1 Samuel 2:4
New International Version
“The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

New Living Translation
The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong.

English Standard Version
The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength.

Berean Standard Bible
The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength.

King James Bible
The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

New King James Version
“The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength.

New American Standard Bible
“The bows of the mighty are broken to pieces, But those who have stumbled strap on strength.

NASB 1995
“The bows of the mighty are shattered, But the feeble gird on strength.

NASB 1977
“The bows of the mighty are shattered, But the feeble gird on strength.

Legacy Standard Bible
The bows of the mighty are shattered, But those who stumble gird on strength.

Amplified Bible
“The bows of the mighty are broken, But those who have stumbled equip themselves with strength.

Christian Standard Bible
The bows of the warriors are broken, but the feeble are clothed with strength.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The bows of the warriors are broken, but the feeble are clothed with strength.

American Standard Version
The bows of the mighty men are broken; And they that stumbled are girded with strength.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
The bows of mighty men shall be broken and the week are strengthened in power!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The bow of the mighty has waxed feeble, and the weak have girded themselves with strength.

Contemporary English Version
Our LORD, you break the bows of warriors, but you give strength to everyone who stumbles.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The bow of the mighty is overcome, and the weak are girt with strength.

English Revised Version
The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumble are armed with strength.

Good News Translation
The bows of strong soldiers are broken, but the weak grow strong.

International Standard Version
The bows of warriors are shattered, but those who stumble are equipped with strength.

JPS Tanakh 1917
The bows of the mighty men are broken, And they that stumbled are girded with strength.

Literal Standard Version
Bows of the mighty are broken, | And the stumbling have girded on strength.

Majority Standard Bible
The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength.

New American Bible
“The bows of the mighty are broken, while the tottering gird on strength.

NET Bible
The bows of warriors are shattered, but those who stumble find their strength reinforced.

New Revised Standard Version
The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength.

New Heart English Bible
"The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.

Webster's Bible Translation
The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

World English Bible
“The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.

Young's Literal Translation
Bows of the mighty are broken, And the stumbling have girded on strength.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Hannah's Prayer of Thanksgiving
3Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by Him actions are weighed. 4The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength. 5The well-fed hire themselves out for food, but the starving hunger no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but she who has many sons pines away.…

Cross References
Hebrews 11:32
And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,

Psalm 18:39
You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.

Psalm 37:15
But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

Psalm 46:9
He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.


Treasury of Scripture

The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

The bows

Psalm 37:15,17
Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken…

Psalm 46:9
He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Psalm 76:3
There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.

stumbled

Isaiah 10:4
Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Jeremiah 37:10
For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

2 Corinthians 4:9,10
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; …

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1 Samuel 2
1. Hannah's song in thankfulness
12. The sin of Eli's sons
18. Samuel's ministry
20. by Eli's blessing Hannah is more fruitful
22. Eli reproves his sons
27. A prophecy against Eli's house














(4) The bows of the mighty men are broken.--God reverses human conditions, bringing low the wicked, and raising up the righteous.

Von Gerlach writes of these verses that "Every power which will be something in itself is destroyed by the Lord: every weakness which despairs of itself is transformed into power." "The bows of the heroes," that is to say, the heroes of the bow, the symbol of human power being poetically put first instead of the bearer of the symbol. The next line contains the antithesis: while the heroes rejoicing in their strength are shattered, the tottering, powerless ones are by Him made strong for battle.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The bows
קֶ֥שֶׁת (qe·šeṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7198: A bow, for, shooting, the iris

of the warriors
גִּבֹּרִ֖ים (gib·bō·rîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 1368: Powerful, warrior, tyrant

are broken,
חַתִּ֑ים (ḥat·tîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2844: Crushed, afraid, terror

but the feeble
וְנִכְשָׁלִ֖ים (wə·niḵ·šā·lîm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 3782: To totter, waver, to falter, stumble, faint, fall

are equipped
אָ֥זְרוּ (’ā·zə·rū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 247: To gird, encompass, equip

with strength.
חָֽיִל׃ (ḥā·yil)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2428: A force, an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength


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OT History: 1 Samuel 2:4 The bows of the mighty men (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 2:3
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