1 Samuel 2:4-6So You Want A Revolution?

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 28 June 2020

Introduction

v.4 The bow of strong-men came undone, while those who were enfeebled strapped on a weapon.

v.5 Those who were filled with bread went job-hunting while those who were hungry ceased [to be so]. Even the barren woman has had seven children while she who abounded in children became unproductive!

v.6 It is Yahweh who causes to die and who prolongs life, who causes to go down to Sheol and who causes to rise up.

v.7 It is Yahweh who causes dispossession and who causes wealthiness, who causes lowliness, moreover who causes exaltation.

  1. Causing to dispossess/become poor

  1. He also causes to be rich/wealthy

  1. Causing to be humble/low

  1. and causing to raise/lift up

Conclusion:

Comparison Chart of Hannah’s Song, Magnificat, and Beatitudes

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Hannah (1 Sam. 2)

Mary (Luke 1:51-53, NKJV)

Jesus (Matt. 5:3-12, NAW)

1

v. 4 The bow of mighty-men came undone, while those who were enfeebled strapped on a weapon.

He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.

Blessed are the ones who are lowly in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

2

v.5a Those who were filled with bread went job-hunting while those who were hungry ceased [to be so].

He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for it is they who will be satisfied.

3

v.5b Even the barren woman has had seven children while she who abounded in children became unproductive!


Blessed are the peace-makers, for it is they who will be called the sons of God.

4

v.6 It is Yahweh who causes to die and who prolongs life, who causes to go down to Sheol and who causes to rise up.


Blessed are the ones who mourn, because it is they who will be comforted.

5

v.7 It is Yahweh who causes dispossession and who causes wealthiness, who causes lowliness, moreover who causes exaltation.


Blessed are the meek, because it is they who will inherit the earth.”

6

v.8 He who causes the poor to get up from the dust lifts up the needy from the dumps to reside among noblemen. He bequeaths to them a throne of glory, because the substructures of the earth belong to Yahweh, and He sets the world upon them.


Blessed are those who have been hunted down for the sake of righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

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v.9 It is the way of His godly one that He keeps, while He silences the wicked ones in the darkness. {He granted the thing vowed to the one who vowed, and He blessed the years of the righteous,} because it is not through manpower that a man prevails.


Y'all are being blessed whenever liars reproach you and hunt [you] down and speak every evil against you for my sake. Keep rejoicing and leaping for joy, because your reward is bountiful in heaven, for they hunted down the prophets before you in the same way.

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His rival against him will be undone by Yahweh {Yahweh Himself is holy. Let not the wise boast in his wisdom, and let not the strong boast in his strength, and let not the rich boast in his riches, for in this let the boaster boast: in understanding and knowing Yahweh and doing justice and righteousness in the midst of the earth.} Yahweh will rumble [against] them in the heavens. He will judge the ends of the earth and give strength to His king and lift up the horn of His Anointed One.

He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers...

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.


Blessed are those who show mercy, for it is they who will receive mercy.


1 Samuel 2:1-10 - Side-by side comparison of versionsA

LXX

Brenton (LXX)

DRB (Vulgate)

KJV

NAW

Masoretic Txt

1 Καὶ εἶπεν X Ἐστερεώθη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν κυρίῳ, ὑψώθη κέρας μου ἐν θεῷ [μου]· ἐπλατύνθη ἐπὶ ἐχθροὺς τὸ στόμα μου, εὐφράνθην ἐν σωτηρίᾳ σου.

1:28 ...and she said, 2:1 My heart is established in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God; my mouth is enlarged over my enemies, I have rejoiced in thy salvation.

1:28 ...And Anna prayed, and said:

2:1 My heart hath rejoiced in the Lord, and my horn is exalted in my God: my mouth is enlarged over my enemies: because I have joyed in thy salvation.

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

1 Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart has been exuberant in Yah­weh, my ‘horn’ has risen up in Yahweh; my mouth has gone wide over my ene­mies; I have become happy in Your salvation,

א וַתִּתְפַּלֵּל חַנָּה וַתֹּאמַר עָלַץ לִבִּי בַּיהוָה רָמָה קַרְנִי בַּיהוָה רָחַב פִּי עַל אוֹיְבַי כִּיC שָׂמַחְתִּי בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ.

2 ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἅγιος ὡς κύριος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος ὡς ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν· οὐκ ἔστιν [ἅγιος] πλὴν σοῦ X X X X X X.

2 For there is none holy as the Lord, and there is none righteous as our God; there is none [holy] besides thee XXXX.

2 There is none holy as the Lord is: for there is no other beside thee, and there is none strong like our God.

2 There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

2 for there is no one holy like Yahweh, and there is no one righteous like our God; there is no one besides You, and there is no rock like our God!

