Story · 18 · Hannah and Samuel
Hannah's song, Mary's song
Barren and taunted by her husband's other wife, Hannah prays for a son. When Samuel is born, she sings of a God who brings down the mighty and lifts up the lowly.
A mother's prayer opens the story of kings.
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Hannah's husband asks, 'Am I not more to you than ten sons?' She doesn't agree. Her hymn is echoed in Mary's Magnificat in Luke, but unlike Mary's, it ends by praising the strength God will give his king, anticipating the monarchy her son will inaugurate.
Bible reference: 1 Samuel 1–2; Luke 1:46–55
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 286
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