“May your maidservant find favor with you,” said Hannah. Then she went on her way, and she began eating again, and her face was no longer downcast.
Parallel translations
- WEB She said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way, and ate; and her facial expression wasn’t sad any more.
- KJV And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.
- ESV And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
- NKJV And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
- NASB She said, “Let your bond-servant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
- NLT “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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 received the blessing, went away, ate, and her face was no longer sad. Her sorrow lifted through trust before any change in her circumstances.
Overview
Hannah's restored countenance shows the peace that faith brings even before the answer arrives. Having cast her burden on the Lord, she rises in hope and resumes eating, her grief replaced by trust. This is a striking picture of the peace of God that guards the heart of those who pray.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ruth 2:13“My lord,” she said, “may I continue to find favor in your eyes, for you have comforted and spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your servant girls.”
- Rom 15:13Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Eccl 9:7Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:
- Gen 33:15“Let me leave some of my people with you,” Esau said. But Jacob replied, “Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”
- Phil 4:6–7Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- John 16:24Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
- Gen 33:8“What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau. “To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered.
- Gen 32:5I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this message to inform my master, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”
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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 1:18 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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