1 Samuel 1:11

“And she vowed a vow, etc.] Which might be confirmed by her husband; otherwise the vow of a woman, if disapproved of by her husband, was not valid, (<043008>Numbers 30:8) and Elkanah might make the same vow his wife did, and so it stood; for as this was a vow of Nazariteship, it is a tradition of the Jews f22, that a man may vow his son to be a Nazarite, but a woman may not; but as this instance contradicts the tradition, they endeavour to explain away this vow, as it may respect a Nazarite, as will be observed hereafter: and said, O Lord of hosts; this is properly the first time this title was used by any that we know of; for though it is expressed in (<090103>1 Samuel 1:3) there it is used…”

“HANNAH'S PRAYER. (Sa1 1:9-18) she prayed . . . she vowed a vow--Here is a specimen of the intense desire that reigned in the bosoms of the Hebrew women for children. This was the burden of Hannah's prayer; and the strong preference she expressed for a male child originated in her purpose of dedicating him to the tabernacle service. The circumstance of his birth bound him to this; but his residence within the precincts of the sanctuary would have to commence at an earlier age than usual, in consequence of the Nazarite vow.”

“vows are characteristic of this particular age of the Judges. (Compare Judges 11:30; Jdg 21:5; 1 Samuel 14:24.) For the law of vows in the case of married women, see Numbers 30:6-16; and for the nature of the vow, see the marginal references. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Give him - That is, consecrate him to God's service in his temple. No razor - That is, he shall be a perpetual Nazarite. 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 1:12”

“1:11 Hannah’s vow was a promise to give the child back to the Lord as a Nazirite (see Num 6:1-21). Hannah might have hoped that her child would be another Samson (cp. Judg 13), a deliverer of God’s people.”

“vowed: Gen 28:20; Num 21:2, Num 30:3-8; Jdg 11:30; Ecc 5:4 look: Gen 29:32; Exo 4:31; Sa2 16:12; Psa 25:18 remember: Sa1 1:19; Gen 8:1, Gen 30:22; Psa 132:1, Psa 132:2 a man child: Heb. seed of men I will give: Samuel, as a descendent of Levi, was the Lord's property, from twenty-five years of age till fifty; but the vow here implies that he should be consecrated to the Lord from his infancy to his death, and that he should not only act as a Levite, but as a Nazarite. there: Num 6:5; Jdg 13:5 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 1:12”