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1 Samuel 1:4-20
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of The Text This Week

• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • Hebrew Interlinear Bible, WLCv, WLC5, CHES, AV.
  • The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • VI.12, VII.7, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
  • On the Lord's Prayer -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 252)
  • Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.
  • From the Geneva Notes.
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "Hannah mingled tears with her prayers; she considered the mercy of our God, who knows the troubled soul. God gives us leave, in prayer, not only to ask good things in general, but to mention that special good thing we most need and desire."
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "This circumstance is noted as the occasion of the contention, because at such times they were forced to more society with one another, by the way, and in their lodgings; whereas at home they had distinct apartments, where they might be asunder; and then her husband's extraordinary love and kindness was shewed to Hannah, whereby Peninnah was the more exasperated; then also Hannah prayed earnestly for a child, which hitherto she had done in vain; and this possibly she reproached her with."
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
    • "The suspicion of the aged priest seems to indicate that the vice of intemperance was neither uncommon nor confined to one sex in those times of disorder. This mistaken impression was immediately removed, and, in the words, "God grant," or rather, "will grant," was followed by an invocation which, as Hannah regarded it in the light of a prophecy pointing to the accomplishment of her earnest desire, dispelled her sadness, and filled her with confident hope [1Sa 1:18]. The character and services of the expected child were sufficiently important to make his birth a fit subject for prophecy."
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, 1 Samuel 1:4-20, Alphnetta Wines, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2015.
    • "The reader who wants to understand Hannah's story must understand not only the intricacies of her story, but the context in which her story appears as well."
  • Commentary, textual points, and illustration idea, Scott Hoezee, Center for Excellence in Preaching, 2015.
    • "It's curious how often the purposes of God move forward not just despite familial dysfunction but sometimes even because of it."
  • Pulpit Fiction, plus podcast. Reflections of lectionary text, pop culture, current events, etc. Robb Mc Coy and Eric Fistler, 2015.
  • "The Politics of Hannah's Opened Womb," Alastair Roberts, Political Theology Today, 2015.
    • "As political theologians we may be peculiarly vulnerable to the error of neglecting—or even denying—the significance of the obscure and personal struggles and victories of the faithful that do not assert themselves onto the grand public stage of society."
  • "'God Has Heard,'" Hannah's Song, Dan Clendenin, Journey with Jesus, 2015.
  • "Hannah's Story: When Good Enough is Just Not Enough," Anna Shirey, The Labyrinth Way, 2015.
    • "Our heart is looking to increase our abundance, to decrease our suffering, to set free our unique giftedness. When this happens not only do we experience relief, our energy becomes a place of grace for others around us."
  • "Future," Alan Brehm, The Waking Dreamer, 2015.
    • "God does not operate within a closed system. God is the God of hope, not the God of despair! In God's system, the world operates based on promises that point toward a future with hope and life. The Christian faith is at heart the hope that God already doing that through Jesus Christ and the Spirit of Life poured out on all creation."
  • Hannah's Hymn, Scott Barton poetry, 2015.
  • Commentary, 1 Samuel 1:4-20, Karla Suomaia, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012.
    • "This is a song of revolution where the bows of the mighty are broken and the poor are raised from the dust. Hannah's song penetrates the surface, pointing to the pillars of injustice that must be pulled down. Some of those pillars may be the very ones that put her in such a desperate situation in the first place."
  • Baby Blues, Pentecost 25, Mary Lautensleger, Liberal Lectionary Resources, 2012.
    • "We can be in compassionate ministry with those whose dream of children does not come true in the way they had hoped."
  • "Great Events from Small Beginnings," John C. Holbert, Opening the Old Testament, 2012.
    • "Is it not amazing how every huge biblical event begins in some very small way?"
  • "Hannah and Her Sisters: Mothering Songs," Katie Munnik, Presbyterian Record, 2012.
    • "Our deepest longings often reflect the upside-down kingdom that God has in mind."
  • "The Politics of 1 Samuel 1:4-20," Timothy F. Simpson, 2012.
  • "Whisper Day 19: Hannah's Prayer," Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia.
  • Commentary, 1 Samuel 1:4-20, Ted A. Smith, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "Hannah has always been more than the "type" of the righteous, barren woman who ultimately conceives a child."
  • "Pouring Out Our Souls," Rick Morley, 2012.
