◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / 1 Samuel 2:1-10 (Hannah’s song); Genesis 17:15-22 (God promises Sarah a son); Galatians 4:8-20 (Paul’s labor for the Galatian church) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

December 19, 2022

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

December 2022
Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Return to today's reading

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah Exalts the Lord in Prayer

2 Hannah prayed,^[a]

“My heart has rejoiced^[b] in the Lord;
my horn^[c] has been raised high because of the Lord.
I have loudly denounced^[d] my enemies.
Indeed I rejoice in your deliverance.
²No one is holy^[e] like the Lord!
There is no one other than you!
There is no rock^[f] like our God!
³Don’t keep speaking^[g] so arrogantly.^[h]
Proud talk should not^[i] come out of your mouth,
for the Lord is a God who knows;
he^[j] evaluates what people do.
⁴The bows of warriors are shattered,
but those who stumbled have taken on strength.^[k]
⁵The well fed hire themselves out to earn food,
but the hungry no longer lack.^[l]
Even^[m] the barren woman has given birth to seven,^[n]
but the one with many children has declined.^[o]
⁶The Lord both kills and gives life;
he brings down to the grave^[p] and raises up.^[q]
⁷The Lord impoverishes and makes wealthy;
he humbles and he exalts.
⁸He lifts the weak^[r] from the dust;
he raises^[s] the poor from the ash heap
to seat them with princes—
he bestows on them an honored position.^[t]
The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord—
he placed the world on them.
⁹He watches over^[u] his holy ones,^[v]
but the wicked are made speechless in the darkness,^[w]
for it is not by one’s own^[x] strength that one prevails.
¹⁰The Lord shatters^[y] his adversaries;^[z]
he thunders against them from^[aa] the heavens.
The Lord executes judgment to the ends of the earth.
He will strengthen^[ab] his king
and exalt the power^[ac] of his anointed one.”^[ad]

