Song of Hannah
My heart exults in God, my Savior
The hymn celebrates God's reversal of human fortunes and His special care for the humble and faithful, reflecting Lutheran understanding of divine grace working through weakness. It connects Hannah's personal deliverance to God's universal redemptive purposes, emphasizing that strength comes not from human achievement but from reliance on God's mercy.
History & Background
Timothy Dudley-Smith paraphrased Hannah's song from 1 Samuel 2:1-10 in 2006, creating this contemporary hymn that echoes Mary's Magnificat. It first appeared in Lutheran Service Book (2006) and became widely used in Lutheran congregations.
The “Song of Hannah,” based on 1 Samuel 2:1-10, is another Scripture References of the “lesser” Old Testament canticles. Hannah sang this st. 1 = 1 Sam. 2:1-2 prayer of praise and thanksgiving when she brought her son, st. 2 = 1 Sam. 2:3-4 Samuel, to the tabernacle to serve the LORD. Several of the st. 3 = 1 Sam. 2:4-8a themes in Hannah’s song reappear in the Song of Mary (Luke st. 4 = 1 Sam. 2:8b-10 1:46-55): both women exalt the LORD for his saving power, for raising the poor from the dust and humbling the proud, and for answering the prayers of his people. (The similarity between Hannah’s and Mary’s songs is all the more striking when one considers that Hannah first couldn’t conceive, whereas Mary, being unmarried, wasn’t supposed to!) Initially the term “anointed one” (st. 4) referred to the king of Israel, but later it acquired messianic meaning. New Testament Christians therefore find profound relevance in the Song of Hannah. Emily Ruth Brink (b. Grand Rapids, MI, 1940) versified this song in 1986 for the Psalter Hymnal. Brink studied at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, and the University of Michigan and received a Ph.D. in music theory from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. She taught music at Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, Illinois (1967-74), and the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (197T83). Since 1983 she has served as music and liturgy editor for CRC Publications and in that capacity was editor of the 1987 Psalter Hymnal and Songs for LIFE (1994). She is also editor of the journal Reformed Worship and adjunct professor of worship and church music at Calvin Seminary. Throughout her career she has been active as a church organist and choir director, at Ebenezer CRC in Berwyn, Illinois (1967-1971); at Orland Park (IL) CRC (1972-1974); Hessel Park CRC in Champaign-Urbana (1975-1983); and currently at Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids. 297 THE PSALMS, BIBLE SONGS, AND HYMNS
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 843
- Lutheran Service Book — 928
- Psalter Hymnal — 158
Liturgical Use
Occasions of praise to God, whose saving strength guards the “anointed one.”
Bulletin Note
Timothy Dudley-Smith's 2006 'Song of Hannah' sets the biblical canticle (1 Samuel 2) to the Welsh tune Hyfrydol, connecting ancient Israel's joy in God's deliverance to contemporary worship and the Lutheran accent on grace working through humble vessels.
Preaching Connection
This hymn embodies the Law's exposure of human pride and the Gospel's reversal of fortune through divine mercy, making it a powerful vehicle for preaching how God's redemptive work flows through our weakness.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Christological anticipation (St. 1-2) → Incarnational paradox (St. 3) → Pneumatological reign (St. 4)
Themes
God's exaltation Joy in salvation Divine reversal Humility and trust God's sovereignty