1 Samuel - Odessa, Missouri Community of Christ

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8 Dr. Constable's Notes on 1 Samuel 2007 EditionA. THE CHANGE FROM BARRENNESS TO FERTILITY 1:1—2:10In the first subsection (1:1—2:10) we have the joyful story of Samuel's miraculous birthand his mother's gratitude to God for reversing her barrenness and making her fertile. Thesignificance of this story is not only that it gives us the record of how Samuel was bornand that his mother was a godly woman. It also shows how God, in faithfulness to Hispromise to bless those who put Him first (Deut. 28), did so even for a despised woman inIsrael (cf. Rahab and Ruth). He brought blessing to all Israel because of her faith.1. Hannah's deliverance ch. 1"I Samuel 1 is presented as a conventional birth narrative which movesfrom barrenness to birth. Laid over that plot is a second rhetorical strategywhich moves from complaint to thanksgiving. With the use of this secondstrategy, the birth narrative is transposed and becomes an intentionalbeginning point for the larger Samuel-Saul-David narrative. Hannah'sstory begins in utter helplessness (silence); it anticipates Israel's royalnarrative which also begins in helplessness. As Hannah moves to voice(2,1-10), so Israel's narrative moves to power in the historical process.Both Hannah's future and Israel's future begin in weakness and need, andmove toward power and well-being. The narrative of I Samuel 1 functionsto introduce the theological theme of 'cry-thanks' which appears in thelarger narrative in terms of Israelite precariousness and Yahweh'spowerful providence. Our chapter corresponds canonically to II Samuel 24which portrays David in the end (like Hannah) as a needy, trustingsuppliant. The two chapters, witnesses to vulnerable faith, together bracketIsrael's larger story of power." 15The problem 1:1-2Samuel's parents lived near Ramathaim-zophim (lit. two heights, elsewhere calledRamah, e.g., v. 19, lit. height) in Ephraim in central Canaan. 16 Samuel's father, Elkanah,was an Ephraimite by residence. He was really a Levite by blood (1 Chron. 6:33-38).Ramah was not one of the Levitical towns in Ephraim. Elkanah's residence raises initialquestions about his commitment to the Mosaic Law. Was he really where he should havebeen, and does this indicate that the will of God may not have been very important forhim? In the story that follows it is Hannah (lit. grace) rather than Elkanah who emergesas the person of outstanding faith.In the Hebrew Bible the description of Samuel's father and Samson's father are almostidentical (cf. Judg. 13:2). The Holy Spirit may have written this to remind us of theunusual Nazirite status of both judges.15 Walter Brueggemann, "I Samuel 1: A Sense of a Beginning," Zeitschrift für die AlttestamentlicheWissenschaft 102:1 (1990):48.16 There was also a Ramah in the territory of Benjamin farther to the south (Judg. 19:13; et al.), and one inNaphtali to the north (Judg. 19:29, 36).
2007 Edition Dr. Constable's Notes on 1 Samuel 9Hannah's problem was that she was barren (v. 2).Hannah's barrenness 1:3-8Elkanah was a bigamist, acondition forbidden by God (Gen.2:24). However, he loved Hannahdearly and gave her specialconsideration since she wasinfertile (v. 5; cf. Jacob'srelationship with Rachel andLeah). Hannah's sterility may haveprompted Elkanah to takePeninnah as a second wife.God had promised to bless Hispeople with many descendants ifthey obeyed Him (Deut. 28:11).Consequently many Israelites sawa woman's inability to bearchildren not just as a naturalhandicap but also as a curse fromGod. Peninnah (lit. pearl; her"rival," v. 6) may have accusedHannah of some sin in her life thatRamathaim-zophim*CENTRAL PALESTINEHILLCOUNTRYShiloh *OF EPHRAIMRamah *Sea ofChinnerethSalt Seahad apparently brought God's curse on her (v. 6; cf. Hagar's treatment of Sarai). From thecontext we learn that Hannah was an unusually godly woman. Probably her barrennesswas not a divine punishment for sin. It appears to have been a natural condition that Godplaced on her for His own purposes some of which become clear as this story unfolds (cf.John 9:1-3).Elkanah was careful to observe some of the statutes in the Mosaic Law such asworshipping God yearly at Shiloh. However, he seems to have been somewhat insensitiveto the depth of Hannah's suffering as a barren Israelite woman (v. 8).The name "Lord of hosts" occurs first in the Old Testament in verse 3. 17 This is a verycommonly used divine titulary (combination title and name) in the rest of Samuel, Kings,Chronicles, and the prophetic books. The "hosts" are the armies of the sovereign God andconsist of humans (17:45), angels (Josh. 5:14), and stars (Isa. 40:26). This nameexpresses the infinite resources and power at God's disposal as He fights for His people."Three dramatic elements in the scene make the problem of barrennessmore poignant for the narrative.JordanRiver17 See Matitiahu Tsevat, "Studies in the Book of Samuel," Hebrew Union College Annual 36 (1965):49-58.
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1 Samuel - Odessa, Missouri Community of Christ

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