I Samuel 2:5 · Bible study
1 Samuel 2:5 Commentary: The Barren Bears Seven, Hannah's Song
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore why Hannah says 'the barren has borne seven' when she only had one son, and how this prophetic song declares God's sovereign reversals.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God sovereignly reverses human fortunes, the full become hungry laborers, the hungry are filled; the barren mother gains many children, the fruitful mother loses strength.
- Key words: sated (שְׂבֵעִים), hired themselves out (נִשְׂכָּרוּ), ceased (חָדֵלּוּ), barren (עֲקָרָה), seven (שִׁבְעָה), seven symbolic of completeness.
- Main debate: Is “seven” a literal prophecy of more children, a hyperbolic use of the number of completeness, or evidence the song was written later?
- Theological theme: The Lord humbles the proud and exalts the humble; His sovereignty extends over personal, national, and eschatological reversals.
- Best use: A prophetic-song passage best studied in its full literary context (1 Sam 2:1, 10) and alongside the Magnificat (Luke 1:46, 55).
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The well-fed hire themselves out for food, but the starving hunger no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but she who has many sons pines away.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. Those who were hungry are satisfied. Yes, the barren has borne seven. She who has many children languishes.
KJV King James Version 1769
They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; And they that were hungry have ceasedto hunger: Yea, the barren hath borne seven; And she that hath many children languisheth.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
The satiated for bread hired themselves, And the hungry have ceased. While the barren hath borne seven, And she abounding with sons hath languished.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
They that were full have hired themselves out for bread; and the hungry are [so] no more: Even the barren beareth seven, and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
They that were full before, have hired out themselves for bread: and the hungry are filled, so that the barren hath borne many: and she that had many children is weakened.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Los hartos se alquilaron por pan: y cesaron los hambrientos: hasta parir siete la estéril, y la que tenía muchos hijos enfermó.
Os fartos se alugaram por pão: E cessaram os famintos: Até a estéril deu à luz sete, E a que tinha muitos filhos enfermou.
Ceux qui étaient rassasiés se louent pour du pain,
Die da satt waren, sind ums Brot Knechte geworden, und die Hunger litten, hungert nicht mehr; ja die Unfruchtbare hat sieben geboren, und die viele Kinder hatte, hat abgenommen.
Die verzadigd waren, hebben zich verhuurd om brood, en die hongerig waren, zijn het niet meer; totdat de onvruchtbare zeven heeft gebaard, en die vele kinderen had, krachteloos is geworden.
Quei ch’eran satolli s’allogano per aver del pane, e quei che pativan la fame non la patiscono più; perfin la sterile partorisce sette volte, mentre quella che avea molti figli diventa fiacca.
Którzy byli nasyceni, najmują się za chleb, a głodni przestali łaknąć; tak iż niepłodna siedmioro porodziła, a która rodziła wiele dziatek, zemdlała.
сытые работают из хлеба, а голодные отдыхают; даже бесплодная рождает семь раз, а многочадная изнемогает.
素來飽足的，反作用人 求食；飢餓的，再不飢餓。 不生育的，生了 七個兒子；多 有兒女的，反倒衰微。
Those who were full are offering themselves as servants for bread; those who were in need are at rest; truly, she who had no children has become the mother of seven; and she who had a family is wasted with sorrow.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Samuel 2:5
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that 1 Samuel 2:5 is a powerful declaration of God's sovereignty to reverse human fortunes. The verse belongs to Hannah's song, which Keil and Delitzsch call “the mature fruit of the Spirit of God” and a “prophetic and Messianic” psalm. The well-fed who now hire themselves out for bread and the hungry who are satisfied illustrate the principle God brings down the proud and exalts the humble, a theme repeated in verses 6, 8. Cambridge Bible notes that Hannah “discerns in her own individual experience the universal laws of the divine economy.” On “the barren has borne seven,” Matthew Henry and Wesley read “seven” as a number of completeness meaning “many”; Hannah had borne only one son at this point, so she either speaks in the prophetic past tense (Gill) or expresses confident hope of more children (Wesley, citing Eli's blessing). The reversal culminates in the contrast between the barren woman who now has many children and the mother of many who grows feeble, a vivid picture of God's power over life and family.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal prophecy of more children: Wesley and Gill point to Eli's blessing (1 Sam 1:17, 20) and note that Hannah later had three sons and two daughters (1 Sam 2:21). 'Seven' is hyperbole for 'many.'
- Poetic/hyperbolic statement of principle: Cambridge Bible and Keil-Delitzsch see the song as a general reflection on God's ways; 'seven' is the number of completeness, not a prediction. Hannah speaks in the prophetic past tense of what God habitually does.
- Later editorial insertion: Some critics (noted by Cambridge Bible) argue the song was written after the monarchy and placed in Hannah's mouth. The supplied commentators reject this view.