Footnotes

1 Samuel 2:1 tn Heb “prayed and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.
1 Samuel 2:1 tn The verb עָלַץ (ʿalats) is a fientive verb. (Some emotion verbs in Hebrew are stative and some are fientive.) The Qal perfect form of a fientive verb is past or perfective (past action with a result that continues into the present). The LXX renders “my heart was strengthened.”
1 Samuel 2:1 sn Horns of animals have always functioned as both offensive and defensive weapons for them. As a figure of speech the horn is therefore often used in the Bible as a symbol of human strength (see also in v. 10). The allusion in v. 1 to the horn being lifted high suggests a picture of an animal elevating its head in a display of strength or virility.
1 Samuel 2:1 tn Heb “my mouth has opened wide against.”
1 Samuel 2:2 sn In this context God’s holiness refers primarily to his sovereignty and incomparability. He is unique and distinct from all other so-called gods.
1 Samuel 2:2 tn The LXX has “and there is none righteous like our God.” The Hebrew term translated “rock” refers to a rocky cliff where one can seek refuge from enemies. Here the metaphor depicts God as a protector of his people. Cf. TEV “no protector like our God”; CEV “We’re safer with you than on a high mountain.”
1 Samuel 2:3 tn Heb “Do not do a lot; do [not] speak.” The two verbs are understood together to refer to abundant speaking.
1 Samuel 2:3 tn Heb “proudly, proudly.” If MT is original, the repetition of the word is for emphasis, stressing the arrogance of those addressed. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts and some other textual witnesses do not reflect the repetition, suggesting that the Hebrew text may be dittographic.
1 Samuel 2:3 tn The negative element, “not,” is understood to reapply from the first sentence through the poetic technique of ellipsis and double duty.
1 Samuel 2:3 tc The translation assumes the reading of the Qere וְלוֹ (v^elo, “and by him”), which is supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, is correct, rather than the reading of the Kethib וְלוֹא (v^eloʾ, “and not”).tn HALOT cites three possibilities for the phrase. Reading the Niphal verb as passive to the Qal meaning (“to examine, check”) and reading the Qere וְלוֹ (v^elo, “and by him”): “actions [are] tested by him.” Taking the Niphal verb to mean “to measure up, be in order, be correct” (cf. Ezek 18:25, 29; 33:17, 20) and reading the Qere וְלוֹ (v^elo): “his [God’s] actions are in order.” Taking the verb as in the previous case but reading the Kethiv וְלֹא (v^eloʾ) and taking the noun עֲלִלוֹת (ʿalilot) as a pejorative: “[disgraceful] actions have no place.” (HALOT s.v. תכן). The translation agrees with the first option and translates the verb with active instead of passive voice.
1 Samuel 2:4 tn Heb “stumblers have put on strength.” Because of the contrast between the prior and current condition, the participle has been translated with past tense. The Hebrew metaphor is a picture of getting dressed with (“putting on”) strength like clothing.
1 Samuel 2:5 tn By implication these lines refer to those formerly well-fed and those formerly hungry.
1 Samuel 2:5 tc Against BHS but with the MT, the preposition (עַד, ʿad) should be taken with what follows rather than with what precedes. For this sense of the preposition see Job 25:5.
1 Samuel 2:5 sn The number seven is used here in an ideal sense. Elsewhere in the OT having seven children is evidence of fertility as a result of God’s blessing on the family. See, for example, Jer 15:9, Ruth 4:15.
1 Samuel 2:5 tn Or “languished.”
1 Samuel 2:6 tn Heb “Sheol”; NAB “the nether world”; CEV “the world of the dead.”
1 Samuel 2:6 tn The first three verbs are participles; the last is a preterite which is normally past consecutive. It is rare, even in poetry, for a preterite verb to follow a participle. The English translations all render the last verb as a participle. They either reason that the preterite continues the force of the participle or assume that it should be repointed as a simple vav plus imperfect (which can be habitual present). If the participles are understood as substantival, then the latter half might mean “the Lord…is one who brings down to [the point of] the grave and then raised up.”
1 Samuel 2:8 tn Or “lowly”; Heb “insignificant.”
1 Samuel 2:8 tn The imperfect verbal form, which is parallel to the participle in the preceding line, is best understood here as indicating what typically happens.
1 Samuel 2:8 tn Heb “he makes them inherit a seat of honor.”
1 Samuel 2:9 tn Heb “guards the feet of.” The expression means that God watches over and protects the godly in all of their activities and movements. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 9 are understood as indicating what is typically true. Another option is to translate them with the future tense. See v. 10b.
1 Samuel 2:9 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the plural (“his holy ones”) rather than the singular (“his holy one”) of the Kethib.
1 Samuel 2:9 tc The LXX begins the verse differently, “granting the prayer to the one who prays; he blessed the years of the righteous.”
1 Samuel 2:9 tn Heb “For not by strength a person prevails.” Since the Lord’s strength is apparent in the context, the translation adds “one’s own” for clarity.
1 Samuel 2:10 tn The imperfect verbal forms in this line and in the next two lines are understood as indicating what is typically true. Another option is to translate them with the future tense. See v. 10b.
1 Samuel 2:10 tc The present translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew manuscripts, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Vulgate in reading the plural (“his adversaries,” similarly many other English versions) rather than the singular (“his adversary”) of the Kethib. The LXX adds material very similar to Jer 9:23-24. “the Lord is holy. Let not the wise boast in his wisdom, and let not let the strong boast in his strength, and let not let the rich boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this: to understand and know the Lord, and to practice justice and righteousness in the midst of the land.” The Greek text of Jeremiah uses different words for “wise” and “strong” and closes by referring to the Lord as one who performs justice, etc. and whose will is in these things.
1 Samuel 2:10 tn The Hebrew preposition here has the sense of “from within.”
1 Samuel 2:10 tn The imperfect verbal forms in this and the next line are understood as indicating what is anticipated and translated with the future tense, because at the time of Hannah’s prayer Israel did not yet have a king.
1 Samuel 2:10 tn Heb “the horn,” here a metaphor for power or strength. Cf. NCV “make his appointed king strong”; NLT “increases the might of his anointed one.”
1 Samuel 2:10 tc The LXX greatly expands v. 10 with an addition that seems to be taken from Jer 9:23-24.sn The anointed one is the anticipated king of Israel, as the preceding line makes clear.

Genesis 17:15-22

¹⁵Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai;^[a] Sarah^[b] will be her name. ¹⁶I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations.^[c] Kings of countries^[d] will come from her!”

¹⁷Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed^[e] as he said to himself,^[f] “Can^[g] a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old?^[h] Can Sarah^[i] bear a child at the age of ninety?”^[j] ¹⁸Abraham said to God, “O that^[k] Ishmael might live before you!”^[l]

¹⁹God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.^[m] I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual^[n] covenant for his descendants after him. ²⁰As for Ishmael, I have heard you.^[o] I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants.^[p] He will become the father of twelve princes;^[q] I will make him into a great nation. ²¹But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” ²²When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.^[r]

