Introduction: The story of Hannah is a beautiful story. She was a genuine believer in the LORD, God of Israel, first and foremost, and also the mother of Samuel, one of Israel’s greatest leaders. She was also one of a few women who, unable to have a child by any other means, bore a child as a result of one of the LORD’s miracles (Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and a few others did as well).
She is never mentioned anywhere else in Scripture except for the first two chapters of 1 Samuel but the story reaches from her day to the last days. Hannah’s faithfulness and her desire to honor the pledge she made to the LORD is something everyone, male or female, could appreciate.
Hannah’s problems: 1, Barrenness
[1Sam 1:1, KJV] 1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name [was] Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: 2 And he had two wives; the name of the one [was] Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, [were] there. 4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: 5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.
The first problem Hannah faced is that she had no children. No reason is given as to why that happened except, as verse 5 reveals, the LORD had closed her womb. Besides the half-dozen or so other women who suffered from this situation, an entire nation or group of people had the same problem. In Genesis 20, Abimelech, king of Gerar, had taken Sarah from Abraham. God spoke directly to him and showed Abimelech his mistake—and Abimelech took prompt action to restore Sarah. How long he had kept Sarah is not specified but it was apparently long enough for the birth rate to suffer—Genesis 20:18!
We’re also never told Hannah’s age or how long she had been married to Elkanah. Generally, it is easier for a woman to conceive and bear a child younger in life as compared to later but when God performs a miracle, age means little. Hannah’s concern was that she had no children, she apparently didn’t know why, and she was getting concerned.
Problem 2, Bitterness
[1 Sam 1:6] And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. 7 And [as] he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. 8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? [am] not I better to thee than ten sons? 9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. 10 And she [was] in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
Elkanah was not only Hannah’s husband, but also the husband of Peninnah. Why he decided to marry two women is never specified but this is only a matter of record, not comment. A possible guess is that since Hannah could not give him children, he married Peninnah who gave him children (the text does not state how many). There was no prohibition in the Law of Moses about taking more than one wife as exists now.
Yet, Peninnah, even though she gave Elkanah children, also gave Hannah some grief. A partial parallel might be found comparing Leah, who had several children with Jacob and her sister Rachel, who had none until God opened her womb. If there was any bitterness or provoking of the one towards the other (excepting the incident of Reuben and the “mandrakes--whatever those were; see Genesis 30:14-16), Scripture doesn’t record it. To add perspective, Solomon added the words of Agur in Proverbs 30:15-16, that the barren womb is something that is never satisfied.
Hannah, though, even though she was suffering in bitterness of spirit, did the best thing possible. She took her problem to God. The text records how she and Elkanah—and Peninnah—would go to Shiloh each year, most likely to perform a sacrifice. More information about the various offerings is found in the first several chapters of Leviticus. Apparently after the family had eaten and drunk, Hannah went back to the tabernacle (text says “temple” but the Temple was not yet built) and began to pray—and weep. She didn’t let her bitterness of soul, or spirit, make her whole life bitter. She went to God in prayer. Of note is that Eli, the high priest at the time, seemed to take notice of Hannah and her prayer.
Hannah’s prayer: what she said to God
[1 Sam 1:11] And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
Hannah’s prayer was and is one of the most heartfelt in all of the Bible. Actually it isn’t a prayer, even though she prayed: it’s technically a vow. She’s not really making a bargain with God, but a promise to God. that if God gave her a child, Hannah would give him to the LORD all the days of his life. Note the similarity between Hannah and Samson’s mother: Hannah prayed for a child and promised to give him to the LORD, whereas Samson’s mother received instructions directly from the Angel of the LORD (see Judges 13). For both boys, however, the promise was that they would never have a razor come on their heads. This seems to be a lifelong Nazarite vow for each one. Details about the Nazarite vow are found in Numbers 6. Another interesting item is that there is no record of either man receiving a haircut, except for Samson when he told Delilah about his hair, and then she had his head shaved (Judges 16).
Hannah’s prayer: what Eli said to her
[1 Sam 1:12] And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. 13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. 14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. 15 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. 16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. 17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant [thee] thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more [sad].
Eli was apparently the high priest during this time but, even so, something wasn’t right. The text does not mention any other priests except Eli’s sons—and that, later—and there is no mention of Levites or others to assist in the Tabernacle duties (see Numbers 8:15, 18:23, e.g.). True enough, Hannah did not bring a sacrifice at this time; Elkanah had already done this somewhat earlier (verses 7-10), but Hannah was so moved or, perhaps, troubled in spirit that she went to the Tabernacle and prayed.
And Eli was there to observe this action on Hannah’s part.
Observe, he certainly did—he “marked” Hannah’s mouth, noticing that she was not praying out loud. At least, she was speaking so softly that Eli couldn’t hear what she was trying to say. One is reminded of the joke about someone who was praying vocally: an observer said, “I can’t hear what you’re trying to say” and the one praying replied, “I wasn’t talking to you!”
