1 Samuel 2:9
He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
Study Note
Study Note
Hannah's song declares that God 'will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness: for by strength shall no man prevail.' The contrast between kept saints and silenced wicked forms the theological spine of Hannah's prayer, which opens with the same reversal theology ('the Lord makes poor and makes rich, brings low and exalts,' 2:7) that later shapes Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) in almost verbatim terms. The phrase 'by strength shall no man prevail' radically relativizes human power as a determining factor in history, pointing toward the divine initiative that makes the barren woman fruitful and the mighty empty. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 ('not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble') develops the same election theology of divine preference for the weak.
Other Translations
He will keep the feet of his holy ones; But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; For by strength shall no man prevail.
The feet of His saints He keepeth, And the wicked in darkness are silent, For not by power doth man become mighty.
He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the evil-doers will come to their end in the dark night, for by strength no man will overcome.
Cross References
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