ב אֵין קָדוֹשׁ כַּיהוָה כִּיD אֵין בִּלְתֶּךָ וְאֵין צוּר כֵּאלֹהֵינוּ.

3 μὴ καυχᾶσθε [καὶ μὴ] λαλεῖτε ὑψηλά, [μὴ] ἐξελθάτω μεγαλορρημοσύνηE ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν, ὅτι θεὸς γνώσεων κύριος καὶ θεὸς ἑτοιμάζων ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτοῦ.

3 Boast not, and utter not high things; let not high-sounding words come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and God prepares his own designs.

3 Do not multiply to speak lofty things, boasting: let old matters depart from your mouth: for the Lord is a God of [all] knowledge, and to him are thoughts prepared.

3 Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

3 Don’t overdo [it when] y’all talk high [and] mighty. [Don’t] let careless-speech go out from y’all’s mouth, for Yahweh is the God of know­ledge and licen­tious-deeds are not worth [it].

ג אַל תַּרְבּוּ תְדַבְּרוּ גְּבֹהָה גְבֹהָה יֵצֵא עָתָק מִפִּיכֶם כִּי אֵל דֵּעוֹת יְהוָה ולאF נִתְכְּנוּ עֲלִלוֹת.

4 τόξον δυνατῶν ἠσθένησεν, καὶ ἀσθενοῦντες περιεζώσαντο δύναμιν·

4 The bow of the mighty has waxed feeble, and the weak have girded themselves with strength.

4 The bow of the mighty is overcome, and the weak are girt with strength.

4 The bow[s] of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded withG strength.

4 The bow of mighty-men came undone, while those who were enfeebled strapped on a weapon.

ד קֶשֶׁת גִּבֹּרִים חַתִּיםH וְנִכְשָׁלִים אָזְרוּ חָיִל.

5 πλήρειςI ἄρτων ἠλαττώθησανJ, καὶ οἱ πεινῶντες παρῆκανK [γῆν]· ὅτι στεῖρα ἔτεκεν ἑπτά, καὶ ἡ πολλὴ ἐν τέκνοις ἠσθένησεν.

5 They that were full of bread are brought low; and the hungry have forsaken [the land]; for the barren has born seven, and she that abounded in children has waxed feeble.

5 They that were full [before], have hired out themselves for bread: and the hungry are filled, so that the barren hath borne many: and she that had many children is weakened.

5 They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feebleL.

5 Those who were filled with bread went job-hunting while those who were hungry ceased [to be so]. Even the barren woman has had seven children while she who abounded in children became unproductive!

ה שְׂבֵעִים בַּלֶּחֶם נִשְׂכָּרוּM וּרְעֵבִים חָדֵלּוּ עַדN עֲקָרָה יָלְדָה שִׁבְעָה וְרַבַּת בָּנִים אֻמְלָלָהO.

6 κύριος θανατοῖ καὶ ζωογονεῖ, κατάγει εἰς ᾅδου καὶ ἀνάγει·

6 The Lord kills and makes alive; he brings down to the grave, and brings up.

6 The Lord killeth and maketh alive, he bringeth down to hell, and bringeth back [again].

6 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

6 It is Yahweh who causes to die and who prolongs life, who causes to go down to Sheol and who causes to rise up.

ו יְהוָה מֵמִית וּמְחַיֶּהP מוֹרִיד שְׁאוֹל וַיָּעַל.

7 κύριος πτωχίζει καὶ πλουτίζει, ταπεινοῖ καὶ ἀνυψοῖ.

7 The Lord makes poor, and makes rich; he brings low, and lifts up.

7 The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich, he humbleth and he exalteth:

7 The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

7 It is Yahweh who causes dispossession and who causes wealth­iness, who causes lowliness, more­over who causes exaltation.

ז יְהוָה מוֹרִישׁ וּמַעֲשִׁיר מַשְׁפִּיל אַף מְרוֹמֵםQ.

8 ἀνιστᾷ ἀπὸ γῆς πένητα [καὶ] ἀπὸ κοπρίας ἐγείρει πτωχὸν καθίσαι μετὰ δυναστῶν [λαῶν] καὶ θρόνον δόξης κατακληρονομῶν αὐτοῖς. X X X X X X X X

8 He lifts up the poor from the earth, and raises the needy from the dunghill; to seat [him] with the princes [of the people], and causing them to inherit the throne of glory: X X X X X X X X

8 He raiseth up the needy from the dust, and lifteth up the poor from the dung­hill: that [he] may sit with princes, and hold the throne of glory. For the poles of the earth are the Lord's, and upon them he hath set the world.

8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dung­hill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them.

