1 Samuel 1:21-28

1 Samuel 1:21-28

[21] And the man  Elkanah,  and all his house,  went up  to offer  unto the LORD  the yearly  sacrifice,  and his vow.  [22] But Hannah  went not up;  for she said  unto her husband,  I will not go up until the child  be weaned,  and then I will bring  him, that he may appear  before  the LORD,  and there abide  for  ever.  [23] And Elkanah  her husband  said  unto her, Do  what seemeth  thee good;  tarry  until thou have weaned  him; only the LORD  establish  his word.  So the woman  abode,  and gave her son  suck  until she weaned  him. [24] And when she had weaned  him, she took him up  with her, with three  bullocks,  and one  ephah  of flour,  and a bottle  of wine,  and brought  him unto the house  of the LORD  in Shiloh:  and the child  [25] And they slew  a bullock,  and brought  the child  to Eli.  [26] And she said,  Oh  my lord,  as thy soul  liveth,  my lord,  I am the woman  that stood  by thee here, praying  unto the LORD.  [27] For this child  I prayed;  and the LORD  hath given  me my petition  which I asked  of him: [28] Therefore also I have lent  him to the LORD;  as long as he liveth  he shall be lent  to the LORD.  And he worshipped  the LORD  there.

What does 1 Samuel 1:21-28 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

"Scenes3 [1] and4 [2] are a pair, not unlike the pairing of1 [3] and2 [4]. They are the two scenes of resolution.... These two scenes are concerned not with the birth, but with Hannah coming to terms with the reality of Yahweh. She is portrayed as the one who is needy, trustful, submissive, and grateful. She is a model of fidelity." [5]
The Mosaic Law required an offering to God when He granted a vow ( Leviticus 27:1-8). Elkanah went to the central sanctuary to make this offering shortly after Samuel"s birth ( 1 Samuel 1:21). The text refers to Hannah"s vow as Elkanah"s ( 1 Samuel 1:21). It was his vow in this sense: since he did not cancel it when he heard about it, he became responsible for it as Hannah"s husband (cf. Numbers 30:1-8).
Samuel may have been as old as three years before Hannah weaned him and brought him to the sanctuary ( 1 Samuel 1:23; cf. 2 Maccabees 7:27). The three-year-old bull and the flour ( 1 Samuel 1:24) were evidently for a burnt offering (an offering that represented the worshipper"s total dedication to God, Leviticus 1) and for food respectively. The Hebrew word for flour used here, qemah, never occurs in a sacrificial context except once, where it is unaccompanied by an animal sacrifice ( Numbers 5:15). Hannah could have offered a less expensive animal sacrifice ( Leviticus 12:6), but she was very grateful.