Keraia
1 Samuel 1

1 Samuel 1:11

Hannah Prays for a Son · 1 Samuel 1:9–18
Read 1 Samuel 1

Translations

Modern
And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”
Traditional
And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
Literal
And she made a vow and said, “O YHWH of Hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant, and remember me and not forget Your maidservant, and will give to your maidservant a male seed, I will give him to YHWH all the days of his life, and a razor shall not go up on his head.”
Latin
…et votum vovit, dicens: Domine exercituum, si respiciens videris afflictionem famulæ tuæ, et recordatus mei fueris, nec oblitus ancillæ tuæ, dederisque servæ tuæ sexum virilem: dabo eum Domino omnibus diebus vitæ ejus, et novacula non ascendet super caput ejus.

Original

Hebrew
English
And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”

Notes

1 Samuel 1:11

Hannah promised to dedicate her child to the Lord as a Nazirite (see Numbers 6:1–21). She might have hoped her child would be like Samson, a deliverer of God's people (compare Judges 13). A deliverer was someone who rescued the Israelites from their enemies

Theme notes and profiles

Eli Samuel Sarah Infertility The Priestly Blessing Vows to God

People

LORD: Names or title used to refer to God

Glossary

Eli Hannah Joshua, Book of Nazarite, Nazirite Phinehas Rathamin Razor Samuel (Person) Samuel, Books of First and Second Shiloh Vow, Vows Worship

Topics

Afflictions and Adversities: Prayer In Barrenness: Miraculously Removed: Hannah Blessing: Temporal Blessings, Prayer For: Hannah Children in Answer to Prayer: Hannah Children: Often Prayed For Consecration: Hannah, of Samuel Dedication of Samuel by his Mother Dedication: Subjects of Persons Dreadlocks Hannah: Her Trials and Prayer, and Promise Having a Baby Long Hair Nazarite: Samuel Prayer: Answered: Hannah, Asking to Give Birth to a Child Prayer: Importunity In Samuel: Consecrated to God Before his Birth Samuel: Miraculous Birth of Vows of Hannah, to Consecrate to the Lord the Child for Which She Prayed Vows were Made in Reference to Dedicating Children to God Women: Hannah, the Mother of Samuel