Chapter
Verse

1 Samuel 2:9

ESV “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.
NIV He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. 'It is not by strength that one prevails;
NASB He watches over the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a person prevail.
CSB He guards the steps of his faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness, for a person does not prevail by his own strength.
NLT 'He will protect his faithful ones, but the wicked will disappear in darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone.
KJV He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

What does 1 Samuel 2:9 mean?

The cornerstone idea of Hannah's song is simple: God controls everything, and no human circumstances are beyond His ability to reverse. After all, Hannah experienced it herself. In great distress, she asked the Lord to change something unchangeable: her ability to have children. He had made what was impossible for her into reality (1 Samuel 1:5, 10–11, 19–20, 24–28).

Now Hannah says this is simply what the Lord does. People don't prevail by being stronger than everyone else; they will never be stronger than the Lord. He can cut off the wicked in darkness, likely meaning death, no matter how strong they appear to be from a human perspective. He can guard the feet of those faithful to Him to keep them from stumbling no matter how steep or rocky the path might be (Psalm 146; Habakkuk 3:19; Zechariah 4:6).
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