1 Samuel 1:19-20

1:19 They got up early the next morning and after worshiping the Lord, they returned to their home at Ramah. Elkanah had marital relations with ¹  his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered ²  her. 1:20 After some time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, thinking, “I asked the Lord for him. ³ 

Genesis 21:1

The Birth of Isaac

21:1 The Lord visited ⁴  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ⁵  for Sarah what he had promised. ⁶ 

Luke 1:68

1:68 “Blessed ⁷  be the Lord God of Israel,

because he has come to help ⁸  and has redeemed ⁹  his people.

¹ tn Heb “Elkanah knew his wife.” The Hebrew expression is a euphemism for sexual relations.

² sn The Lord “remembered” her in the sense of granting her earlier request for a child. The Hebrew verb is often used in the OT for considering the needs or desires of people with favor and kindness.

³ tn Heb “because from the Lord I asked him.” The name “Samuel” sounds like the Hebrew verb translated “asked.” The explanation of the meaning of the name “Samuel” that is provided in v. 20 is not a strict etymology. It seems to suggest that the first part of the name is derived from the Hebrew root שׁאל (sh’l, “to ask”), but the consonants do not support this. Nor is it likely that the name comes from the root שׁמא (shm’, “to hear”), for the same reason. It more probably derives from שֶׁם (shem, “name”), so that “Samuel” means “name of God.” Verse 20 therefore does not set forth a linguistic explanation of the meaning of the name, but rather draws a parallel between similar sounds. This figure of speech is known as paronomasia.

⁴ sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the Lord “visits.” For a more detailed study of the term, see G. André, Determining the Destiny (ConBOT).

⁵ tn Heb “and the Lord did.” The divine name has not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁶ tn Heb “spoken.”

⁷ sn The traditional name of this psalm, the “Benedictus,” comes from the Latin wording of the start of the hymn (“Blessed be…”).

⁸ sn The verb come to help can refer to a visit, but can also connote concern or assistance (L&N 85.11).

⁹ tn Or “has delivered”; Grk “has accomplished redemption.”