6“Yahweh kills and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol and brings up.
7Yahweh makes poor and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up.
8He raises up the poor out of the dust. He lifts up the needy from the dunghill to make them sit with princes and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh’s. He has set the world on them.
6 “Yahweh kills and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol and brings up.
7 Yahweh makes poor and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up.
8 He raises up the poor out of the dust. He lifts up the needy from the dunghill to make them sit with princes and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh’s. He has set the world on them.
KJVKing James Version
6 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
7 The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and he hath set the world upon them.
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JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
6 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
7 The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich; He bringeth low, He also lifteth up.
8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dung-hill, to make them sit with princes, and inherit the throne of glory; for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and He hath set the world upon them.
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
What is the earth set upon?Job 26:7 says God 'hangeth the earth upon nothing.' 1 Samuel 2:8 and Job 9:6 say the earth rests on pillars that God himself can shake.
Psalms 113:7-8(v8)He raises up the poor out of the dust. Lifts up the needy from the ash heap, that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his…
Deuteronomy 32:39(v6)“See now that I myself am he. There is no god with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. There is no one who can deliver out of…
Psalms 75:7(v7)But God is the judge. He puts down one, and lifts up another.
Daniel 2:48(v8)Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief…
Isaiah 26:19(v6)Your dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the…
Show all 45 cross-references
Job 5:11(v7)so that he sets up on high those who are low, those who mourn are exalted to safety.
James 2:5(v8)Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he…
Deuteronomy 8:17-18(v7)and lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth.” But you shall remember Yahweh your God, for…
Daniel 6:3(v8)Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the local governors, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king…
1 Samuel 15:17(v8)Samuel said, “Though you were little in your own sight, weren’t you made the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh anointed you king over…
Ecclesiastes 4:14(v8)For out of prison he came out to be king; yes, even in his kingdom he was born poor.
Revelation 1:6(v8)and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
2 Samuel 7:8(v8)Now therefore tell my servant David this, ‘Yahweh of Armies says, “I took you from the sheep pen, from following the sheep, to be prince…
Job 1:21(v7)He said, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked will I return there. Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be Yahweh’s…
James 4:10(v7)Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Revelation 5:10(v8)and made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign on the earth.”
Revelation 22:5(v8)There will be no night, and they need no lamp light or sun light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.
Job 42:10-12(v8)Yahweh turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends. Yahweh gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came there to him…
Luke 1:51-52(v8)He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down princes from their…
Revelation 3:21(v8)He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Genesis 41:14(v8)Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothing, and came in…
2 Kings 5:7(v6)When the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his clothes, and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me…
Job 5:18(v6)For he wounds and binds up. He injures and his hands make whole.
Job 36:6-7(v8)He doesn’t preserve the life of the wicked, but gives justice to the afflicted. He doesn’t withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with…
Job 38:4-6(v8)“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding. Who determined its measures, if you know? Or…
Psalms 24:2(v8)For he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods.
Psalms 102:25(v8)Of old, you laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the work of your hands.
Psalms 104:5(v8)He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever.
Jonah 2:2-6(v6)He said, “I called because of my affliction to Yahweh. He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried. You heard my voice. For you threw…
Hebrews 1:3(v8)His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had…
Revelation 1:18(v6)and the Living one. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. Amen. I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
Genesis 41:40(v8)You shall be over my house. All my people will be ruled according to your word. Only in the throne I will be greater than you.”
Job 2:8(v8)He took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with, and he sat among the ashes.
John 5:25-29(v6)Most certainly I tell you, the hour comes, and now is, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will live. For as…
Daniel 4:17(v8)“ ‘The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones; to the intent that the living may know that…
Hosea 6:1-2(v6)“Come! Let’s return to Yahweh; for he has torn us to pieces, and he will heal us; he has injured us, and he will bind up our wounds. After…
John 11:25(v6)Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.
James 1:9-10(v7)But let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position; and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in…
1 Samuel 20:3(v6)David swore moreover, and said, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, ‘Don’t let Jonathan know this,…
Psalms 102:10(v7)because of your indignation and your wrath; for you have taken me up and thrown me away.
Psalms 116:3(v6)The cords of death surrounded me, the pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow.
