Hannah First to Call God Lord of Hosts and Her Reward

Midrash Shmuel 2:5

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

"Lord of Hosts" (1 Samuel 1:11). Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her, "Hannah, from the beginning of the creation of the world no one praised Me with this verse except you. By your life, your son shall stand and open with it." This is what is written: "Thus says the Lord of Hosts: I have remembered that which Amalek did to Israel" (1 Samuel 15:2). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her, "Hannah, you have increased My hosts, and I will increase your hosts," [as it is written]: "All these were the sons of Heman the seer of the king in the words of God, to lift up the horn; and God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters" (1 Chronicles 25:5).

Retold in these myths

The Name Hannah Taught God at the Shrine of ShilohA barren woman at Shiloh reached for a title of God no mouth had ever spoken, and heaven answered by counting her children like an army.

Themes

PrayerDivine Names

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Prayer of ManassehThe Wicked King Calls Upon the God of AbrahamThat’s where our story begins, with the Prayer of Manasseh. It's a short, powerful text, not found in the Tanakh, but preserved among the Jewish writings of thePrayer of ManassehManasseh's Prayer of AdonaiThat feeling of being utterly unworthy. it's a human experience that echoes through centuries, and finds a powerful voice in a short, potent prayer attributed tPrayer of ManassehEven the Most Evil King Found the Way Back to GodManasseh, King of Judah. Not exactly a role model. The Bible paints a pretty grim picture: idol worship, child sacrifice, all sorts of wickedness. You can read Legends of the JewsThe Sun and Moon Beg God Not to Witness Human SinThey're not exactly thrilled. Before the sun and moon begin their daily journey across the sky, they appear before God. But instead of eagerly awaiting their taLegends of the JewsMethuselah the Righteous King After Enoch AscendedMethuselah. Yes, that Methuselah, the guy famous for living almost a thousand years. But there's so much more to his story than just longevity. According to theLegends of the JewsThe Great Flood of ShemSometimes, the answer lies in the smallest of actions, the purest of intentions. Think about Noah. After the flood, things weren’t exactly smooth sailing. There