What is clear: Regardless of the exact number, the verse declares a reversal of fortunes by God's power, a theme consistent throughout the song and echoed in later biblical passages.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'seven' | The number seven signals completeness or abundance; 'barren has borne seven' means a reversal from no children to many children. | Some (e.g. Wesley, Gill) read it as a literal prophecy that Hannah would bear more children; others (Cambridge Bible, Keil-Delitzsch) see it as hyperbolic or symbolic, part of the song's broader theological principle, not necessarily a prediction of Hannah's own family. |
| Authenticity of the song | The song is presented as Hannah's prayer of thanksgiving after Samuel's dedication. | Most commentators (Keil-Delitzsch, Cambridge Bible) defend the song's authenticity as a Spirit-inspired composition of Hannah. Critics, as Cambridge Bible notes, consider it a later insertion because of its prophetic/royal themes, though the supplied commentators reject this view. |
| The 'full' and 'hungry' reversal | The verse teaches that God can bring down the prosperous and lift up the needy, a principle of divine justice. | Some (Gill) read this in a spiritualized sense (the full are self-righteous, the hungry are those hungering for righteousness). Others (Poole, Matthew Henry) take it as a literal description of Providence: the once-rich hire out for bread, the once-hungry are satisfied. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Hannah's prayer-turned-song comes at a hinge moment in Israel's story. The period of the judges was marked by spiritual decline and military oppression (Judges 21:25). Hannah herself suffered the pain of barrenness, intensified by the provocations of her rival Peninnah (1 Samuel 1:6). Her desperate prayer at Shiloh drew a promise from Eli the priest: “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your petition” (1:17). She conceived Samuel, dedicated him to lifelong service, and then offered this song of praise when she left him at the tabernacle.
The verse depicts a world where basic survival, bread, is at stake. Hiring oneself out for food was a sign of extreme poverty, often during famine or debt (see Nehemiah 5:1, 5). The word for “ceased” (חָדַל) carries the sense of stopping work because hunger is satisfied. The number seven symbolized completeness and abundant blessing in the ancient Near East (Ruth 4:15; Proverbs 24:16). Hannah's words would resonate with an agrarian audience who knew both scarcity and surplus as acts of divine provision.
Literarily, the song moves from personal testimony to cosmic declaration. After verse 5, Hannah broadens the canvas: Yahweh kills and makes alive, makes poor and rich, raises the poor from the dust (vv. 6, 8). The song closes with a king and his anointed, likely a forward look to the Davidic monarchy. This is not simply a thanksgiving for a child; it is a prophetic glimpse of God's kingdom coming through unexpected reversals.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for 1 Samuel 2:5. The Hebrew text is stable. The main interpretive differences arise from the word ceased (חָדֵלּוּ): the KJV reads “ceased,” meaning they stopped being hungry, while other translations (BSB, Darby) add “hunger” for clarity, but this is interpretive, not textual. The verse is consistent across the ancient versions.
Reception History
Hannah's song has been received as a model of thanksgiving and a prophecy of the Messianic age. Early Christians saw in verse 5 a foreshadowing of the reversal proclaimed in Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:46, 55), where the hungry are filled with good things and the rich are sent away empty. The song also influenced the hymnody of the church; for example, the 113th Psalm echoes its language of the barren woman becoming a joyful mother. Reformers such as Luther and Calvin cited Hannah's example of heartfelt prayer and praise. Later Protestant commentators (Matthew Henry, Wesley) used the verse to teach divine sovereignty over personal circumstances and the proper response of gratitude. In the Jewish tradition, the song is read as part of the prophetic haftarah for Rosh Hashanah, linking it to themes of remembrance and reversal.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- God reverses the circumstances of the full and the hungry. Those who once had abundance now work for a crust; those who starved now feast. Hannah strips away human self-sufficiency, everything is gift.
- God reverses the circumstances of the barren and the fruitful. The woman with no children becomes a joyful mother; the mother of many is left feeble. Seven represents completeness, God can give or withhold life in ways no one expects.
- God's reversals point to His sovereign rule. Hannah does not see these as random; she sees the Lord who kills and makes alive, who judges the ends of the earth. Her personal story becomes a lens for God's ways with all people.
Five-Point Outline
- The scandal of God's grace: the well-fed end up hungry; the hungry get fed. The first last and last first (Mark 10:31).
- The completeness of God's gift: “seven” is both literal hope and symbolic fullness. Hannah’s one son becomes a sign of a larger blessing.
- The fragility of human security: The mother of many “languishes.” Human achievements do not guarantee lasting joy.
- The prophetic perspective: Hannah speaks of future things as already accomplished, a pattern of faith that trusts God’s promise before seeing the fulfillment.
- The joy that transcends circumstances: Hannah’s heart exults in the Lord, not in her own fertility. That joy sustains her through the entire song.
Illustration Hooks
- The empty nest reversed: A couple who never expected to be parents suddenly receive a grandchild through adoption or a surprising late pregnancy. The quiet house becomes lively again.
