Channah's Prayer/2

Channah's Prayer

Exegetical Approaches

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Personal Praise

Channah's prayer is a song of praise to Hashem for granting her request for a child.  It revolves around her previous travails as a barren woman and her present happiness in the birth of her son.

Sources:RashiShemuel I 2:1-10About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, R. Yosef KaraShemuel I 2:1-10About R. Yosef Kara, RadakShemuel I 2:1-10About R. David Kimchi, AbarbanelShemuel I 2:1-10About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, Hoil MosheShemuel I 2:10About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi

Historical Prophecy

Channah's song contains prophetic material relating to the nation as a whole.  This approach subdivides regarding the time period to which the song refers:

Distant Future

The prayer relates to events throughout the nation's history from the defeat of the Philistines by the hand of Shemuel until the time of Mashiach.

Sources:Targum Yonatan

Close Future

The entire song focuses on the time period of Shemuel, weaving present events with future actions to be done by the prophet.

Sources:RalbagShemuel I 2:1-10About R. Levi b. Gershom

National Request

Channah's prayer relates not to her personal life but to the fate of the nation.  It focuses on the themes of dominion and kingship as a segue into her request that Hashem appoint an appropriate leader for the nation.

Sources:R. Silber