Isaiah 2:12(v7)For there will be a day of Yahweh of Armies for all that is proud and arrogant, and for all that is lifted up; and it shall be brought low:
Matthew 12:40(v6)For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart…
2 Corinthians 1:9-10(v6)Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,…
Psalms 68:20(v6)God is to us a God of deliverance. To Yahweh, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (16 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn v8He prefereth to honor, and putteth down according to…
He prefereth to honor, and putteth down according to his own will, though man’s judgment be contrary.
Therefore he may dispose all things according to his will.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv6–81Sa 2:6 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he…
1Sa 2:6 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
Ver. 6. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive.] He layeth men for dead, and then reviveth them, as 2Co 1:9-10. That great apostle was "in death often"; and those ancient confessors cry out, "For thy sake are we killed all the day long." {Rom 8:36} The Hebrews say that Peninnah’s children died all but two, and that those were saved alive by Hannah’s prayer for them, at their mother’s request.
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 Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv6, 8Killeth, and maketh alive; either,
Killeth, and maketh alive; either,
1. Diverse persons; he killeth one, and maketh another alive. Or,
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2. The same person whom he first killeth, or bringeth very nigh unto death, he afterwards raiseth to life. Me, who was almost overwhelmed and consumed with grief, he hath revived. The name of death, both in sacred Scripture and profane writers, is oft given to great calamities; as Isa 26:19; Eze 37:11; Rom 8:36.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv6–8The Lord killeth, and maketh alive,.... Which is true…
The Lord killeth, and maketh alive,.... Which is true of different persons; some he takes away by death, and others he preserves and continues in life; and of the same persons, whom God removes by death, and restores them to life again, of which there are instances both in the Old and New Testament; and be they which they will, both are of God, he is the great Disposer of life and death. Death is of him; it is by his appointment; it is sent by his order; and when it has a commission from him, there is no resisting it; and let it be brought about by what means it will, still it is of God: and life is of him; it is first given by him, and it is preserved by him; and though taken away, it shall be restored at the resurrection of the dead; of which some interpret this clause, as Kimchi and Ben Gersom observe: and what is here said is true, in a spiritual sense; the Lord kills by the law, or shows men that they are dead in sin, and in a legal sense; and he makes alive by his Spirit, through the Gospel, quickening such who were dead in trespasses and sins; which is his own work, and the effect of divine power and grace; See Gill on Deu 32:39.
he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up; he bringeth some very near to the grave, to the very brink of it; so that in their own apprehensions, and in the opinion of their friends, they are just dropping into it, and no hope of recovery left; when he says to them "Return", and brings them back from the pit, and delivers them from going into it, Job 33:22 and even when they are laid in it, he brings up out of it again, as in the case of Lazarus, and which will be the case in the resurrection, Joh 5:28.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv6, 8Killeth - The same person whom he first killeth,…
Killeth - The same person whom he first killeth, or bringeth nigh unto death, he afterwards raiseth to life. Me, who was almost consumed with grief, he hath revived. The name of death both in sacred scripture, and profane writers, is often given to great Calamities.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv6–8Verse 6. The Lord killeth] God is the arbiter…
Verse 6. The Lord killeth] God is the arbiter of life and death; he only can give life, and he only has a right to take it away.
He bringeth down to the grave] The Hebrew word שאול sheol, which we translate grave, seems to have the same meaning in the Old Testament with αδης, hades in the New, which is the word generally used by the Septuagint for the other. It means the grave, the state of the dead, and the invisible place, or place of separate spirits. Sometimes we translate it hell, which now means the state of perdition, or place of eternal torments; but as this comes from the Saxon [Anglo-Saxon], to cover or conceal, it means only the covered place. In some parts of England the word helling is used for the covers of a book, the slating of a house, c. The Targum seems to understand it of death and the resurrection. "He kills and commands to give life he causes to descend into Sheol, that in the time to come he may bring them into the lives of eternity," i.e., the life of shame and everlasting contempt, and the life of glory.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv6, 81Sa 2:6-7. The Lord killeth and maketh alive —…
1Sa 2:6-7. The Lord killeth and maketh alive — The power of life and death is in the hands of God; whom he pleaseth he takes out of the world, and whom he pleaseth, he preserves in it; raising men even from the brink of the grave, when they are ready to drop into it. The Lord maketh poor, &c. — Here she acknowledges the power of God, in frequently changing the conditions of men, reducing the rich to extreme poverty, and exalting the poor to great riches.