8 He who causes the poor to get up from the dust lifts up the needy from the dumps to reside among noble­men. He bequeaths to them a throne of glory, be­cause the sub­struct­ures of the earth be­long to Yah­weh, and He sets the world upon them.

ח מֵקִים מֵעָפָר דָּל מֵאַשְׁפֹּתR יָרִים אֶבְיוֹן לְהוֹשִׁיב עִם נְדִיבִים וְכִסֵּא כָבוֹד יַנְחִלֵם כִּי לַיהוָה מְצֻקֵיS אֶרֶץ וַיָּשֶׁת עֲלֵיהֶם תֵּבֵל.



1 Henry/Gill cited Jarchi Vid. Hieron, Trad. Heb. in. lib. Reg. fol. 34. K

2“Die,” “go down,” and “go up” are in the Hebrew Hiphil stem which denotes causality, while “live” is in the Piel stem which, for this verb, at least connotes (if not outrightly denotes) causality in the sense of prolonging life.

3For the O.T. Jew, Sheol could be where the unbelievers go after they die or it could be merely the intermediate state of all souls at death. The context generally indicates which is being denoted.

AMy original chart includes the NASB and NIV, but their copyright restrictions have forced me to remove them from the publicly-available edition of this chart. I have included the ESV in footnotes when it employs a word not already used by the KJV, NASB, or NIV. (NAW is my translation.) When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea Scroll containing any part of 1 Samuel 2 is 4Q51Samuela, which contains fragments of vs. 1-10 and 16-36 (highlighted in purple), and which has been dated between 50-25 B.C. Where the DSS supports the LXX with text not in the MT, I have highlighted with yellow the LXX and its translation into English.

B cf. NASB “speaks boldly against,” NIV “boasts over,” ESV “derides”

C This conjunction is is bumped forward to the first word in v.3 in the DSS and LXX, but curiously, not in the Vulgate.

DThere is more text here in the DSS, but it is obscured. It appears to support the extra text from the LXX: “and there is none righteous like our God”

E Α = μεταρσις (?), Σ = ανομια (lawlessness)

FSymmachus interpreted the original (ketib) MT literally “and not,” but the Vulgate and all the standard English translations follow the qere (alternate reading) וְלוֹ and for Him.” The ketib and qere words are homonyms in Hebrew, so it’s possible that a scribe taking dictation could have confused the two. Curiously, the LXX switches two letters in the MT ketib to make the subject explicitly “God” ואל and adds an of him” at the end to boot! This could be evidence of this variant being present in the Hebrew text at least as early as the fourth century AD. The DSS is obliterated at this point.

G cf. NIV “are armed with,” NASB “gird on” (active voice), ESV “bind on”

HThe DSS spelled this word singular instead of plural. This root חת only occurs elsewhere in Gen. 9:2 (animals will be scared of humans), Job 41:25 (Leviathan will not be scared of humans), and Jer. 46:5 (mighty men scared), the related verb חתת is more common, though. Note its use in conjunction with אזר in Isaiah 8:9 “Break, you peoples, and be shattered. Give ear, every distant land; strap on your armor and be shattered...” (NAW)

I Aq. & Sym. = κεχορτασμενοι “fattened up/gorged/satiated”

J Α = συνετριβησαν

K Σ = ανενδεεις

L cf. NASB “languishes,” NIV “pines away,” ESV “is forlorn”

M This is the only Niphal form of this verb in the Hebrew O.T.

NThe use of עַד as a conjunction, in the sense of “yea” or “in fact,” may be explained as an elliptical expression, signifying “it comes to this, that.” ~Keil & Delitzsch

O Cf. Jer. 15:9 “She languishes who has borne seven...”

PThe Piel participle stands out from the three Hiphils in this verse. The Piel form of chayah is used to denote “sparing” life, “reviving” life, and “prolonging/continuing life” throughout the O.T.

QOnce again a single exception is made to the pattern of Hiphil participles, this time in the fourth verb being Polel. But for this verb, the Polel spelling denotes causation just as the Hiphil.

RIn addition to the verbatim quote in Ps. 113:7 this word is only found in the post-exilic books of Nehemiah (2:13; 3:13,14; 12:31) – referring to the trash gate and Lam. 4:5.

SLexicographers seem to be divided over the root and meaning of this word. The only other places in the O.T. this word can be found with the same three radicals in order are: 1 Ki. 7:16 (an extruded pillar), 2 Chr. 4:3 (a cast metal stand), Job 11:15 (a man being “steadfast” like a pillar of his community). If the word search is expanded to include the addition of a vav between the second and third radical (מצוך), several instances of a word for “distress” appear in Deut. 28, Psalm 107, and, most notably, 1 Sam. 14:5 (describing “straights” between two rock pinnacles in Israel).

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