  • 1 Samuel 1:4-20, Pentecost 24, 2009, The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
    • "The Lord works in and through those who are, in many ways, oppressed or sorely placed in the world."
  • 1 Samuel 1:4-20, Pentecost 24, Commentary, Background, Insights from Literary Structure, Theological Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna Grant-Henderson, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "It is true that as we receive the grace and love of God in our lives we are expected to give it back to God and to God's people. Hannah's story becomes a symbol for our lives."
  • Commentary, 1 Samuel 1, Teresa L. Fry Brown, The African American Lectionary, 2008.
    • "This mother?s sacrifice was the son she prayed for in faith. Her actions are ultimately the prelude to a change in leadership for Israel."
  • "Faith and Infertility," study guide for adults, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at) "Cloning," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2005.
  • "The Son and the Psalm of Hannah (1 Samuel 1:1 - 2:10)," by Robert Deffinbaugh at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
    • "Ironically, the word Hannah uses (?worthless?) is the very term the author uses in chapter 2 (verse 12) to describe the two sons of Eli. She informs him that she has, up to this moment, been speaking out of her agony of soul."
  • Eli and his Two Sons of Belial, from And Adam Knew Eve: A Dictionary of Sex in the Bible by Ronald L. Ecker.
  • Hannah: "Give Thy Handmaid a Manchild," from And Adam Knew Eve: A Dictionary of Sex in the Bible by Ronald L. Ecker.
• Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
  • Aberbach, David, "MNH 'CHT 'PYM (1 Sam. 1.5): A New Paradigm," Vetus Testamentum, 1974.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Brenner, Athalya, "Female Social Behavior: Two Descriptive Patterns within the 'Birth of the Hero' Paradigm," Vetus Testamentum, 1986.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Brettler, Marc, "The Composition of 1 Samuel 1-2," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1997.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Cartledge, Tony W., "Hannah Asked, and God Heard," Review and Expositor, 2002.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Crafton, Barbara, "We Want Them To Make Up Their Own Minds When They're Older," The Living Pulpit, 2003.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Dyrness, William A., "Waiting in Hope," The Christian Century, 1994.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Firth, David G., "'Play it again, Sam': The Poetics of Narrative Repetition in 1 Samuel 1-7," Tyndale Bulletin, 2005.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Havrelock, Rachel, "The Myth of Birthing the Hero: Heroic Barrenness in the Hebrew Bible," Biblical Interpretation, 2008.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Hill, Robert C., "St John Chrysostom's Homilies on Hannah," St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, 2001.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Keown, Gerald L., "Prophecy in 1 and 2 Samuel," Review and Expositor, 2002.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Leuchter, Mark, "'Now There Was a [Certain] Man': compositional Chronology in Judges - 1 Samuel," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2007.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Menaul, Marjorie, "Between Text & Sermon: 1 Samuel 1 & 2," Interpretation, 2001. See also the rest of this issue: The Child, Interpretation, 2001.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Spina, Frank Anthony, "Eli's Seat: The Transition from Priest to Prophet in 1 Samuel 1-4," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 1994.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Srubas, Rachel M., "Midrash for Hannah (After 1 Sam. 1:1-20)," Journal for Feminist Studies in Religion, 2001. (Poetry)
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Stansell, Gary, "The Gift in Ancient Israel," Semeia, 1999.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Walters, Stanley D., "Hannah and Anna: The Greek and Hebrew Texts of 1 Samuel 1," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1988.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Weingreen, J., "A Rabbinic-Type Gloss in the LXX Version of 1 Samuel 1.18," Vetus Testamentum, 1964.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Westbrook, Raymond, "1 Samuel 1:8," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1990.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
• Sermons:
• With Children:
  • "God Gives Hannah a Baby," Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons), coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts.
  • "Hannah," children's study, puzzles, coloring sheet, etc. Higher Praise Christian Center.
  • "Hannah, The Power of Grace," Tim Baker, Debbie Gowensmith, Dennis R. McLaughlin, Erika Moss, Group, 2000. (Youth/teen activities.)
• Drama:
  • "Hannah & Penninah," Linda Wyke, dramatix.
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
  • Clip Art: Hannah Prays for Child, Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld woodcuts, World Mission Collection, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
• Hymns and Music:
  • Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: 1 Samuel 1:19. The Cyber Hymnal.
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
• Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of 1 Samuel

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