“No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman oppressed in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have not been drinking wine or strong drink, but I poured out my soul before Yahweh.
- KJV And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
- NKJV But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.
- NASB But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman despairing in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord.
- NLT “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart 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
Hannah humbly corrected Eli, explaining she was sorrowful and had poured out her soul to the Lord, not drunk. She answered a false charge with gentle honesty.
Overview
Hannah's reply is a model of respectful self-defense without bitterness, even toward one who wronged her. Her phrase 'poured out my soul before Yahweh' beautifully describes wholehearted prayer. Her grace under unjust accusation reflects the meekness Scripture commends and contrasts with the harshness around her.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ps 62:8Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
- Lam 2:19Arise, cry out in the night from the first watch of the night. Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children who are fainting from hunger on the corner of every street.
- Ps 42:4These things come to mind as I pour out my soul: how I walked with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and praise.
- Ps 143:6I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah
- Ps 142:2–3I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him.
- Job 30:16And now my soul is poured out within me; days of affliction grip me.
- Prov 15:1A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
- Prov 25:15Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
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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 1:15 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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