“The bows of the mighty are broken to pieces, But those who have stumbled strap on strength.
Parallel translations
- WEB “The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.
- KJV The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded 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.
- 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. Their bows shall be broken.
- Ps 76:3There he broke the flaming arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah.
- Ps 46:9He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow, and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots in the fire.
- Phil 4:13I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
- Isa 10:4They will only bow down under the prisoners, and will 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 Yahweh upholds the righteous.
- 2 Cor 12:9He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
- Heb 11:34quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, grew mighty in war, and caused foreign armies to flee.
- Jer 37:10For though you had struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yes they would each rise up in his tent and burn this city with fire.’”
- 2 Cor 4:9–10pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed;
- Eph 6:14Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.