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 Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn vv6–8Hell, (infernos,) "the lower regions." God calls us out…
Hell, (infernos,) "the lower regions." God calls us out of this world, or restores the dead to life, as he thinks proper. (Haydock) --- He easily makes the greatest prosperity succeed extreme distress, which is often denoted by death, hell, &c. So Seneca says, Mortis habet vices---Lentis cum trahitur vita gemitibus. The prodigal son is said to have come to life again, when his father received him, contrary to his expectations, Luke xv. 24., and Psalm xxix. 4., &c. (Calmet)
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).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn vv6, 8he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up--that…
he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up--that is, He reduces to the lowest state of degradation and misery, and restores to prosperity and happiness.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv6, 86. Kills and makes alive — In his hand…
6. Kills and makes alive — In his hand is the power of life and death. Sheol here evidently means the grave, as in Gen_37:35; Gen_42:38; but with the word is ever associated a dim and shadowy idea of a separate disembodied existence, the under-world, into which all the dead have gone.
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 Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv6, 86. the grave] The Heb. word Sheol, variously rendered…
6. the grave] The Heb. word Sheol, variously rendered in the E. V. grave, hell, pit, denotes the mysterious unseen world, the abode of all departed spirits, righteous and wicked alike. Hell, from A. S. helan, to cover, hide, would be a fair rendering if we could strip the word of all the associations with which it has been invested; but as we cannot do this, it is best to retain the Heb. word Sheol, or take its N. T. equivalent Hades.
There is no direct allusion here to the resurrection: death and Sheol are figuratively used for the depths of adversity and peril: life for deliverance and prosperity. See Psa_71:20; Psa_86:13.
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6–8. In Jehovah’s hand are the issues of life and death, prosperity and adversity. All history illustrates this truth. Hezekiah is recalled from the gates of the grave: Job is tried by affliction: David is taken from the sheepfolds to be king: Nebuchadnezzar sinks to the level of a beast: Haman is degraded, Mordecai honoured: and chiefest example of all, He who “was despised and rejected of men,” was “highly exalted, and given a name that is above every name.”
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 Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv6, 8(6) The Lord killeth, and maketh alive.—Death too and…
(6) The Lord killeth, and maketh alive.—Death too and life come from this same omnipotent Lord: nothing in the affairs of men is the sport of blind chance. The reign of a Divine law administered by the God to whom Hannah prayed is universal, and guides with a strict unerring justice what are commonly called the ups and downs, the changes and chances, of this mortal life. The following lines of the 7th, 8th, and 9th verses enforce by varied instances the same solemn truth.
The Babylonian Talmud on these words has a curious and interesting tradition:—“Three classes appear on the day of judgment: the perfectly righteous, who are at once written and sealed for eternal life; the thoroughly bad, who are at once written and sealed for hell: as it is written (Dan_12:2), ‘And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt;’ and those in the intermediate state, who go down into hell, where they cry and howl for a time, whence they ascend again: as it is written (Zec_13:9), ‘And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them.’ It is of them Hannah said (1Sa_2:6), ‘The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to hell, and bringeth up.’”—Treatise Bosh Hashanah, fol. 16, Colossians 2.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn vv6–8The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down…
1Sa_2:6
The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
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Killed, then made alive
We must be emptied of self before we can be filled with grace; we must be stripped of our rags before we can be clothed with righteousness; we must be unclothed that we may be clothed; wounded, that we may be healed; killed, that we may be made alive; buried in disgrace, that we may rise in holy glory. These words, Sown in corruption, that we may be raised in incorruption; sown in dishonour, that we may be raised in glory; sown in weakness, that we may be raised in power, are as true of the soul as of the body. To borrow an illustration from the surgeons art: the bone that is set wrong must be broken again, in order that it may be set aright. I press this truth on your attention. It is certain that a soul filled with self has no room for God; and like the inn at Bethlehem, crowded with meaner guests, a heart preoccupied by pride and her godless train, has no chamber within which Christ may be born in us the hope of glory. (T. Guthrie, D. D.)
From death to life
This sentence has its own plain and natural meaning, which lies upon its surface like dust of gold; it has, moreover, a spiritual meaning, which needs to be digged for like silver in the mine.
