraser expressed it, "Whether or not it was clear to Hannah's mind, the Spirit who rested upon her signified a King greater than David and a more illustrious kingdom."[12]

Concerning this tenth verse, F. C. Cook declared that, "This is a most remarkable passage, containing a clear and distinct prophecy of the Kingdom and Glory of the Christ of God (Compare Luke 1:69,70)."[13]

By her mention of the Final Judgment here, "Hannah's prayer rises to a prophetic glance at the consummation of the kingdom of God."[14]