Tears at Shiloh
A Devotional Meditation on 1 Samuel 1
“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.”
Psalm 126 : 5 (New International Version)
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Relevant passages
• Judges 21 : 19–24 (pilgrims at Shiloh)
• Deuteronomy 12 : 5–7 (central sanctuary)
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Cultural note
At feast time Elkanah gives Hannah a “double portion” (v. 5). The Hebrew
phrase is rare; some manuscripts read “a portion for two persons,”
picturing Elkanah treating Hannah as though she already had the child
she longs for.
Cross-reference
• Genesis 30 : 1–2; Luke 1 : 7—other waiting women
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Key word
sha’al (שָׁאַל) = to ask, request. Hannah “asks” a son (vv. 17, 20). The
name she later gives him, “Samuel” (שְׁמוּאֵל), sounds like “heard by God.”
Every time she calls him, she remembers both the asking and the
answer.
The vow
She promises that her son will be given to the Lord “all the days of his
life, and no razor will ever be used on his head” (v. 11). This echoes
the Nazirite vow of Numbers 6, yet with lifelong force normally reserved
for figures like Samson and John the Baptist.
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When Samuel is weaned—likely at two to three years of age in that culture—Hannah brings him back to Shiloh along with a generous offering, and she repeats her earlier words almost verbatim. Biblical writers use repetition as a literary device to underline fulfillment. The chapter ends with a simple, aching sentence: “And he worshiped the Lord there” (v. 28, New American Standard Bible). Mother and toddler bow together; she leaves, he stays.
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God Hears the Powerless
In a climate of priestly corruption (Eli’s sons, ch. 2), God begins
renewal not with the powerful but with a barren woman in tears. The
pattern points forward to Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1 : 46-55).
Prayer that Pours Out the Heart
Hannah’s prayer is raw, specific, and self-forgetting. Augustine said,
“She spoke in her heart; God listened with His.”¹
Surrender and Stewardship
Hannah does not clutch the gift once received; she gives him back. John
Calvin wrote that true faith “receives in order to return.”
The Birth of Leadership in Obscure Places
Israel’s transition from judges to monarchy will hinge on Samuel. The
story reminds us that God often begins great movements in hidden
corners—wombs, stables, empty tombs.
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• Weaning Age
In modern settings weaning happens early; in the ancient Near East it
could be as late as age four. Hannah’s sacrifice is therefore larger
than many Western readers assume.
• Pilgrim Feasts
The “yearly sacrifice” (v. 21) is probably the Feast of Tabernacles, a
week-long celebration of God’s provision. The timing underscores the
irony of Hannah’s emptiness amid national rejoicing.
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Barrenness to Birth
• Sarah—Genesis 21
• Rebekah—Genesis 25
• Rachel—Genesis 30
• Manoah’s wife—Judges 13
• Elizabeth—Luke 1
Reversal Songs
• Hannah’s own song—1 Samuel 2 : 1-10
• Mary’s song—Luke 1 : 46-55
• Psalm 113 : 7-9
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• Gregory the Great (6th c.) saw Hannah as an icon of contemplative
prayer: “Her lips moved, yet her voice was not heard—thus must the heart
pray.”
• Martin Luther loved Hannah’s vow as an example of “taking God at His
word, then letting God take what is most precious.”
• John Wesley used Hannah to teach prevenient grace: even her desire to
pray was “a whisper of the divine Spirit.”
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For Personal Reflection
When has unanswered prayer shaped rather than shattered my
faith?
What gifts have I “weaned” and returned to God lately?
How might silent, wordless prayer become part of my walk this week?
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Father who remembers,
You saw Hannah’s tears in the shadows of Shiloh
and turned her anguish into a nation’s hope.
Look on the silent prayers we dare not speak aloud.
Hear us, hold us, shape us.
Give us grace to receive every gift with open hands
and faith to return each gift for Your glory.
Through Jesus Christ, the One long-promised and well-given.
Amen.
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¹ Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, 37.