Bible Strands
1 Samuel 1:18
“May your maidservant find favor with you,” said Hannah. Then she went on her way, and she began to eat, and her face was no longer downcast.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Hannah addresses Eli immediately after his blessing in 1 Samuel 1:17, speaking at the tabernacle before departing to her home.
The words — The idiom חֵן (chen) meaning "favor" paired with בְּעֵינֶיךָ (be'eynecha) meaning "in your eyes" literally denotes finding acceptance or grace before a person of higher status.
The thread — The same idiom appears in Ruth 2:13, Ecclesiastes 9:7 links joyful eating to prior divine approval, and Romans 15:13 petitions God to fill believers with joy, peace, and hope through faith.
Why it lands — The text records a physical and emotional shift following Eli's spoken blessing, requiring the reader to observe how external words can precede internal restoration without prescribing a formula for emotional healing.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.
Cross-references
- Ruth 2:13 “My lord,” she said, “may I continue to find favor in your eyes, for you have comforted and spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your servant girls.”
- Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:
- Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Genesis 33:15 “Let me leave some of my people with you,” Esau said. But Jacob replied, “Why do that? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”
- Genesis 33:8 “What do you mean by sending this whole company to meet me?” asked Esau. “To find favor in your sight, my lord,” Jacob answered.
- John 16:24 Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
- Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Genesis 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this message to inform my master, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”