- The layoff and the new career: Someone who had a high-paying job loses it, then finds deeply meaningful work that pays less but sustains them in ways the old job never did.
- The friend who always seemed to have everything: The most put-together family in the neighborhood quietly falls apart, while a struggling single mother finds community and raises children who flourish.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- “Does God really care about my infertility or my job loss? Hannah’s song says yes, but what if the reversal never comes for me?”
- “Is it okay to celebrate reversals like this, or does that mean I am gloating over people who lose what they had?”
- “How do I hold onto faith when my story looks more like ‘she who had many children languishes’ than like the barren woman who bears seven?”
Leading a Discussion
Hannah’s song lifts her personal experience into a window on God’s ways. This verse pairs two reversals: the full become hungry workers, the hungry are satisfied; the barren mother welcomes seven children, the mother of many grows weak. These are not cruel twists but declarations that the Lord rules over every human circumstance. As you discuss, watch for how the group moves from “does this really happen?” to “what does this tell us about who God is?”
Discussion Questions
- What kind of reversal does this verse describe? Can you think of a modern example where the “full” end up hungry and the “hungry” are satisfied?
- Hannah was still leaving Samuel at the tabernacle when she sang this. Why do you think she uses the past tense (“the barren has borne seven”) when she had only one child up to that point?
- How does the number seven function in this verse? Is it a literal prediction, a symbolic number of completeness, or both?
- Look at verse 5 alongside Luke 1:53 and Luke 16:25. How does the New Testament reinterpret or echo this pattern of reversal?
- What does this verse teach about God’s character? Does it make you uncomfortable? Does it encourage you?
- “She who has many children languishes.” How should we speak about those who experience the second half of this reversal, whether infertility, loss, or family struggles?
- How does knowing Hannah’s story (1 Samuel 1) affect how you read verse 5? What would change if you did not know her background?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Samuel 1:6 | Her rival provoked her severely, to irritate her, because Yahweh had shut up her womb. |
| I Samuel 1:20 | When the time had come, Hannah conceived, and bore a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of Yahweh.” |
| Psalms 34:10 | The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing. |
| Psalms 113:9 | He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother of children. Praise Yah! |
| Isaiah 54:1 | “Sing, barren, you who didn’t give birth! Break out into singing, and cry aloud, you who didn’t travail with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,” says Yahweh. |
| Jeremiah 15:9 | She who has borne seven languishes. She has given up the spirit. Her sun has gone down while it was yet day. She has been disappointed and confounded. I will deliver their residue to the sword before their enemies,” says Yahweh. |
| Luke 1:53 | He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty. |
| Luke 16:25 | “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted and you are in anguish. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke highlights that Hannah is celebrating God's particular providence—His direct involvement in everyday reversals of fortune. The events she describes are common, yet she sees them as acts of divine care. He calls her song both simple and sublime.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes observes that the word translated "ceased" here means they were at rest because their labor was done. The sense is that they were fully satisfied or filled, as the Latin Version renders it, not that they merely stopped.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Hannah's song is a true prophecy, not merely personal thanksgiving. She discerns in her own deliverance the universal laws of God's moral government, which find their fullest illustration in the exaltation of the Lord's Christ through humiliation to victory. Her personal circumstances soon give way to this wider prophetic view.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights a complete reversal of human expectations: those who had plenty now hire themselves out for bread, while the hungry are freed from hired labor. The woman who could not bear now has seven children, and the mother of many grows weak. Only God can bring about such a thorough overturning of fortunes.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill sees two layers in this reversal: a literal one where the rich become poor and the poor become rich, and a spiritual one where self-righteous people who trust their own works eventually go empty, while those who hunger for Christ find complete satisfaction in Him and stop relying on their own efforts for salvation.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB clarifies two phrases in the verse: "ceased" means the hungry stopped being hungry, and "born seven" is a round number meaning many children, not a precise count. His point is that the language is figurative and should be read as a general description of reversal.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch see Hannah's song as prophetic, not merely personal. She discerns in her own experience the pattern of God's entire kingdom plan: how He humbles the ungodly within Israel and exalts the pious. Her praise already looks ahead to the future king God will give His people.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists the song is Hannah's own prophetic testimony, not a later addition. He reads it as a moral contrast between pride and humility within Israel, not a victory over foreign enemies. The reference to a king at the end expresses the existing hope for a God-given theocratic kingdom, not a later monarchy.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry sees Hannah's song as more than personal gratitude; it is prophetic. He notes that her words, inspired by the Spirit, look beyond her own story to declare God's sovereign rule over human affairs and to foretell the coming of His anointed King.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that the speaker uses past tense for future events, speaking with confident certainty before they happen. He explains that "seven" means many, and that Peninnah is called feeble either because she is past childbearing or because her children have died.