1 Samuel 1:26
in 1 Samuel 1“Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And she said, Oh, my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto Jehovah.
KJV
And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 1
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
As thy soul liveth - This oath is unique to the Books of Samuel, in which it occurs six times, and to the Books of Kings, in which however, it is found only once. See the note to 1Sa 1:11.
This site's exposition
I am the woman who stood here beside you
on 1 Samuel 1:26-28
Hannah names herself to Eli as the woman he took for drunk. Her words “I prayed for this boy” answer the vow of verse 11, and “For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD” makes the gift permanent. The chapter that opened with a barren woman closes with a boy at Shiloh, and the next chapter is her song about it.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 1, Chapter 1 · Written before 604.
proposed
51. Anna stood before Eli, because the holy Church did not fall to any persecutions from the doctors of the synagogue. This is as if the Church, glorying, were to say to the leaders of the Synagogue: Therefore I was able to bring forth the world to God through the Gospel, because I endured unconquered the adversities which you inflicted upon me. For if, overcome by punishments, I had submitted myself to antiquity, I would never have begotten for the Redeemer a new offspring of so many nations. And because she speaks humbly, she calls upon the Lord by beseeching.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
): " For this child I prayed. Here it was obtained by prayer, and here it is resigned to the prayer-hearing God. You have forgotten me, my lord, but I who now appear so cheerful am the woman, the very same, that three years ago stood by thee here weeping and praying, and this was the child I prayed for." Answers of prayer may thus be humbly triumphed in, to the glory of God.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And she said, O my lord,....
When he sacrificed he worshipped, joining prayers and thanksgivings with his sacrifices. In this course of religion he was constant, for he went up yearly. And that which made it the more commendable in him was, 1.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
As thy soul liveth - As sure as thou art a living soul, so surely am I the person who stood by thee here praying.
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ | vatomer | and she said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| בִּ֣י | bi | pardon me | H994 → | |
| אֲדֹנִ֔י | ʾadoni | O lord my | H113 → | 333 times |
| חֵ֥י | chei | [by] [the] life of | H2416 → | 498 times |
| נַפְשְׁךָ֖ | nafshekha | self your | H5315 → | 754 times |
| אֲדֹנִ֑י | ʾadoni | O lord my | H113 → | 333 times |
| אֲנִ֣י | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| הָאִשָּׁ֗ה | haishah | [am] the woman | H802 → | 781 times |
| הַנִּצֶּ֤בֶת | hanitzevet | who stood | H5324 → | 75 times |
| עִמְּכָה֙ | ʾimekhah | with you | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| בָּזֶ֔ה | bazeh | in this [place] | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל | lehitpalel | to pray | H6419 → | 84 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙and she said
vatomerH559 →5305 times
בִּ֣יpardon me
biH994 →
אֲדֹנִ֔יO lord my
ʾadoniH113 →333 times
חֵ֥י[by] [the] life of
cheiH2416 →498 times
נַפְשְׁךָ֖self your
nafshekhaH5315 →754 times
אֲדֹנִ֑יO lord my
ʾadoniH113 →333 times
אֲנִ֣יI
ʾaniH589 →874 times
הָאִשָּׁ֗ה[am] the woman
haishahH802 →781 times
הַנִּצֶּ֤בֶתwho stood
hanitzevetH5324 →75 times
עִמְּכָה֙with you
ʾimekhahH5973 →1050 times
בָּזֶ֔הin this [place]
bazehH2088 →1180 times
לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖לto pray
lehitpalelH6419 →84 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Kings 2:4And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not…
it leads to
- 2 Kings 2:2
and Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not…
Reached by 4 separate paths from here.
- Joshua 6:26
At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations;…
- 2 Kings 2:2
Through
2 Kings 2:2and Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not…
it leads to
- 2 Kings 2:6
And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Kings 4:30
And the mother of the boy said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ruth 1:15–18
“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; follow her back home.”
- 2 Kings 2:6
Through
1 Samuel 20:3But David again vowed, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or he will be grieved.’ As surely…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 27:1
David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the…
- 1 Samuel 25:26
Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and avenging yourself with your own hand. May your enemies and…
- 1 Samuel 27:1
Through
2 Kings 4:30And the mother of the boy said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.
it leads to
- Ruth 1:16–18
But Ruth replied: “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be…
- Ruth 1:16–18
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 1, Chapter 1; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and W. G. Blaikie, The First Book of Samuel (Expositor's Bible).