The Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10)

I. An Outline of the Song of Hannah

1. Doxology (2:1-2)

          2. God at Work in the World (2:3-8)

          3. God’s Protection of the Godly (2:9)

          4. God’s Judgment of the Wicked Through His Anointed One 

              (2:10)

II. Facts about the Song of Hannah

    • It is a royal song of victory/triumph (Youngblood, “1-2 Samuel” 

       vol. 3 EBC, 579)

    • It is a first person account of the Lord’s omnipotence and 

      sovereignty

    • It contains combat motifs that depict God as the victorious 

       warrior

    • Other combat hymns in the OT:

          The Songs of Moses and Miriam (Exod. 15:1-18,21)

          The Song of Moses (Deut. 32:1-43)

          The Song of Deborah (Judg. 5)

          The Song of David (2 Sam. 22)

III. The Content of the Song of Hannah

      1. Doxology (2:1-2)

   

          • The emphasis in the opening lines of the song is the LORD  

          • Hannah begins by giving her personal testimony to God’s 

            salvation before widening the focus to the entire world

         • The imagery of the “horn” (cf. Deut. 33:17; Ps. 89:17; 

            92:10; 132:17)symbolizes strength as well as posterity. 

            Hannah confessed in that both her strength and posterity 

            originated from the LORD (2:1)

         • The three lines of verse 2 each begin with the phrase “there 

            is none,” thus emphasizing that God is beyond compare

        • As the Rock of His people (2:2), God is both their foundation 

           as well as their divine refuge and strength 

    2. God at Work in the World (2:3-8)

        • God punishes the prideful (2:3)

        • God breaks the bow of the mighty (2:4)

            The bow represents a warrior’s strength: Thus says the 

            LORD of hosts, “Behold, I am going to break the bow of 

            Elam, the  finest of their might.” (Jer. 49:35)

        • God causes the wealthy to be in want, while the hungry

           become full. The barren (Hannah] give birth, while the

           mother of many [Peninnah] languishes (2:5)

           Peninnah never again is mentioned in 1 Samuel.

       • God is sovereign in matters of life, death, and resurrection

          (2:6)

       • God makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts (2:7)

       • God is in control of what happens in the world because He is 

          the Creator (2:8)

          He makes the destitute on the ash heap (the garbage heap    

          outside of the city) to sit with the nobles 

   3. God’s Protects the Godly and Punishes the Wicked (2:9)

       Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot 

       will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the 

       impending things are hastening upon them. (Deut. 32:35) 

   4. God’s Judgment of the Wicked Through His Anointed One 

       (2:10)

       • Critical scholars label the Song of Hannah as anachronistic:   

          “mention of his king before there was a king in Israel has 

          been the chief reason for denying the composition of this 

          song to Hannah” (Joyce Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel, 58).

       • Hannah prophecies the Davidic kingdom before there is a 

          king in Israel.

       • Hannah’s song looks ahead to the ultimate fulfillment of the 

          Davidic kingdom in Jesus the Messiah

          1:68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited 

          us and accomplished redemption for His people,

          1:69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the 

          house of David His servant. (Luke)