I. In reference to its first and most manifest meaning, The Lord bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. Here the agency of God, in life and death, is clearly revealed to us. How well it is to discern the Lords hand in everything. We ascribe events to second causes, to the laws of nature and I know not what. I think it were better far, if we could go back to the good old way of talking and speaking of the Lord as being in everything. While we donor deny the laws of nature, nor decry the discoveries of science, we will suffer none of these to be hung up as a veil before our present God.
1. First of all, it should awaken gratitude. What a mercy it is that we are here this evening!
2. While it causes gratitude, it should compel consideration. The Lord bringeth down to the grave, and it is his rule never to do anything without a purpose. He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men for nought. There is always a needs be.
3. The Lords bringing us law and raising us up again, should cause great searching of heart. Suppose I had died when last I was sick: was I then prepared to die?
4. To those of us who are believers in Christ, restoration from sickness, and the privilege of again coming up to Gods house after an absence from it thorough illness, should suggest renewed activity. Haste thee! for behind thee are the flying wheels of the chariot of death, and the ashes thereof are growing red hot with speed. Fly, man, if thou wouldst accomplish thy life work, for thou hast not a moment to sparer Be watchful, brethren, for tits Lord bringeth down to the grave, and from that grave he bringeth us not up again to work, though he will bring us up to the reward and to the rest which remain foe the people of God.
II. Our text seems to indicate a state of heart through which those pass who are brought to God. I shall speak new experimentally, for if there breathes one soul on earth that can speak experimentally here, I am that man.
1. The sinner is led, first of all, to hear his own sentence pronounced.
2. Further than this: the convinced sinner is often made to feel, not only the sentence and the justice of it, but the very horror of death itself. You may have read in the narrative of the old American war, of the execution of deserters. They were brought out one bright morning, while yet the dew was on the grass, and were bidden to kneel down each man upon his coffin, and then a file of soldiers stepped forth; the word was given, and each man fell upon his coffin in which he was to be buried. Such things as the punishment of deserters are common in every war, but what must he the horror of the man who stands there, knowing that the bullet is waiting to reach his heart? In the old wars, they used to have a black heart sewn on the mans breast, and all the soldiers were to take aim and fire at that. Why, the man must suffer a thousand deaths white he stood waiting for the word of command. I have stood there, spiritually; and there are hundreds here who have thus faced their eternal doom.
3. Then there is a yet further death which the convinced sinner is made to feel, and that is the death of inability. He feels himself brought into a perfect state of death, as if a stupor had gone through every nerve, and frozen every muscle rigidly in its place, so that even the lifting of his little finger to help himself appears to be beyond his power. The climax of your disease is just the dawn of my hopes; your direst poverty is the time when I expect to see you enriched, for when you are completely emptied and have nothing, then Jesus Christ win be your strength and your salvation.
4. No doubt, the man now sees death written upon all his hopes. There was a door through which I had hoped to enter eternal life. I had spent much time in painting it, and making it comely to look upon. It seemed to me to have a golden knocker, a marble threshold, and posts and lintels of mahogany, and I thought it was the door of life for me. But now what do I see? I see a great black cross adown it, and over it there is written, Lord, have mercy upon us. This door is the door to heaven by my own good works, which I thought full sure would always be open to me; but lo, I see that all my best works are bad, and Lord, have mercy upon us, is the highest thing my works can produce for me. The death of legal hope is the salvation of the soul. I like to see legal hope swung up like a traitor. There let him hang to rot before the sun, more cursed than any other that was ever hanged on a tree. No more, then, concerning this death--The Lord bringeth down. But now a word or two of comfort for any of you who are brought down to this spiritual grave. There are many precious promises for such. Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. Remember the experience of Jonah. Let the hope of Jeremiah be your consolation: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude o(his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. And now notice that where God has thus killed and brought down, we may rest assured He will certainly bring up again. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield1917 · Public DomainOn v6Heb. "Sheol," (See Scofield "Hab 2:5").
grave
Heb. "Sheol," (See Scofield "Hab 2:5").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv6, 8Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
Hannah continues to recite a song to Yahweh. (See: Parallelism)
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Yahweh kills ... brings to life ... brings down ... raises up ... makes some people poor ... some rich ... humbles ... lifts up
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v8 He prefereth to honor, and putteth down according to…
He prefereth to honor, and putteth down according to his own will, though man’s judgment be contrary.
