Merriam-Webster.com defines the word vow as a solemn promise or assertion.
Specifically: one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition.
Making a vow is not something we take lightly.
There is actual intention behind a vow that requires a response from both the one making the vow and the one receiving the vow.
This plays out clearly in 1 Samuel 1:1-28.
What Vows Have You Made Before God?
A study of 1 Samuel 1:1-28 | The Passage
There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. [i]
List the people mentioned in these verses and what you learn about them.
Is there any trouble foreshadowed?
3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. 4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.[ii]
Who is responsible for the trouble that was foreshadowed in verses 1-2 above?
How do verses 1-5 reveal Hannah is a significant character in this narrative?
6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”[iii]
Is it just her childlessness that is causing Hannah distress? Why or why not?
9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.[iv]
11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” [v]
Hannah addressed God as the Lord of Hosts. This is the first time in Scripture we learn this title for God. This title means that the Lord is the Supreme Commander of all spiritual and physical forces.
What does this tell us about Hannah’s understanding of God?
How does Hannah describe her relationship to the Lord of Hosts?
List everything Hannah asks of the Lord of Hosts.
What does Hannah vow for receipt of her request?
12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.”[vi]
Describe what verses 12-14 reveal about both Eli the priest and Hannah.
15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”[vii]
Contrast the reference to wine or strong drink with Hannah’s comment that she was pouring out her soul before the Lord. What is the significance of this wordplay?
What does she ask of Eli? Why?
17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. [viii]
Why does Eli change his tone with Hannah?
How does Hannah respond?
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. 20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.” [ix]
What does Scripture mean when it uses the phrase “the Lord remembered”? Is it that God forgets or something else?
Why is it important to be told “In due time, Hannah conceived and bore a son?”
What does this reveal about how God often works?
21 The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.”[x]
21 The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.” 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. [xi]
How does Elkanah’s response to Hannah waiting until after the weaning of the boy reveal Hannah is being prudent rather than avoiding fulfilling her vow?
24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli.[xii]
26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”
And he worshiped the Lord there.[xiii]
Why do you think Hannah fulfilled the vow she made to the Lord?
What Vows Have You Made Before God?
A study of 1 Samuel 1:1-28 | Application
How does Hannah’s vow story align with Ecclesiastes 5:2-7?
List any vows you have made in your lifetime, whether to the Lord or others.
Review the list you made and assess whether the vows are in alignment with Ecclesiastes 5:2-7. If not, what course of action will you take based on the study above?
What Vows Have You Made Before God?
A study of 1 Samuel 1:1-28 | A Prayer Response
Heavenly Father, thank you for Hannah’s amazing example of fulfilling the vow she made to you. May we turn to you, the Lord of Hosts, for all our needs and honor the vows we make in your presence. Amen.
How did this study encourage you today?
Warmly,
Barbara Lynn
[i] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:1-2.
[ii] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:3-5.
[iii] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:6-8.
[iv] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:9-10.
[v] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:11.
[vi] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:12-14.
[vii] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:15-16.
[viii] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:17-18.
[ix] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:19-20.
[x] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:21-22.
[xi] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:21-23.
[xii] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:24-25.
[xiii] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Sa 1:26-28.