1 Samuel 1:24-28
Chapter 1
24
When the child was weaned, Hannah took him with her along with a three-year-old bull, a measure of flour, and a flask of wine, and she brought him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh. The child was still young.
25
After slaying the bull, they brought the child to Eli.
26
Hannah exclaimed: “Oh, my lord, look! I am the woman standing before you, praying to the Lord.
27
I asked for this child, and the Lord granted me the favor I begged of him.
28
I think the Lord is now asking for this child. As long as he lives, he belongs to the Lord.” And they worshiped the Lord there.
Commentaries
Birth of Samuel.
The First Book of Samuel begins with the story of the birth of its main character, after whom the book is named. Instead of emphasizing the remarkable circumstances of a woman who was barren but loved by her husband, yet rejected and humiliated by his other wife, who was fertile, the author seeks to reflect the condition of the people—those whom God loves but who do not produce the results expected of that love. Just as Hannah, despite her barrenness, conceived a son, Israel—also facing barrenness in social, religious, and political stagnation and decline—can look toward a future where the people are more aligned with the justice and life project that the Lord has called it to.