HANNAH: PRAYIN' MAMA

When we first meet Hannah, she is at home with her husband Elkanah AND his other wife, Peninnah, and their children. Hannah has no children of her own.

Elkanah is descended from the tribe of Ephraim and his family worships the LORD of hosts. Once a year, he takes his family on a short trek from their home in the hill country of Ephraim to Shiloh—about 15 miles north—to make a peace offering at the tabernacle located there.

Sidenote: A “peace offering” involves killing an animal. When following the instructions laid out in Leviticus, the animal was divided as follows: the fat belonged to the Lord; the breast and right shoulder would be given to the priests; and then “with the rest the sacrificer made a feast for himself, his family, and friends, giving to every one a portion of the sacrifice...And they ate all before the Lord, and hereby were supposed to have communion with him, by partaking with him of his sacrifices, which had been offered to him at his altar.” (Benson)

In other words, since only part of the animal is burned up completely, the rest is divided between the priests and the person who brought the sacrifice who will make a meal with it to be eaten that day: A meal of thanksgiving to the Lord.

LET'S EAT!

When Elkanah receives back his portion of meat from the priest, he divides the portions equally* between himself, his two wives, his sons and daughters.

*Sidenote: Elkanah loves Hannah and gives her a double portion; however, his gesture does not bring her any comfort. Instead, she becomes even more self-conscious of her “closed womb.”

Peninnah never misses the chance to shame her barren counterpart. Her harassment of Hannah is ongoing, and eventually she pushes too far: Hannah bursts into tears and refuses to eat.

In typical hubby "fix-it" fashion, Elkanah attempts to comfort her saying, "But, Babe! You've got ME! Am I not worth more to you than ten sons?" 😂

As soon as the meal ends, Hannah stands up, and Eli sits down.

This abrupt scene change in the narrative quickly moves Hannah from the table to the Tabernacle. Eli is sitting near the entrance, but she ignores him. She’s there to talk to the one person who understands her pain—and she brings her whole, authentic self to the Lord through prayer in quiet solitude.

"She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly...she was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard"

1 Sam. 1:10, 13a

Hannah’s prayer reveals her to be a woman of deep, personal faith who believes in a God of miracles. She makes a private, personal covenant with the Lord promising that in return for His gift of a son, she will give him over to the Lord’s service, and he will be a Nazirite.

Sidenote: A “Nazirite” is a man or woman who has chosen to abstain from drinking wine and grape products; refrains from haircuts; and also avoids ritual impurity brought on by contact with corpses or graves. It is highly irregular to have a mother make such a vow for an unborn—unconceived—son. There’s also no way, on her own, she can keep the vow without her husband’s support (see Numbers 30 for restrictions on women’s vows).

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Eli has had his eye on Hannah from the moment she begins to pray. He can see her lips moving, but he hears nothing. His conclusion? She must be drunk.

He interrupts her prayer and accuses her of making a “drunken spectacle” of herself (1 Sam. 1:14).

How did Hannah feel in this moment? Misunderstood? Ashamed? Judged? Something else? She soberly explains:

"I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD...I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation"

1 Sam. 1:15-16

How did Eli feel in this moment? Embarrassed? Guilty? Something else?

Eli doesn’t apologize for his mistake, but he does bless Hannah. He also prays to the Lord asking Him to grant her request. Little does he know, he will be raising the baby he just prayed for.

After returning home to the hill country of Ephraim, Elkanah and Hannah get busy, and she conceives. And when the time is right, she gives birth to a baby boy whom they name "Samuel" (literally: "God has heard").

In this culture, her vow to give her son back to God is impossible to keep without her husband’s blessing so it’s wonderful to see that when she explains the situation to Elkanah, he gives his blessing (1 Sam. 1:21-23).

After she weans Samuel—this was probably 2-3 years—Hannah takes the toddler to Shiloh along with her own offering to fulfill her vow. They leave Samuel in Eli's care, and he becomes a key figure in Israel’s history bridging judges and kings.  

THE SONG OF HANNAH

At some point after Hannah gives birth to Samuel, she offers a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord. Her prayer is recorded in 1 Samuel 2:1-10, and because of its poetic structure, it's known as the "Song of Hannah" or "Hannah's Song."

In her prayer, she thanks God for giving her a son and declaring His power, sovereignty, and justice. It is a beautiful expression of praise and thanksgiving, and a testimony to the power of prayer and faith.

LITTLE ROBES

The story about Hannah wraps up the way it begins: Elkanah travels to Shiloh every year to make a sacrifice, and every year Hannah joins him. She's now known as "Samuel's mom," and she never shows up empty-handed.

Every year, Hannah makes a little robe for her son and gives it to him when she sees him at the Tabernacle. And every year, Eli speaks a blessing over Hannah and Elkanah.

Because of Hannah’s faithfulness, the Lord blesses her and Elkanah with three more sons and two daughters!

The Jewish Women's Archive sums up Hannah's story perfectly:

Hannah’s image is secure indeed: she is recognized as mother of Samuel—who becomes a prophet, judge, and king-maker—and as a good woman. She proves herself independent and resourceful, never abandoning her goals or demeaning others as a means to achieve them; she demonstrates women’s activity in family ritual practices; she discloses social responsibility by making a vow that is upheld by her husband; and she links the realms of private and public religious life by vowing dedication of her son and by bringing her own sacrifice to YHWH in fulfillment of that vow. (JWA)

You can read Hannah's story in 1 Samuel 1-2.

Additional Resources:

• “Shiloh” on Holy Land Site (Online): https://www.holylandsite.com/shiloh.

• Map showing Ephraim and Shiloh: https://biblebento.com/maps/BL401.html

• 1 Samuel 1:4 in the Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (online): https://biblehub.com/commentaries/benson/1_samuel/1.htm

•  “Nazirite.” https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nazirite&oldid=1142799675 (last visited Mar. 10, 2023).

• "Hannah: Bible" in the The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women (Online). Jewish Women’s Archive.

• All the Women of the Bible by Edith Deen

Photo Credits:

Photo by Alicia Zinn on Pexels.

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