And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.
Parallel translations
- WEB As she continued praying before Yahweh, Eli saw her mouth.
- BSB As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth.
- NKJV And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth.
- NASB Now it came about, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli was watching her mouth.
- NLT As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her.
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
As Hannah kept praying, Eli watched her mouth. The detail prepares for his misjudgment of her silent prayer.
Overview
Hannah's prolonged, earnest prayer drew Eli's attention. Because he could see her lips but hear no words, he misread the scene. The moment exposes both Hannah's persevering devotion and the spiritual dullness of Eli, who failed to recognize true piety when he saw it.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Th 5:17Pray without ceasing.
- Jas 5:16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
- Luke 18:1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
- Eph 6:18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
- Col 4:2Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
- Luke 11:8–10I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 1:12 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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