The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
Parallel translations
- WEB “The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.
- BSB The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength.
- NKJV “Thebows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
- NASB “The bows of the mighty are broken to pieces, But those who have stumbled strap on strength.
- NLT The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong.
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
God breaks the bows of the mighty while arming the stumbling with strength. He reverses human fortunes according to His will.
Overview
Hannah celebrates the great reversal that runs through her song: the strong are brought low and the weak made strong. This is not random fate but the Lord's deliberate ordering of human affairs. The theme anticipates the gospel, where God chooses the weak to shame the strong and exalts the lowly in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 37:15Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
- Ps 76:3There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.
- Ps 46:9He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
- Phil 4:13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
- Isa 10:4Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
- Ps 37:17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
- 2 Cor 12:9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
- Heb 11:34Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
- Jer 37:10For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
- 2 Cor 4:9–10Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
- Eph 6:14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
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 2:4 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.