Therefore he may dispose all things according to his will.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv6–8 1Sa 2:6 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he…
1Sa 2:6 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
Ver. 6. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive.] He layeth men for dead, and then reviveth them, as 2Co 1:9-10. That great apostle was "in death often"; and those ancient confessors cry out, "For thy sake are we killed all the day long." {Rom 8:36} The Hebrews say that Peninnah’s children died all but two, and that those were saved alive by Hannah’s prayer for them, at their mother’s request.
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 On vv6, 8 Killeth, and maketh alive; either,
Killeth, and maketh alive; either,
1. Diverse persons; he killeth one, and maketh another alive. Or,
Read full note →
2. The same person whom he first killeth, or bringeth very nigh unto death, he afterwards raiseth to life. Me, who was almost overwhelmed and consumed with grief, he hath revived. The name of death, both in sacred Scripture and profane writers, is oft given to great calamities; as Isa 26:19; Eze 37:11; Rom 8:36.
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 On vv6–8 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive,.... Which is true…
The Lord killeth, and maketh alive,.... Which is true of different persons; some he takes away by death, and others he preserves and continues in life; and of the same persons, whom God removes by death, and restores them to life again, of which there are instances both in the Old and New Testament; and be they which they will, both are of God, he is the great Disposer of life and death. Death is of him; it is by his appointment; it is sent by his order; and when it has a commission from him, there is no resisting it; and let it be brought about by what means it will, still it is of God: and life is of him; it is first given by him, and it is preserved by him; and though taken away, it shall be restored at the resurrection of the dead; of which some interpret this clause, as Kimchi and Ben Gersom observe: and what is here said is true, in a spiritual sense; the Lord kills by the law, or shows men that they are dead in sin, and in a legal sense; and he makes alive by his Spirit, through the Gospel, quickening such who were dead in trespasses and sins; which is his own work, and the effect of divine power and grace; See Gill on Deu 32:39.
he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up; he bringeth some very near to the grave, to the very brink of it; so that in their own apprehensions, and in the opinion of their friends, they are just dropping into it, and no hope of recovery left; when he says to them "Return", and brings them back from the pit, and delivers them from going into it, Job 33:22 and even when they are laid in it, he brings up out of it again, as in the case of Lazarus, and which will be the case in the resurrection, Joh 5:28.
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 On vv6, 8 Killeth - The same person whom he first killeth,…
Killeth - The same person whom he first killeth, or bringeth nigh unto death, he afterwards raiseth to life. Me, who was almost consumed with grief, he hath revived. The name of death both in sacred scripture, and profane writers, is often given to great Calamities.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv6–8 Verse 6. The Lord killeth] God is the arbiter…
Verse 6. The Lord killeth] God is the arbiter of life and death; he only can give life, and he only has a right to take it away.
He bringeth down to the grave] The Hebrew word שאול sheol, which we translate grave, seems to have the same meaning in the Old Testament with αδης, hades in the New, which is the word generally used by the Septuagint for the other. It means the grave, the state of the dead, and the invisible place, or place of separate spirits. Sometimes we translate it hell, which now means the state of perdition, or place of eternal torments; but as this comes from the Saxon [Anglo-Saxon], to cover or conceal, it means only the covered place. In some parts of England the word helling is used for the covers of a book, the slating of a house, c. The Targum seems to understand it of death and the resurrection. "He kills and commands to give life he causes to descend into Sheol, that in the time to come he may bring them into the lives of eternity," i.e., the life of shame and everlasting contempt, and the life of glory.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv6, 8 1Sa 2:6-7. The Lord killeth and maketh alive —…
1Sa 2:6-7. The Lord killeth and maketh alive — The power of life and death is in the hands of God; whom he pleaseth he takes out of the world, and whom he pleaseth, he preserves in it; raising men even from the brink of the grave, when they are ready to drop into it. The Lord maketh poor, &c. — Here she acknowledges the power of God, in frequently changing the conditions of men, reducing the rich to extreme poverty, and exalting the poor to great riches.
