King James Version

1 Samuel 1:11

And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

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Hebrew

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וַתִּדֹּ֨רvatidorand vowנָדַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and vow”, the next action in the storyH5087to promise (pos., to do or give something to God)(make a) vow.נֶ֜דֶרnedervowנֶדֶרnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “vow”, the ordinary formH5088a promise (to God); also (concretely) a thing promisedvow(-ed).וַתֹּאמַ֗רvatomarand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and say”, the next action in the storyH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…יְהוָ֨הyehvahJehovahיְהֹוָהnoun, proper name — “Jehovah”H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodJehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050 (יָהּ), H3069 (יְהֹוִה).צְבָא֜וֹתtsevaotarmyצָבָאnoun, common, both genders, plural, absolute — “army”, the ordinary formH6635a mass of persons (or figuratively, things), especially reg. organized forwar (an army); by implication, a campaign, literally or figuratively (specifically, hardship, worship)appointed time, ([phrase]) army, ([phrase]) battle, company, host, service, soldiers, waiting upon, war(-fare).אִםimoh thatאִםconjunction — “oh that”H518used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), t…רָאֹ֥הraoseeרָאָהverb, qal, infinitive absolute — “see”, the verb used for emphasisH7200to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)advise self, appear, approve, behold, [idiom] certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), m…תִרְאֶ֣הtirehseeרָאָהverb, qal, imperfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “see”, an unfinished actionH7200to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)advise self, appear, approve, behold, [idiom] certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), m…בָּעֳנִ֣יbaoniin afflictedעֳנִיpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “in afflicted”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6040depression, i.e. miseryafflicted(-ion), trouble.אֲמָתֶ֗ךָamatekhabondmaidאָמָהnoun, common, feminine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “bondmaid”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH519a maidservant or female slave(hand-) bondmaid(-woman), maid(-servant).וּזְכַרְתַּ֨נִי֙uzekhartaniand be maleזָכַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “and be male”, a completed action in a sequenceH2142properly, to mark (so as to be recognized), i.e. to remember; by implication, to mention; to be male[idiom] burn (incense), [idiom] earnestly, be male, (make) mention (of), be mindful, recount, record(-er), remember, make to be remembered, bring (call, come, keep, put) to (in) remembrance, [idiom] still, think on, [idiom] well.וְלֹֽאveloand no , -r,לֹאconjunction, particle, negative — “and no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…תִשְׁכַּ֣חtishkachforgetשָׁכַחverb, qal, imperfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “forget”, an unfinished actionH7911to mislay, i.e. to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention[idiom] at all, (cause to) forget.אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).אֲמָתֶ֔ךָamatekhabondmaidאָמָהnoun, common, feminine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “bondmaid”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH519a maidservant or female slave(hand-) bondmaid(-woman), maid(-servant).וְנָתַתָּ֥הvenatatahand giveנָתַןconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “and give”, a completed action in a sequenceH5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] wi…לַאֲמָתְךָ֖laamatekhato bondmaidאָמָהpreposition, noun, common, feminine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “to bondmaid”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH519a maidservant or female slave(hand-) bondmaid(-woman), maid(-servant).זֶ֣רַעzeraseedזֶרַעnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “seed”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2233seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity[idiom] carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing-time.אֲנָשִׁ֑יםanashima certainאִישׁnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “a certain”, the ordinary formH376a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)also, another, any (man), a certain, [phrase] champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), [phrase] none, one, people, person, [phra…וּנְתַתִּ֤יוunetativand giveנָתַןconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 1st person, common, singular, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and give”, a completed action in a sequenceH5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] wi…לַֽיהוָה֙layhvahto Jehovahיְהֹוָהpreposition, noun, proper name — “to Jehovah”H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodJehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050 (יָהּ), H3069 (יְהֹוִה).כָּלkalallכֹּלnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).יְמֵ֣יyemeas long asיוֹםnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “as long as”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3117a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) lon…חַיָּ֔יוchayayvlifeחַיnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “life”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2416alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively[phrase] age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, [phrase] merry, multitude, [phrase] (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.וּמוֹרָ֖הumorahand razorמוֹרָהconjunction, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “and razor”, the ordinary formH4177a razorrazor.לֹאlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…יַעֲלֶ֥הyaalehascend upעָלָהverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “ascend up”, an unfinished actionH5927to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurativearise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, [phrase] shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make t…עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…רֹאשֽׁוֹroshvoheadרֹאשׁnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “head”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7218the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)band, beginning, captain, chapiter, chief(-est place, man, things), company, end, [idiom] every (man), excellent, first, forefront, (be-)head, height, (on) high(-est part, (priest)), [idiom] lead, [idiom] poor, principal, ruler, sum, top.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And she vowed a vow, and said: 'O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget Thy handmaid, but wilt give unto Thy handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

And she vowed a vow, and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

Young’s Literal Translation

and voweth a vow, and saith, 'Jehovah of Hosts, if Thou dost certainly look on the affliction of Thy handmaid, and hast remembered me, and dost not forget Thy handmaid, and hast given to Thy handmaid seed of men — then I have given him to Jehovah all days of his life, and a razor doth not go up upon his head.'

World English Bible

She vowed a vow, and said, “Yahweh of Armies, if you will indeed look at the affliction of your servant and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a boy, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and no razor shall come on his head.”

Darby Translation

And she vowed a vow, and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man child, then I will give him to Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

Douay-Rheims

And she made a vow, saying: O Lord, of hosts, if thou wilt look down on the affliction of thy servant, and wilt be mindful of me, and not forget thy handmaid, and wilt give to thy servant a man child: I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And she vowed a vow to the Lord, saying, O Lord God of Sabaoth, if thou wilt indeed look upon the humiliation of thine handmaid, and remember me, and give to thine handmaid a man-child, then will I indeed dedicate him to thee till the day of his death; and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and no razor shall come upon his head.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ηὔξατο εὐχὴν Κυρίῳ, λέγουσα, Ἀδωναῒ Κύριε ἐλωὲ σαβαὼθ, ἐὰν ἐπιβλέπων ἐπιβλέψῃς ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς δούλης σου, καὶ μνησθῇς μου, καὶ δῷς τῇ δούλῃ σου σπέρμα ἀνδρῶν, καὶ δώσω αὐτὸν ἐνώπιόν σου δοτὸν ἕως ἡμέρας θανάτου αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἶνον καὶ μέθυσμα οὐ πίεται, καὶ σίδηρος οὐκ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ.