Don’t consider your servant a wicked woman; for I have been speaking out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation.”
Parallel translations
- KJV Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
- BSB Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.”
- NKJV “Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”
- NASB Do not consider your bond-servant a useless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.”
- NLT Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”
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 asked Eli not to regard her as a wicked woman, for she had spoken out of great grief. She appealed for her sincerity to be recognized.
Overview
Hannah distinguishes herself from a 'worthless woman,' insisting her prayer arose from genuine anguish, not impiety. Her words display both humility and a clear conscience before God. Her honest plea moves Eli from rebuke to blessing, showing the power of a gentle answer.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Sam 2:12Now the sons of Eli were wicked men. They didn’t know Yahweh.
- Job 10:1–2“My soul is weary of my life. I will give free course to my complaint. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
- Matt 12:34–35You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
- Job 6:2–3“Oh that my anguish were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances!
- 1 Sam 10:27But certain worthless fellows said, “How could this man save us?” They despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
- Deut 13:13certain base fellows have gone out from among you, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods,” which you have not known;
- 1 Sam 25:25Please don’t let my lord pay attention to this worthless fellow, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men, whom you sent.
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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 1:16 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.