Bible Strands
1 Samuel 2:4
The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Hannah delivers this declaration in a prayer of praise to God, addressing Israel following the dedication of her son Samuel. The statement functions as a thematic hinge between a warning against human arrogance in verse 3 and a series of status reversals in verse 5.
The words — The verse turns on חַתִּ֑ים (cha.Tim), literally "shattered" or "broken," which describes the fate of the warriors, and contrasts it with חָֽיִל (Cha.yil), meaning "strength" or "military force," which the stumbling are said to gird on.
The thread — The motif of God breaking the bows of the powerful appears in Psalms 37:15, Psalms 76:3, and Psalms 46:9, where divine intervention consistently shatters military weaponry to halt human warfare.
Why it lands — The text asserts that earthly advantage is not permanent and that God actively redistributes capability to those who lack it. It demands a reader to abandon reliance on personal power and recognize that survival and success depend entirely on divine action.
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
The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
Cross-references
- Psalms 37:15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
- Psalms 76:3 There He shattered the flaming arrows, the shield and sword and weapons of war. Selah
- Psalms 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.
- Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- Psalms 37:17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
- Isaiah 10:4 Nothing will remain but to crouch among the captives or fall among the slain. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.
- Hebrews 11:34 quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.
- Jeremiah 37:10 Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.”
- 2 Corinthians 4:9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.