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 On vv6–8 Hell, (infernos,) "the lower regions." God calls us out…
Hell, (infernos,) "the lower regions." God calls us out of this world, or restores the dead to life, as he thinks proper. (Haydock) --- He easily makes the greatest prosperity succeed extreme distress, which is often denoted by death, hell, &c. So Seneca says, Mortis habet vices---Lentis cum trahitur vita gemitibus. The prodigal son is said to have come to life again, when his father received him, contrary to his expectations, Luke xv. 24., and Psalm xxix. 4., &c. (Calmet)
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).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv6, 8 he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up--that…
he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up--that is, He reduces to the lowest state of degradation and misery, and restores to prosperity and happiness.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv6, 8 6. Kills and makes alive — In his hand…
6. Kills and makes alive — In his hand is the power of life and death. Sheol here evidently means the grave, as in Gen_37:35; Gen_42:38; but with the word is ever associated a dim and shadowy idea of a separate disembodied existence, the under-world, into which all the dead have gone.
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 On vv6, 8 6. the grave] The Heb. word Sheol, variously rendered…
6. the grave] The Heb. word Sheol, variously rendered in the E. V. grave, hell, pit, denotes the mysterious unseen world, the abode of all departed spirits, righteous and wicked alike. Hell, from A. S. helan, to cover, hide, would be a fair rendering if we could strip the word of all the associations with which it has been invested; but as we cannot do this, it is best to retain the Heb. word Sheol, or take its N. T. equivalent Hades.
There is no direct allusion here to the resurrection: death and Sheol are figuratively used for the depths of adversity and peril: life for deliverance and prosperity. See Psa_71:20; Psa_86:13.
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6–8. In Jehovah’s hand are the issues of life and death, prosperity and adversity. All history illustrates this truth. Hezekiah is recalled from the gates of the grave: Job is tried by affliction: David is taken from the sheepfolds to be king: Nebuchadnezzar sinks to the level of a beast: Haman is degraded, Mordecai honoured: and chiefest example of all, He who “was despised and rejected of men,” was “highly exalted, and given a name that is above every name.”
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 On vv6, 8 (6) The Lord killeth, and maketh alive.—Death too and…
(6) The Lord killeth, and maketh alive.—Death too and life come from this same omnipotent Lord: nothing in the affairs of men is the sport of blind chance. The reign of a Divine law administered by the God to whom Hannah prayed is universal, and guides with a strict unerring justice what are commonly called the ups and downs, the changes and chances, of this mortal life. The following lines of the 7th, 8th, and 9th verses enforce by varied instances the same solemn truth.
The Babylonian Talmud on these words has a curious and interesting tradition:—“Three classes appear on the day of judgment: the perfectly righteous, who are at once written and sealed for eternal life; the thoroughly bad, who are at once written and sealed for hell: as it is written (Dan_12:2), ‘And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt;’ and those in the intermediate state, who go down into hell, where they cry and howl for a time, whence they ascend again: as it is written (Zec_13:9), ‘And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them.’ It is of them Hannah said (1Sa_2:6), ‘The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to hell, and bringeth up.’”—Treatise Bosh Hashanah, fol. 16, Colossians 2.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv6–8 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down…
1Sa_2:6
The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
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Killed, then made alive
We must be emptied of self before we can be filled with grace; we must be stripped of our rags before we can be clothed with righteousness; we must be unclothed that we may be clothed; wounded, that we may be healed; killed, that we may be made alive; buried in disgrace, that we may rise in holy glory. These words, Sown in corruption, that we may be raised in incorruption; sown in dishonour, that we may be raised in glory; sown in weakness, that we may be raised in power, are as true of the soul as of the body. To borrow an illustration from the surgeons art: the bone that is set wrong must be broken again, in order that it may be set aright. I press this truth on your attention. It is certain that a soul filled with self has no room for God; and like the inn at Bethlehem, crowded with meaner guests, a heart preoccupied by pride and her godless train, has no chamber within which Christ may be born in us the hope of glory. (T. Guthrie, D. D.)
From death to life
This sentence has its own plain and natural meaning, which lies upon its surface like dust of gold; it has, moreover, a spiritual meaning, which needs to be digged for like silver in the mine.
