1. 1 Samuel 1:11 (NEG79)
  2. Explication du texte

Is there anything significant about the language that Hannah uses in her vow?

1 Samuel 1:11 (NEG79)

11 Elle fit un vœu, en disant: Eternel des armées! si tu daignes regarder l'affliction de ta servante, si tu te souviens de moi et n'oublies point ta servante, et si tu donnes à ta servante un fils, je le consacrerai à l'Eternel pour tous les jours de sa vie, et le rasoir ne passera point sur sa tête.

In her vow, Hannah made use of two words that connect her request for a son with Israel and the exodus. Firstly, she refers to misery, a Hebrew word otherwise translated as affliction. It is closely connected with the exodus from Egypt (see Exodus 3:7, Exodus 3:17; Exodus 4:31; Deuteronomy 16:3; Deuteronomy 26:7). Similarly, in calling on the Lord to remember her, there is another connection to the time of the exodus (cf. Exodus 2:24). This connection suggests that Hannah’s vow is not primarily or only about her own desire for a son, but rather it is a vow made for the sake of Israel as a whole.