Footnotes

Genesis 17:15 tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”
Genesis 17:15 sn Sarah. The name change seems to be a dialectical variation, both spellings meaning “princess” or “queen.” Like the name Abram, the name Sarai symbolized the past. The new name Sarah, like the name Abraham, would be a reminder of what God intended to do for Sarah in the future.
Genesis 17:16 tn Heb “she will become nations.”
Genesis 17:16 tn Heb “peoples.”
Genesis 17:17 sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.
Genesis 17:17 tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”
Genesis 17:17 tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.
Genesis 17:17 tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”
Genesis 17:17 sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).
Genesis 17:17 tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”
Genesis 17:18 tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”
Genesis 17:18 tn Or “live with your blessing.”
Genesis 17:19 tn Heb “will call his name Isaac.” The name means “he laughs,” or perhaps “may he laugh” (see the note on the word “laughed” in v. 17).
Genesis 17:19 tn Or “as an eternal.”
Genesis 17:20 sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.
Genesis 17:20 tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
Genesis 17:20 tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.
Genesis 17:22 tn Heb “And when he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.” The sequence of pronouns and proper names has been modified in the translation for stylistic reasons.sn God went up from him. The text draws attention to God’s dramatic exit and in so doing brings full closure to the scene.

Galatians 4:8-20

Heirs of Promise Are Not to Return to Law

⁸Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all.^[a] ⁹But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless^[b] basic forces?^[c] Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?^[d] ¹⁰You are observing religious^[e] days and months and seasons and years. ¹¹I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain. ¹²I beg you, brothers and sisters,^[f] become like me, because I have become like you. You have done me no wrong!

Personal Appeal of Paul

¹³But you know it was because of a physical illness that I first proclaimed the gospel to you, ¹⁴and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me.^[g] Instead, you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God,^[h] as though I were Christ Jesus himself!^[i] ¹⁵Where then is your sense of happiness^[j] now? For I testify about you that if it were possible, you would have pulled out your eyes and given them to me! ¹⁶So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?^[k]

¹⁷They court you eagerly,^[l] but for no good purpose;^[m] they want to exclude you, so that you would seek them eagerly.^[n] ¹⁸However, it is good^[o] to be sought eagerly^[p] for a good purpose^[q] at all times, and not only when I am present with you. ¹⁹My children—I am again undergoing birth pains until Christ is formed in you!^[r] ²⁰I wish I could be with you now and change my tone of voice,^[s] because I am perplexed about you.

Footnotes

Galatians 4:8 tn Grk “those that by nature…” with the word “beings” implied. BDAG 1070 s.v. φύσις 2 sees this as referring to pagan worship: “Polytheists worship…beings that are by nature no gods at all Gal 4:8.”
Galatians 4:9 tn Or “useless.” See L&N 65.16.
Galatians 4:9 tn See the note on the phrase “basic forces” in 4:3.
Galatians 4:9 tn Grk “basic forces, to which you want to be enslaved…” Verse 9 is a single sentence in the Greek text, but has been divided into two in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.
Galatians 4:10 tn The adjective “religious” has been supplied in the translation to make clear that the problem concerns observing certain days, etc. in a religious sense (cf. NIV, NRSV “special days”). In light of the polemic in this letter against the Judaizers (those who tried to force observance of the Mosaic law on Gentile converts to Christianity) this may well be a reference to the observance of Jewish Sabbaths, feasts, and other religious days.
Galatians 4:12 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.
Galatians 4:14 tn Grk “your trial in my flesh you did not despise or reject.”
Galatians 4:14 tn Or “the angel of God.” Linguistically, “angel of God” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of God” or “the angel of God” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.
Galatians 4:14 tn Grk “as an angel of God…as Christ Jesus.” This could be understood to mean either “you welcomed me like an angel of God would,” or “you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God.” In context only the second is accurate, so the translation has been phrased to indicate this.
Galatians 4:15 tn Or “blessedness.”
Galatians 4:16 tn Or “have I become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?” The participle ἀληθεύων (alētheuōn) can be translated as a causal adverbial participle or as a participle of means (as in the translation).
Galatians 4:17 tn Or “They are zealous for you.”
Galatians 4:17 tn Or “but not commendably” (BDAG 505 s.v. καλῶς 2).
Galatians 4:17 tn Or “so that you would be zealous.”
Galatians 4:18 tn Or “commendable.”
Galatians 4:18 tn Or “to be zealous.”
Galatians 4:18 tn Grk “But it is always good to be zealous in good.”
Galatians 4:19 tn Grk “My children, for whom I am again undergoing birth pains until Christ is formed in you.” The relative clauses in English do not pick up the emotional force of Paul’s language here (note “tone of voice” in v. 20, indicating that he is passionately concerned for them); hence, the translation has been altered slightly to capture the connotative power of Paul’s plea.sn That is, until Christ’s nature or character is formed in them (see L&N 58.4).
Galatians 4:20 tn Grk “voice” or “tone.” The contemporary English expression “tone of voice” is a good approximation to the meaning here.

New English Translation (NET)

Prev Day

Top

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

Log in to read this devotional and:

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Hannah Exalts the Lord in Prayer

Footnotes

Footnotes

Heirs of Promise Are Not to Return to Law

Personal Appeal of Paul

Footnotes