Having explored the basic form of Hebrew Poetry and the context of our passage, we can now look at its parts and dive into the richness of Hannah’s song. In this series, I will use Roman Numerals to show the overall meaning of a cluster of verses, and then summarize each verse below. Each verse will then be looked at in more detail, in order to bring out the significance of its teaching for us as believers.
I. Hannah is praising the one true God for His salvation and for empowering her to praise Him with a response against her enemies (verses 1-2).
A. God has empowered Hannah with a response of praise to God against her enemies (verse 1).
1 “And Hannah prayed and said, ‘My heart has exalted in Yahweh; my horn has been exalted in Yahweh. My mouth has been enlarged upon my enemies, for I have rejoiced in Your salvation.’”
In some ways, it may seem more accurate to say that Hannah sang a song of praise to God than that she “prayed.” This is because a Christian understanding of prayer is largely petition and thanksgiving. However, hymns of praise were often called prayers at the time. Likewise, some may misunderstand the reference to the “horn” (a symbol taken from cattle)[1] as being proud, while the actual reference is that Hannah has been made mighty in Yahweh. (The popular depiction of the devil as having horns is also an allusion to him possessing power and having an exalted or kingly status, but the intention is to mock him in a caricature).
It is important to know that, in verse 1, Hannah is not rejoicing in the fact that God gave her a son but in God Himself. God is at the center of her praise. Her heart was rightly after God, and God blessed her, so that her mouth has been “enlarged” by God upon her enemies. That means that she has been given a divine response to the reproach given to her by her enemies. She has been emboldened by God, as He changed her life situation, removing the reason for their scorn (her barrenness). Yet, Hannah is not being prideful or arrogant in her speech regarding her enemies, as if she was gloating against them. Rather, she has been uniquely empowered and emboldened by God, who has “enlarged her mouth” in the sense of enabling her to have a response to them. Because of this, such a response it not gloating or boasting, but is a response to her enemies through a focus on the praise and actions of her God. In effect, it is God’s response to her enemies.
God has given her salvation in the sense that she has been delivered from the reproaches of her enemies. Yet, as the passage progresses, it seems clear that she has been saved spiritually as well and not merely temporally. The expression of her prophecy not only demonstrates an immediate understanding of how God acted in her situation, but expresses a more cosmic understanding of God that is rooted in the fundamentals of His nature as the one true God. Without the knowledge of her spiritual state before having a son, one can only speculate as to whether or not she knew God in a saving way before God worked in her life by giving her a son. However, the passage does evidence that she indeed does know the one true God and what He can do, not only in her situation, but cosmically (the whole universe) as well.
In one respect, the story of Hannah is the story of humanity. Humanity was hopeless before God intervened on our behalf. There could be no godly offspring, but only evil. In the same way, God answered Israel’s pleas for His help by promising the birth of our Saviour and Messiah, Jesus Christ. God is the one who justifies and gives us a response to our enemies, taking away our reproach through Jesus’ work on the cross. Because of Christ, we can now seek after God with our whole hearts, just as Hannah did in her song, showing that all glory and praise belongs to God. We are saved unto His praise and glory.
B. God is described as uniquely God, uniquely holy, and the unique rock of salvation (verse 2).
2 “There is no one holy like Yahweh, for there is no one except You, and there is no rock like our God.”
There is a threefold repetition of the word “אֵין” (“there is no [one]”) in verse two, placing a strong emphasis on the uniqueness of God. God is taught as being one-of-a-kind in three categories: His holiness, His divinity, and His status as the only fortress or rock (salvation can only come from Him).
God is also referred to in three different ways in this verse. First, He is called by His divine name, Yahweh, which is the personal name that God used uniquely in the context of His dealings with Israel—with His own people.[2] The context of its use is to refer to God’s relationship with Israel, highlighting the holiness that the Israelites are particularly called to in their covenant relationship with Yahweh. God’s holiness, then, is also something that the Israelites uniquely understand about Yahweh, the God of Israel, who gave them written revelation about the particulars of His holiness. Second, God is referred to by the personal designation of “You” (בִּלְתֶּ֑ךָ) within the context of His uniqueness. He is thus the personal God who is like no other. This seems to show that the personal and holy Yahweh, the God of Israel, is not simply a god among other national gods, but that He is unique in His nature, power, and dominion, to which no other so-called national god can compare. He cares for His people, and cares that they are holy themselves. Lastly, the word “Elohim” (אֱלֹֹֹהִים) is used for God, depicting a more cosmic application to all.[3] God is not only Yahweh in the sense that He just deals with Israel, but the cosmic “Elohim,” based on the common/generic Semitic term for God used by nations outside of Israel, who deals with all nations and things on a cosmic level. In Elohim’s dealings with the nations outside Israel, He is as a “Rock” or fortress of protection for all who trust in Him.
The word “rock” also seems to be an allusion back to the song of Moses (Deut. 32:4).[4] In that verse, God as the Rock is describing His work as perfectly good and just, ensuring that such conduct is carried out in all of His workings (including His dealings with Israel). This helps to fill out the meaning and use of the term in verse two. This may also be the reason why the LXX (Greek Old Testament) renders “rock” in the Masoretic Text (Hebrew Old Testament) as calling God the most “Just One.”[5]
However, the reference to “rock” likely also has a deeper meaning, given the history of Israel. For example, in Israel’s wilderness wandering, God was symbolized to them in a rock that, when struck by Moses, would give them water to drink. The rock, in this sense, was life-giving. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul even identifies the rock as Christ, foreshadowing His work on the cross. In this regard, for God to be a Rock like no other, this can also reveal God’s status as the only Saviour: One who never changes or is moved by another; a Rock that acts as a sure foundation, even in the greatest of tribulation and storm.[6] This designation can only be fitting of the one true God. In Him is perfect assurance and comfort.
So, God’s uniqueness carries with it the gospel itself: (1) that God is the only One for making His people holy and desires holiness; (2) that God is uniquely personal, caring for humanity; (3) that God is the One over all nations, upholding all of creation; and (4) that God is uniquely good and just, providing a way for salvation by His own power.
Next time, we will be looking at verses 3-4.
[1] F. Brown, S. Driver, and C. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (1906; repr., Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2017), 901.
[2] Umberto Cassuto, The Documentary Hypothesis and the Composition of the Pentateuch (Jerusalem, Israel: Shalem Press, 1961), lo. 429-39, Kindle.
[3] Cassuto, 429-439.
[4] “Barnes’ Notes,” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/1_samuel/2.htm.
[5] “Apostolic Bible Polyglot,” Bible Hub, https://biblehub.com/interlinear/apostolic/1_samuel/2.htm.
[6] Brown et al., 849.