Hannah’s faithfulness is a powerful reminder that dedicated offerings to God—no matter how small—can yield immense spiritual fruit.
Hannah, who lived around 1100 BC during the period of the judges in Israel’s history, continued to show her deep devotion to her son Samuel even after she had entrusted him to serve the LORD under Eli the priest. We see this expressed in “And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice” (v.19). This yearly sacrifice was likely performed at Shiloh, a significant religious center located in the hill country of Ephraim. By fashioning this little robe, Hannah demonstrated not only her maternal love but also her faithfulness to the vow she made before God to dedicate Samuel to the LORD (1 Samuel 1:27-28). In a sense, she physically clothed him as a reminder of how the LORD had spiritually set him apart.
The robe that Hannah made was a tangible sign of God’s providence worked out in the life of Samuel, who would eventually become one of Israel’s greatest prophets, bridging the period of the judges and the establishment of the monarchy. Even though she had given her son completely to the service of God, Hannah continued this loving act each year, signifying her ongoing partnership in his spiritual growth. The act of coming up to the tabernacle for the yearly sacrifice also mirrors the way Joseph and Mary made a yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Jesus (Luke 2:41), connecting this Old Testament example of faithful parents to parents in the New Testament who likewise pursued God-devotion as a family.
Moreover, Hannah’s devotion underscores her unwavering trust in the LORD’s plan. She and her husband, Elkanah, would have traveled from their home—likely in the region of Ramathaim-zophim in Ephraim—to reach Shiloh. Each journey would culminate in renewed worship and sacrifice, reinforcing the theme of covenant faithfulness fueled by loving dedication to God. The little robe was more than a garment; it was an emblem of faith, symbolizing how even small, consistent acts of devotion can reinforce and nurture God’s calling in a child’s life.
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1 Samuel 2:19 meaning
Hannah, who lived around 1100 BC during the period of the judges in Israel’s history, continued to show her deep devotion to her son Samuel even after she had entrusted him to serve the LORD under Eli the priest. We see this expressed in “And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice” (v.19). This yearly sacrifice was likely performed at Shiloh, a significant religious center located in the hill country of Ephraim. By fashioning this little robe, Hannah demonstrated not only her maternal love but also her faithfulness to the vow she made before God to dedicate Samuel to the LORD (1 Samuel 1:27-28). In a sense, she physically clothed him as a reminder of how the LORD had spiritually set him apart.
The robe that Hannah made was a tangible sign of God’s providence worked out in the life of Samuel, who would eventually become one of Israel’s greatest prophets, bridging the period of the judges and the establishment of the monarchy. Even though she had given her son completely to the service of God, Hannah continued this loving act each year, signifying her ongoing partnership in his spiritual growth. The act of coming up to the tabernacle for the yearly sacrifice also mirrors the way Joseph and Mary made a yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Jesus (Luke 2:41), connecting this Old Testament example of faithful parents to parents in the New Testament who likewise pursued God-devotion as a family.
Moreover, Hannah’s devotion underscores her unwavering trust in the LORD’s plan. She and her husband, Elkanah, would have traveled from their home—likely in the region of Ramathaim-zophim in Ephraim—to reach Shiloh. Each journey would culminate in renewed worship and sacrifice, reinforcing the theme of covenant faithfulness fueled by loving dedication to God. The little robe was more than a garment; it was an emblem of faith, symbolizing how even small, consistent acts of devotion can reinforce and nurture God’s calling in a child’s life.