Reference

1 Samuel 1:15

Drunkenness Condemned Wine vs Strong Drink Distinction Total Abstinence Ritual / Sacred Use

“And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.”

Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.

And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.

Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Wine vs Strong Drink Distinction

Keyword Match

90% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Drunkenness Condemned

The verse does not explicitly condemn drunkenness. Hannah is clarifying that her behavior (appearing distressed) is due to sorrow and prayer, not intoxication. While she states she has not drunk wine or strong drink, this is to contrast her state with what Eli might have assumed, not to issue a general condemnation of drinking or drunkenness. The focus is on her spiritual state and her denial of being drunk, rather than a moral judgment on drunkenness itself.

Wine vs Strong Drink Distinction

The verse does not explicitly state that wine and strong drink have different implications, only that Hannah has abstained from both. While it distinguishes them as separate substances, it doesn't elaborate on their individual implications.

Total Abstinence

Hannah's statement is a denial of drunkenness, not an endorsement of total abstinence. She is clarifying that her distress is due to sorrow, not intoxication, and her pouring out of her soul to the Lord is presented as an alternative to drinking, not a command against it.

Ritual / Sacred Use

Hannah explicitly states she has *not* drunk wine or strong drink, and her pouring out of her soul is a personal act of prayer, not a ritualistic offering or sacred ceremony involving wine. The verse describes the *absence* of wine in a context that is personal, not ritualistic.

Drunkenness Condemned

Cross-References

Philippians 4:6Thematic

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Psalms 62:8Thematic

“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”

Lamentations 2:19Thematic

“Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.”

Psalms 62:8Thematic

“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”

Psalms 25:1Thematic

“Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.”

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Thematic Connections