Hannah's Prayer
Presented in 1 Samuel 2: 1-10, Hannah’s prayer takes on several roles. On a basic level, the prayer’s use of foreshadowing presents the prayer itself as a preamble to the book of Samuel. In this context, prophetic imagery, parallel phraseology, and purposeful exclusions can be illuminated to show the argument for appointment of Kings through God. This also reveals the authorial motives for placing the prayer on Hannah’s lips. However, the poem can also be analyzed through the lens of Hannah’s experiences and actions. In this context, the prayer presents a glimpse into the expectations that God had of his people, and the perception of God as an all powerful judge and jury capable of manufacturing grand reversals of fortune. Yet although these
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This advances the idea that God is the only entity capable of reversals of fortune. There is also a critical shift from line to line that illuminates the perception of God within the context of the prayer. The first line ends in “the Lord”, which presents God as a feature that Hannah is describing, and not as a person that Hannah is addressing directly. In contrast, the second line shows Hannah’s direct address to God through the use of the second person singular pronoun “You.” In another contrast, the third line uses the plural possessive “our” before “God.” Thus, these three lines showcase the three ways that God can be viewed: a omnipotent power that is present but not addressed, a personal God to be addressed through prayer, or a communal God that watches over a specific group. In the context of Hannah’s prayer, this verse sets up the different modes and methods by which God reveals His …show more content…
This essentially forgoes any reference to Samuel, which is surprising because the words are put on the lips of Samuel’s mother. However, this is in keeping with the main motif of the prayer: that it is truly God that bestows power. In the context of this verse, the exclusion of reference to Samuel is deliberate. The verse does not mention Samuel because his inclusion in the verse would undermine the importance of God in the selection of a King. In the context of the entire prayer, the prayer could then become a way to confirm that even though Samuel anoints a King, the power truly stems from God alone. Thus, Hannah’s prayer helps reconcile the issues of monarchy by presenting an argument for appointment through God. In this way, Hannah’s prayer forms a fitting preamble to the stories of Samuel and
This advances the idea that God is the only entity capable of reversals of fortune. There is also a critical shift from line to line that illuminates the perception of God within the context of the prayer. The first line ends in “the Lord”, which presents God as a feature that Hannah is describing, and not as a person that Hannah is addressing directly. In contrast, the second line shows Hannah’s direct address to God through the use of the second person singular pronoun “You.” In another contrast, the third line uses the plural possessive “our” before “God.” Thus, these three lines showcase the three ways that God can be viewed: a omnipotent power that is present but not addressed, a personal God to be addressed through prayer, or a communal God that watches over a specific group. In the context of Hannah’s prayer, this verse sets up the different modes and methods by which God reveals His …show more content…
This essentially forgoes any reference to Samuel, which is surprising because the words are put on the lips of Samuel’s mother. However, this is in keeping with the main motif of the prayer: that it is truly God that bestows power. In the context of this verse, the exclusion of reference to Samuel is deliberate. The verse does not mention Samuel because his inclusion in the verse would undermine the importance of God in the selection of a King. In the context of the entire prayer, the prayer could then become a way to confirm that even though Samuel anoints a King, the power truly stems from God alone. Thus, Hannah’s prayer helps reconcile the issues of monarchy by presenting an argument for appointment through God. In this way, Hannah’s prayer forms a fitting preamble to the stories of Samuel and