What Does 1 Samuel 1:23 Mean in the King James?
And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The LORD’s word is being established in the same moment that Hannah is still nourishing the child.
THE MEANING
The word is entrusted to the LORD’s establishing while the child is still receiving the care that sustains him. What is spoken can stand firm while its human bearer is still growing. The verse holds promise and nurture together in the present.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that a promise must be hurried into visible fulfillment to remain true: here, the child is still being weaned while the LORD’s word is entrusted to stand.
THE ROOT
יָקֵם
yaqem
GROWS FROM
קוּם
qum
To rise, stand, or come to be established.
The Hebrew behind “establish” comes from the root for rising and standing. The LORD’s word is pictured as something brought to its feet, even as the child remains at the breast; promise and ongoing care occupy the same moment.
ALSO GROWS
qum: Rise, stand
קוּם
This is the root action behind the LORD making the word stand.
heqim: Raise up, cause to stand, establish
הֵקִים
This causative form makes clear that the word’s standing is something the LORD brings about.
maqom: Place
מָקוֹם
This noun from the same root names a place as a standing place, extending the image from standing to where one stands.
THE PATTERN
God’s purposes can be present while their human bearers are still growing through ordinary care.
And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.THE THREAD
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.“Establish” in both verses comes from קוּם (qum), “rise, stand.” Genesis speaks of God establishing a covenant; here, Elkanah entrusts the LORD to establish his word, as the child is still being nursed and weaned.
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