In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears.
Parallel translations
- WEB She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to Yahweh, weeping bitterly.
- KJV And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
- NKJV And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.
- NASB She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.
- NLT Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In bitterness of soul Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. She brought her raw anguish honestly before God.
Overview
Hannah models heartfelt, unguarded prayer, pouring out genuine sorrow rather than masking it. Scripture commends this kind of honest lament, casting one's burdens on the Lord. Her tears before God, rather than mere complaint to others, mark the turning point of her story.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Job 7:11Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
- Luke 22:44And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.
- Job 10:1“I loathe my own life; I will express my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul.
- Ps 91:15When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.
- Heb 5:7During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.
- Isa 54:6For the LORD has called you back, like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, like the rejected wife of one’s youth,” says your God.
- Judg 21:2So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and weeping bitterly.
- Job 9:18He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness.
- Isa 38:15What can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk slowly all my years because of the anguish of my soul.
- Ps 50:15Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
- Ruth 1:20“Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me.
- 2 Kgs 20:3“Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
- Lam 3:15He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood.
- Jer 22:10Do not weep for the dead king; do not mourn his loss. Weep bitterly for the one who is exiled, for he will never return to see his native land.
- 2 Sam 13:36And as he finished speaking, the sons of the king came in, wailing loudly. Then the king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.
- Jer 13:17But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.
- Gen 50:10When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wailed loudly, and Joseph mourned for his father seven days.
- 2 Sam 17:8He continued, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who will not spend the night with the troops.
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 1:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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