They that were full before have hired out themselves for bread: and the hungry are filled, so that the barren hath borne many: and she that had many children is weakened.
Rashi
The sated have hired themselves out for bread. [The sated] who do not need to hire themselves out for any work, He starves them and they must hire themselves out for bread,
And the hungry Who would toil and weary themselves for food.
Have ceased. From their toil.
Until the barren has born seven and she with many children…. While the barren woman has born seven, she that had many children has been bereaved and buries her children. Chana bore seven as it is stated, "For Adonoy remembered Chana and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters." When Chana bore one, Penina buried two. Penina had ten children as it is stated, "Am I not better to you than [the] ten sons of Penina?" When Chana bore four, Penina buried eight. When she [Chana] conceived and bore a fifth child, Penina prostrated herself at her feet and begged for mercy and they lived and were therefore considered as hers. This is R. Nechemya's opinion. R. Yehudah however says that grandchildren are considered as children. Some are of the opinion that the numerical value of שִׁבְעָה(377) is equivalent to that of שְׁמוּאֵל(377).
Hebrew and Aramaic words are the commentator’s citations of the sacred text; the English translation that follows each is the translator’s.
Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.