I. In reference to its first and most manifest meaning, The Lord bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. Here the agency of God, in life and death, is clearly revealed to us. How well it is to discern the Lords hand in everything. We ascribe events to second causes, to the laws of nature and I know not what. I think it were better far, if we could go back to the good old way of talking and speaking of the Lord as being in everything. While we donor deny the laws of nature, nor decry the discoveries of science, we will suffer none of these to be hung up as a veil before our present God.
1. First of all, it should awaken gratitude. What a mercy it is that we are here this evening!
2. While it causes gratitude, it should compel consideration. The Lord bringeth down to the grave, and it is his rule never to do anything without a purpose. He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men for nought. There is always a needs be.
3. The Lords bringing us law and raising us up again, should cause great searching of heart. Suppose I had died when last I was sick: was I then prepared to die?
4. To those of us who are believers in Christ, restoration from sickness, and the privilege of again coming up to Gods house after an absence from it thorough illness, should suggest renewed activity. Haste thee! for behind thee are the flying wheels of the chariot of death, and the ashes thereof are growing red hot with speed. Fly, man, if thou wouldst accomplish thy life work, for thou hast not a moment to sparer Be watchful, brethren, for tits Lord bringeth down to the grave, and from that grave he bringeth us not up again to work, though he will bring us up to the reward and to the rest which remain foe the people of God.
II. Our text seems to indicate a state of heart through which those pass who are brought to God. I shall speak new experimentally, for if there breathes one soul on earth that can speak experimentally here, I am that man.
1. The sinner is led, first of all, to hear his own sentence pronounced.
2. Further than this: the convinced sinner is often made to feel, not only the sentence and the justice of it, but the very horror of death itself. You may have read in the narrative of the old American war, of the execution of deserters. They were brought out one bright morning, while yet the dew was on the grass, and were bidden to kneel down each man upon his coffin, and then a file of soldiers stepped forth; the word was given, and each man fell upon his coffin in which he was to be buried. Such things as the punishment of deserters are common in every war, but what must he the horror of the man who stands there, knowing that the bullet is waiting to reach his heart? In the old wars, they used to have a black heart sewn on the mans breast, and all the soldiers were to take aim and fire at that. Why, the man must suffer a thousand deaths white he stood waiting for the word of command. I have stood there, spiritually; and there are hundreds here who have thus faced their eternal doom.
3. Then there is a yet further death which the convinced sinner is made to feel, and that is the death of inability. He feels himself brought into a perfect state of death, as if a stupor had gone through every nerve, and frozen every muscle rigidly in its place, so that even the lifting of his little finger to help himself appears to be beyond his power. The climax of your disease is just the dawn of my hopes; your direst poverty is the time when I expect to see you enriched, for when you are completely emptied and have nothing, then Jesus Christ win be your strength and your salvation.
4. No doubt, the man now sees death written upon all his hopes. There was a door through which I had hoped to enter eternal life. I had spent much time in painting it, and making it comely to look upon. It seemed to me to have a golden knocker, a marble threshold, and posts and lintels of mahogany, and I thought it was the door of life for me. But now what do I see? I see a great black cross adown it, and over it there is written, Lord, have mercy upon us. This door is the door to heaven by my own good works, which I thought full sure would always be open to me; but lo, I see that all my best works are bad, and Lord, have mercy upon us, is the highest thing my works can produce for me. The death of legal hope is the salvation of the soul. I like to see legal hope swung up like a traitor. There let him hang to rot before the sun, more cursed than any other that was ever hanged on a tree. No more, then, concerning this death--The Lord bringeth down. But now a word or two of comfort for any of you who are brought down to this spiritual grave. There are many precious promises for such. Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. Remember the experience of Jonah. Let the hope of Jeremiah be your consolation: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude o(his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. And now notice that where God has thus killed and brought down, we may rest assured He will certainly bring up again. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v6 Heb. "Sheol," (See Scofield "Hab 2:5").
grave
Heb. "Sheol," (See Scofield "Hab 2:5").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv6, 8 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
Hannah continues to recite a song to Yahweh. (See: Parallelism)
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Yahweh kills ... brings to life ... brings down ... raises up ... makes some people poor ... some rich ... humbles ... lifts up
Yahweh is in control of everything. (See: Merism)
translationWords
Yahweh
life
Hades
raise
humble
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv7–8 2:7-8 Cp. Ps 113:7-9.
2:7-8 Cp. Ps 113:7-9.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.