1 Samuel 2:4

1Sa 2:4 The bows of the mighty men [are] broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

Ver. 4. The bows of the mighty men are broken,] i.e., The bows of Peninnah and her children, who did shoot reproachful words at Hannah. Some gather hence that Peninnah bore no more children, but lost those she had, as 1Sa 2:5.

They that stumbled.] To the same sense singeth the holy Virgin in Luk 1:46-55

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa 2:4. The bows of the mighty are broken — The strength of which they boasted. They that stumbled — Or, were weak and feeble. The great sense she had of God’s power, branches out itself into an humble acknowledgment of this glorious attribute, in divers instances. And, first, in vanquishing the most victorious; for bows were a principal part of warriors’ weapons, Psa 44:6; and their girdles, being an important part of the military habit, are elegantly interpreted to signify strength and warlike prowess.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2:4-8 Hannah celebrated God’s sovereign ability to radically reverse human circumstances.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 4. The bows of the mighty] The Targum considers the first verse as including a prophecy against the Philistines; the second verse, against Sennacherib and his army; the third, against Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans; the fourth, against the Greeks; the fifth, against Haman and his posterity; and the tenth, against Magog, and the enemies of the Messiah.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(4) The bows of the mighty men are broken.—God reverses human conditions, bringing low the wicked, and raising up the righteous.

Von Gerlach writes of these verses that “Every power which will be something in itself is destroyed by the Lord: every weakness which despairs of itself is transformed into power.” “The bows of the heroes,” that is to say, the heroes of the bow, the symbol of human power being poetically put first instead of the bearer of the symbol. The next line contains the antithesis: while the heroes rejoicing in their strength are shattered, the tottering, powerless ones are by Him made strong for battle.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. The bows of the mighty men are broken, &c.] The bow was one of the chief weapons of war (2Sa_1:22). Its being broken is a natural symbol of defeat. “To be girded with strength” (Psa_18:39) is a figure derived from the practice of “girding up the loins” in preparation for active exertion.

4, 5. This knowledge and justice apportion to all their due, and reverse conditions of life contrary to all expectation. Sennacherib’s host is annihilated: Gideon’s handful triumphs.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The bows of the mighty men are broken,.... Hannah, from relating gracious experiences, and celebrating, the divine perfections of holiness, omniscience, and sovereignty, passes on to take notice of the dealings of God with men in providence and grace; bows are here put for all military arms, which men of might and war make use of, and which God can easily break in pieces, and so make war to cease in the earth, and hinder warlike men from doing what they design and attempt; they are enfeebled and weakened by him, and their hands cannot perform their enterprises: so the bows of Satan, and his principalities and powers, are broken, and his fiery darts are quenched, and the people of the Lord enabled to stand against him, and wrestle with him and them, being strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, as it follows:

and they that stumbled are girt with strength; who, through weakness, are ready to stumble at everything they meet with in the way; yet, being girded with strength by the Lord, are able to do great exploits, as David did, that being his case, Psa 18:29, so such as are weak in grace, in faith, in knowledge, and ready to stumble at every trial and exercise, let it come from what quarter it will; yet being girded by the Lord with strength, are able to exercise grace, perform duty, go through every service they are called to, whether in a way of doing or suffering, to bear the yoke and cross of Christ, to oppose every enemy, to walk on in the ways of God, and to persevere in faith and holiness to the end.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Overcome. Hebrew, "broken." Septuagint, "he has weakened the bow," having deprived it of its elasticity.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

This notes either,

1. The strength of which they boasted. See Psa 44:6; 46:9. Or,

2. Their malicious or mischievous designs. See Psa 7:12; 11:2; 37:14. Or,

3. Their virulent tongues, which are compared to

bows that shoot their arrows, even bitter words; as it is said Psa 64:3; compare Jer 9:3. Or,

4. Their procreating virtue, which may well be compared to a bow, both because it is called a man’s strength, Gen 49:3, and because children, which are the effects of it, and are as it were shot from that bow, are compared to arrows, Psa 127:4,5. And this seems best to agree with the following verse.

They that stumbled; or, were weak, or feeble, in body and spirit, that had no strength to conceive, which was once Sarah’s case, Heb 11:11; or to bring forth, which was Israel’s condition under Hezekiah, 2Ki 19:3.

Are girt with strength; are enabled both to conceive and to bring forth, as the church was, Isa 66:9.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. Bow-heroes — Heroes armed with the bow. Hebrew, קשׁת גברים חתים, bow of heroes dismayed, the participle dismayed (חתים) agreeing (by attraction) with heroes, not bow. The Israelitish mind was familiar with the instruments and imagery of war, and when the devout Hannah sings the triumphs of her soul she naturally uses imagery like this.

Tottering ones — Those who are weary, feeble, faint, and just ready to fall, as Hannah was when the comforting words of the high priest (1Sa_1:17) inspired her with new strength. See note on 1Sa_1:23.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Bows - The strength of which they boasted. Stumbled - Or, were weak, or feeble, in body and spirit.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The bows of the mighty are broken… This is the custom of the Holy One, Blessed is He. He weakens the mighty and strengthens the weak, He sates the hungry and starves the sated.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

The bow of the mighty ones are broken: The understanding of broken is that is referring to the mighty, not to the bow. For it would have [otherwise] have had to say, "is broken." And the explanation of broken is [that it is referring to both] them and their bows. And like this is (II Samuel 10:9), "the face of war was upon him" (face in Hebrew is plural and war is singular; "was," referring to war); (Job 29:10), "The voice of princes were hushed" ("were hushed," referring to princes); and the [cases] similar to them that we wrote in the Sefer Mikhlol.

Girded with strength: The strength and the power are girded.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.