Question 1

What is Hannah thanking God for in this prayer?

Accepted Answer

Hannah is thanking God for answering her deep, painful longing for a child. She had been barren and grieved by this, but God gave her a son, Samuel. Her joy, though, is not only in having a baby but in the Lord Himself. She says her heart rejoices in the Lord and in His salvation. She sees her story as one more example of how God hears the cry of the lowly, steps into their situation, and turns shame and weakness into joy and honor.

Question 2

What does “there is none holy as the Lord” mean here?

Accepted Answer

When Hannah says, “There is none holy as the Lord,” she is saying that God is completely set apart from everyone and everything else. No one is pure, good, and faithful like He is. There is no other true God beside Him, and no other rock that people can safely lean on. This line reminds us that God is not just a little better than us; He is in a different category. Knowing this leads to worship, trust, and humble hearts before Him.

Question 3

Why does Hannah warn against proud and arrogant talk?

Accepted Answer

Hannah tells people to stop talking so proudly and to keep arrogance out of their mouths because the Lord is a God of knowledge who weighs actions. She knows from her own story that God sees what is in the heart and can easily overturn human boasting. The strong can be broken, and the weak can be strengthened by Him. Her warning shows that pride has no place before a God who knows everything and who freely lifts up or brings down according to His wisdom.

Question 4

What does it mean that God breaks the mighty and strengthens the weak?

Accepted Answer

Hannah says, “The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.” This picture shows how God can overturn human power. Those who seem strong and secure can lose their strength in a moment, while those who are weak and stumbling can be clothed with new strength. The same idea appears when she speaks of the full going hungry and the hungry being filled. It teaches that God, not human ability, decides lasting strength and honor.

Question 5

What is meant by “the Lord killeth, and maketh alive”?

Accepted Answer

The line “the Lord killeth, and maketh alive” points to God’s rule over life and death. He has the right and power to bring a person down to the grave and to bring up again. Hannah is not saying every death is simple to explain, but she is confessing that nothing about life, death, sickness, or health is outside His hand. This thought is meant to lead to deep trust. If God holds both life and death, then His people can rest in His wisdom, even when they do not understand.

Question 6

How does God lift the poor from the dust and set them with princes?

Accepted Answer

Hannah describes God raising the poor from the dust and lifting the beggar from the ash heap to sit with princes and inherit a throne of glory. This shows how God can completely change a person’s situation. Those who seem forgotten and worthless in human eyes are not forgotten by Him. He can move them into places of honor and responsibility. Her own life, going from barren sorrow to mother of a devoted child, pictures this kindness and gives hope to others in lowly places.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God’s control over riches and poverty?

Accepted Answer

Hannah plainly says, “The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.” This means that wealth, status, and position are not finally in human hands. God can lower those who trust in their riches and lift those who have nothing. This does not excuse greed or neglect of the poor, but it reminds us that behind all changing conditions stands the Lord. It calls people with much to humility and people with little to patient trust in His care.

Question 8

Who are the ‘king’ and ‘anointed’ mentioned in Hannah’s prayer?

Accepted Answer

At the end of her prayer, Hannah says that the Lord will judge the ends of the earth, give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed. At that time Israel did not yet have a human king, so these words look ahead. They point forward to the kings God would raise up over His people, and even further to the promised Anointed One. Her words show that God’s rule over the world will be worked out through the king He chooses and strengthens.

Question 9

How can Hannah’s song help my prayers today?

Accepted Answer

Hannah’s song can shape your prayers by turning your eyes first to who God is, not just to what you want. She praises His holiness, His wisdom, and His power to raise up and bring down. You can thank God for specific ways He has helped you and also confess that He rules every part of life, from riches to poverty, from life to death. Her words also invite you to bring your pain and weakness to God, trusting that He sees, weighs every action, and cares for the lowly.

Question 10

What was happening around Hannah when she prayed this?

Accepted Answer

Hannah prayed this after God gave her a son in answer to her earlier tears and vows. She had promised to give the child back to the Lord’s service, and now she has brought Samuel to stay at the sanctuary under Eli the priest. As she leaves him there, she erupts in this prayer of praise. Around her, Israel is in a time of spiritual weakness and poor leadership, but God is quietly beginning a new work through this child who “did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest.”

1 Samuel 2:1

And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

Hannah’s Prayer of Thanksgiving

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1 Samuel 2:1

And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

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Hannah’s Prayer of Thanksgiving

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