“The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.
Parallel Translations
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“The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.
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The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
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The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
Cross-references (11)
Passages linked to 1 Samuel 2:4 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 37:15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart. Their bows shall be broken.
- Psalms 76:3 There he broke the flaming arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war.
- Psalms 46:9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow, and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots in the fire.
- Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
- Psalms 37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Yahweh upholds the righteous.
- Isaiah 10:4 They 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.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 He 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.
- Hebrews 11:34 quenched 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.
- Jeremiah 37:10 For though you had struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and only wounded men remained among them, they would each rise up in his tent and burn this city with fire.’ ”
- 2 Corinthians 4:9-10 pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed; always carrying in the body the putting to death of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
- Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Sa 2:4 The bows of the mighty men [are]…
1Sa 2:4 The bows of the mighty men [are] broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
Ver. 4. The bows of the mighty men are broken,] i.e., The bows of Peninnah and her children, who did shoot reproachful words at Hannah. Some gather hence that Peninnah bore no more children, but lost those she had, as 1Sa 2:5.
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They that stumbled.] To the same sense singeth the holy Virgin in Luk 1:46-55
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain This notes either,
This notes either,
1. The strength of which they boasted. See Psa 44:6; 46:9. Or,
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2. Their malicious or mischievous designs. See Psa 7:12; 11:2; 37:14. Or,
3. Their virulent tongues, which are compared to
bows that shoot their arrows, even bitter words; as it is said Psa 64:3; compare Jer 9:3. Or,
4. Their procreating virtue, which may well be compared to a bow, both because it is called a man’s strength, Gen 49:3, and because children, which are the effects of it, and are as it were shot from that bow, are compared to arrows, Psa 127:4,5. And this seems best to agree with the following verse.
They that stumbled; or, were weak, or feeble, in body and spirit, that had no strength to conceive, which was once Sarah’s case, Heb 11:11; or to bring forth, which was Israel’s condition under Hezekiah, 2Ki 19:3.
Are girt with strength; are enabled both to conceive and to bring forth, as the church was, Isa 66:9.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain The bows of the mighty men are broken,.... Hannah,…
The bows of the mighty men are broken,.... Hannah, from relating gracious experiences, and celebrating, the divine perfections of holiness, omniscience, and sovereignty, passes on to take notice of the dealings of God with men in providence and grace; bows are here put for all military arms, which men of might and war make use of, and which God can easily break in pieces, and so make war to cease in the earth, and hinder warlike men from doing what they design and attempt; they are enfeebled and weakened by him, and their hands cannot perform their enterprises: so the bows of Satan, and his principalities and powers, are broken, and his fiery darts are quenched, and the people of the Lord enabled to stand against him, and wrestle with him and them, being strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, as it follows:
and they that stumbled are girt with strength; who, through weakness, are ready to stumble at everything they meet with in the way; yet, being girded with strength by the Lord, are able to do great exploits, as David did, that being his case, Psa 18:29, so such as are weak in grace, in faith, in knowledge, and ready to stumble at every trial and exercise, let it come from what quarter it will; yet being girded by the Lord with strength, are able to exercise grace, perform duty, go through every service they are called to, whether in a way of doing or suffering, to bear the yoke and cross of Christ, to oppose every enemy, to walk on in the ways of God, and to persevere in faith and holiness to the end.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Bows - The strength of which they boasted. Stumbled…
Bows - The strength of which they boasted. Stumbled - Or, were weak, or feeble, in body and spirit.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 4. The bows of the mighty] The Targum…
Verse 4. The bows of the mighty] The Targum considers the first verse as including a prophecy against the Philistines; the second verse, against Sennacherib and his army; the third, against Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans; the fourth, against the Greeks; the fifth, against Haman and his posterity; and the tenth, against Magog, and the enemies of the Messiah.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 1Sa 2:4. The bows of the mighty are broken…
1Sa 2:4. The bows of the mighty are broken — The strength of which they boasted. They that stumbled — Or, were weak and feeble. The great sense she had of God’s power, branches out itself into an humble acknowledgment of this glorious attribute, in divers instances. And, first, in vanquishing the most victorious; for bows were a principal part of warriors’ weapons, Psa 44:6; and their girdles, being an important part of the military habit, are elegantly interpreted to signify strength and warlike prowess.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Overcome. Hebrew, "broken." Septuagint, "he has weakened the bow,"…
Overcome. Hebrew, "broken." Septuagint, "he has weakened the bow," having deprived it of its elasticity.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 4. Bow-heroes — Heroes armed with the bow. Hebrew,…
4. Bow-heroes — Heroes armed with the bow. Hebrew, קשׁת גברים חתים, bow of heroes dismayed, the participle dismayed (חתים) agreeing (by attraction) with heroes, not bow. The Israelitish mind was familiar with the instruments and imagery of war, and when the devout Hannah sings the triumphs of her soul she naturally uses imagery like this.
Tottering ones — Those who are weary, feeble, faint, and just ready to fall, as Hannah was when the comforting words of the high priest (1Sa_1:17) inspired her with new strength. See note on 1Sa_1:23.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 4. The bows of the mighty men are broken,…
4. The bows of the mighty men are broken, &c.] The bow was one of the chief weapons of war (2Sa_1:22). Its being broken is a natural symbol of defeat. “To be girded with strength” (Psa_18:39) is a figure derived from the practice of “girding up the loins” in preparation for active exertion.
4, 5. This knowledge and justice apportion to all their due, and reverse conditions of life contrary to all expectation. Sennacherib’s host is annihilated: Gideon’s handful triumphs.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (4) The bows of the mighty men are broken.—God…
(4) The bows of the mighty men are broken.—God reverses human conditions, bringing low the wicked, and raising up the righteous.
Von Gerlach writes of these verses that “Every power which will be something in itself is destroyed by the Lord: every weakness which despairs of itself is transformed into power.” “The bows of the heroes,” that is to say, the heroes of the bow, the symbol of human power being poetically put first instead of the bearer of the symbol. The next line contains the antithesis: while the heroes rejoicing in their strength are shattered, the tottering, powerless ones are by Him made strong for battle.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 2:4-8 Hannah celebrated God’s sovereign ability to radically reverse…
2:4-8 Hannah celebrated God’s sovereign ability to radically reverse human circumstances.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.