Even worse than not hearing Hannah’s prayer—why would that be important to Eli, anyway?—Eli completely misunderstood the situation. He thought Hannah was drunk! He told her, “Put away your wine (and sober up)!” There is one reason, at least, why Eli may have thought this: he might have seen Elkanah and the rest of his extended family eating and drinking after they all had come to the Tabernacle at Shiloh. Eli might, therefore, have thought wine was one of the beverages she had consumed. But if Hannah was drunk, would she really have been praying to the LORD—at all?
Now notice Hannah’s reply to Eli. He had basically insulted her, wrongly, accusing her of being drunk while at the Tabernacle—or at least, near enough to see her and the rest of the family. She replied graciously and courteously (doesn’t that speak to her character?) that she was only a woman of “sorrowful spirit”. Eli may not have known, or couldn’t have observed, that Hannah did not have any children of her own, and in that day, that was a significant issue. In fact, the punishment for a couple of very serious sins was for a couple to be childless (Lev. 20:20-21).
And Hannah also affirmed that she had drunk neither wine, nor strong drink. Consuming these kinds of beverages was permitted under the Law, especially when Israel had already settled in Canaan and some of the tribes lived a great distance away from the Tabernacle (see Deut. 14:26) but this was a concession, not a command.
Then Hannah left Eli with a plea—“don’t consider me a worthless woman (daughter of Belial) because I poured out my soul before the LORD” today. The term, “son or daughter of Belial” was apparently one of the worst descriptions or insults to be thrown at anyone. We in this day probably do not understand the impact of such a statement. Hannah, though, wanted to be known as a woman of virtue, not a worthless woman; and as a woman who sought the LORD in the time of her distress and grief.
After this, Eli blessed her, Hannah replied to him, and something else happened. She ate (how hungry had she been?) and her countenance was no longer sad. Something changed inside Hannah, and now she herself was changed! “Sad, before; but smiling more” is a ditty that someone used a long time ago—and it fit Hannah perfectly at this time.
Hannah’s pledge
[1 Sam 1:19] And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. 20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, [saying], Because I have asked him of the LORD. 21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. 22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, [I will not go up] until the child be weaned, and [then] I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever. 23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
The next morning, after Hannah had poured out her heart and heart’s desire before the LORD, the whole extended family of Elkanah worshipped and then returned home to Ramah. At some time after they got back, Hannah was able to see God’s promise to her becoming a reality.
She was pregnant! God had remembered her request, and answered her prayer!
And when the baby boy was born, Hannah named him “Samuel” because, as she said, “I have asked him of the LORD”. This is probably a play on the Hebrew words for “asked” and “Samuel” itself, much like Leah and Rachel used, basically, puns to name their children (Genesis 29 and 30).
Then, after naming Samuel (the text does not give any indication when he was born, such as month and day) Hannah decided to stay and give him as much as she could. She knew that Samuel was never going to stay with her as her firstborn son. She knew and remembered the pledge that she had made to the LORD and spent as much time with him as possible. She gave a definite time for this, “after the child (is) weaned”, and then she would bring him to the Tabernacle, where he would serve the LORD “forever”, in her own words.
This pledge she made, and this pledge she kept. And now it was time for her to fulfill her promise she had made to the LORD. Sometimes, stories are told of surrogate parents and mothers who promise to give their child up for adoption—but change their minds once they see and/or hold the child. Not so in this case: Hannah remembered her pledge and was going to honor that pledge.
Hannah’s presentation of Samuel
[1 Sam 1:24] And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child [was] young. 25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, Oh my lord, [as] thy soul liveth, my lord, I [am] the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. 27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: 28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.
The first thing we see is that Samuel was weaned. Estimates of how long a child would be when weaned vary from several months to a few years. At first glance, it appears Samuel was at least old enough to stand upright—there is no mention Hannah carried him in her arms or anything like that. The only definition of Samuel’s age is that he “was young”
Hannah didn’t bring only her son, either. She brought an “ephah” of flour (exact quantity unknown), a “bottle (most likely a wineskin) of wine”, and three bullocks. Each of these items had a part in some of the Levitical offerings. There may be other reasons, unknown or unclear to us living in today’s world.
And while there, they worshipped. One thing they did was to slaughter a bullock before Hannah presented Samuel to Eli. Then Hannah reminded Eli that, at a previous time, she had prayed for a child and promised that child would be taken to be part of the LORD’s service all his days. In case Eli had forgotten any of this, Hannah reminded him of it and said, basically, “Here he is!”
Something that has puzzled me for a long time is the seeming difference in Hannah’s words. When she was praying (verse 11) at the Tabernacle, she promised to “give” her child to the LORD. Now, she’s saying he will be “lent” to the LORD. Was there a difference? No, not really: Hannah knew that whether as a gift or a loan, Samuel came from God and she gave him back to God. No matter what, Hannah was faithful—and God blessed her for this!
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).
