What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 1:6? Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb – The verse begins by declaring God’s direct action: “the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb.” Scripture consistently portrays the Lord as sovereign over life and fertility (Genesis 20:18; Psalm 113:9). – This detail explains Hannah’s barrenness not as accident or sin but as part of God’s purposeful plan, preparing the way for Samuel’s miraculous birth (1 Samuel 1:19-20). – Such seasons of waiting often refine faith: consider Sarah (Genesis 21:1-2) and Elizabeth (Luke 1:7, 13). – The statement also reassures us that God’s withholding can be an intentional prelude to a greater blessing. her rival would provoke her – “Her rival” is Peninnah (1 Samuel 1:2), the second wife who had children. Polygamy, though recorded in Scripture, always breeds strife (Genesis 29:30-31). – Peninnah’s provocation is continual: “year after year” during the family’s worship trip to Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:7). – Similar rivalries appear with Hagar and Sarah (Genesis 16:4-6). Each instance shows how human arrangements outside God’s original design lead to heartache. – Even in the face of provocation, Hannah does not retaliate; she turns to prayer, foreshadowing Christlike meekness (1 Peter 2:23). viciously to taunt her – The phrase underscores deliberate cruelty. Peninnah’s taunts targeted Hannah’s deepest longing—children—magnifying her pain until she “wept and would not eat” (1 Samuel 1:7). – Scripture warns against such malicious speech (James 3:6-10) and calls believers to compassionate tongues (Ephesians 4:29). – God sees and remembers the oppressed (Psalm 34:18; Exodus 3:7). Hannah’s suffering becomes the backdrop for God’s dramatic answer, proving He exalts the humble (1 Samuel 2:1-10). summary 1 Samuel 1:6 shows God’s sovereign hand in Hannah’s barrenness, the human cruelty that often accompanies envy, and the depth of Hannah’s trial. The Lord’s purposeful delay sets the stage for a miraculous birth and a national deliverer, reminding us that His timing and plans, though sometimes painful, are always perfect and redemptive. |
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