2:1 Hannah prayed, 3
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
my horn 4 is exalted high because of the Lord.
I loudly denounce 5 my enemies,
for I am happy that you delivered me. 6
1 tn Heb “she [was in] bitterness of soul.”
2 tn Heb “and weeping, she was weeping.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the extent of her sorrow. The imperfect verbal form emphasizes the continuation of the action in past time.
3 tn Heb “prayed and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.
4 sn Horns of animals have always functioned as both offensive and defensive weapons for them. As a figure of speech the horn is therefore often used in the Bible as a symbol of human strength (see also in v. 10). The allusion in v. 1 to the horn being lifted high suggests a picture of an animal elevating its head in a display of strength or virility.
5 tn Heb “my mouth opens wide against.”
6 tn Heb “for I rejoice in your deliverance.”