Analysis: The Song Of Hannah

1 Samuel 2: 1-10, also known as The Song of Hannah, is a very significant passage that relays the strength and power of God and those who are faithful to him. It comes from a mother named Hannah who has been barren all of her life. However through God’s intercession, she bears a son and names him Samuel. To thank the Lord for her gift, she sings this song of praise . This display of thanksgiving is very important because it brings light to certain aspects about God’s existence that really encompass who God is and how he interacts with his chosen people. It also draws parallels and acts as a message to the Israelites. In this paper I will argue that the Song of Hannah exemplifies God’s merciful power and how he uses it to uphold the covenant

Through him all things are possible. This is especially apparent through Hannah’s mention of her own dealings with God. “…She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away” . Here it is very clear that God is willing to personally intervene in the lives of the people. In this time, being a woman who is incapable of fostering the conception of a child was looked down upon in society. The fact that God was able to change that for Hannah shows that he has a plan for his people and is not opposed to being intimately involved with creating a better life for them. This carries over to the struggles of the Israelites in that it acts as a sign of hope that God will intervene in their favor in times when they are weak or marginalized. However, because many of the Israelites problems were also deeply rooted in political struggle, hope also tends to take another dimension in this song. Through the words, “…He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed,” and, “…he seats [the poor] with the princes and has them inherit a throne of honor,” Hannah seems to be suggesting the deliverance of a righteous king from humble beginnings. Although the people had no sense of the coming monarch at the period when this poem would’ve been recited, it seems as though this mention is in anticipation of the hope placed in

The suzerain is the more powerful party, but is willing to grant the vassals certain blessings if they are able to uphold their half of the agreement. God’s covenant with the Israelites closely mirrors this relationship. In The Song of Hannah, as mentioned earlier, she exclaims various blessing that God will give to his people. However, God will not give the blessings to just anyone. The people have to act a certain way in order to receive them. These are the moral implications that I discussed in part one. In this particular passage of Samuel, God is willing to give his gifts to those who are faithful to him and those who are lowly. Hannah herself is an example of this. She upheld her end of the covenant with faith and loyalty, so she was blessed with a son even though she was physically barren. The song also applies to the Israelites more generally when it says, “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.” Here she asserts the power of God and calls to attention that he is all knowing of what they do. God will know if the people are faithful to him or if they act in a way to promote their self-importance. Like any suzerain that has the ability to know what his people are doing, God will look at his