Introduction:
Hannah is a significant figure in the Old Testament, known for her devout faith and her role as the mother of Samuel, one of Israel's greatest prophets. Her account is primarily found in the first two chapters of the First Book of Samuel. Hannah's narrative highlights themes of faith, prayer, and divine intervention.

Biblical Account:
Hannah was one of the two wives of Elkanah, a man from the hill country of Ephraim. The other wife, Peninnah, had children, but Hannah was barren. This caused her great distress, as having children was considered a blessing and a sign of favor from God. Peninnah would provoke Hannah, exacerbating her sorrow.

Each year, Elkanah and his family would go to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts. During one such visit, Hannah, deeply grieved, prayed earnestly to the LORD for a child. She made a vow, saying, "O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever come over his head" (1 Samuel 1:11).

Eli, the priest at Shiloh, initially mistook her silent prayers for drunkenness, but upon realizing her sincerity, he blessed her, saying, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him" (1 Samuel 1:17).

Birth of Samuel:
The LORD remembered Hannah, and she conceived and bore a son, naming him Samuel, which means "heard of God," reflecting her gratitude for God's answer to her prayers. True to her vow, once Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh and presented him to Eli, saying, "I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him, I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD" (1 Samuel 1:27-28).

Hannah's Prayer:
In 1 Samuel 2, Hannah offers a prayer of thanksgiving, often referred to as Hannah's Song. This prayer is a profound expression of her faith and recognition of God's sovereignty. It begins, "My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in Your salvation" (1 Samuel 2:1). The prayer continues to extol God's power, justice, and faithfulness, and it foreshadows themes of reversal and divine intervention that are echoed throughout Scripture.

Legacy and Significance:
Hannah's account is a testament to the power of persistent prayer and faith in God's timing. Her dedication of Samuel to the LORD set the stage for his significant role in Israel's history as a prophet, judge, and anointer of kings. Hannah's faith and her willingness to fulfill her vow to God serve as an enduring example of devotion and trust in divine providence.

Further References:
Hannah's account is referenced in various biblical commentaries and theological discussions, often highlighting her as a model of piety and maternal sacrifice. Her prayer is sometimes compared to the Magnificat, Mary's song of praise in the New Testament, due to its similar themes of divine justice and reversal of fortunes.

The Magnificat
... Critics shake their heads over its many quotations and allusions to Hannah's song
and to other poetical parts of the Old Testament, and declare that these are ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/the magnificat.htm

Prayer Essential to God
... Hannah's petition for a son began a great prayer movement for God in Israel.
Praying women, whose prayers like those of Hannah, can ...
/.../bounds/the weapon of prayer/i prayer essential to god.htm

Old Testament Hymns
... Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of
my mouth (Deut.32:1-43); Hannah's Song of Thanksgiving,. ...
/.../christian hymns of the first three centuries/ii old testament hymns.htm

Prayer and God's Work
... If Hannah's prayer for a son had been answered at the time she set for herself,
the nation might never have known the mighty man of God it found in Samuel. ...
/.../bounds/the essentials of prayer/vii prayer and gods work.htm

The Content of Prayer: Its Four Moods
... marked the passage in Daniel spurious as not standing in the Hebrew, and dispute
the Book of Tobit as not within the Testament, I shall cite Hannah's case from ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen on prayer/chapter ix the content of.htm

The Objects of Prayer
... gifts. Greater fruit had been borne by Hannah's soul in being turned from
sterility than was her body in conceiving Samuel. Diviner ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen on prayer/chapter xi the objects of.htm

The Story of David, the Shepherd Boy
... One of these wives had children, but the other wife, whose name was Hannah, had
no child. ... And at one of these visits Hannah prayed to the Lord, saying: ...
/.../marshall/the wonder book of bible stories/the story of david the.htm

God's Pathway to Human Hearts.
... These four are Moses' request to enter Canaan; Hannah's prayer for a son; Paul's
thorn; and Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane. Let us look a bit at these in turn. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on prayer/gods pathway to human hearts.htm

The Child Prophet
... While the hereditary priests were plunging into debauchery, and making men turn
away from the Tabernacle services, Hannah's son was ministering unto the Lord ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the child prophet.htm

Scriptural Examples of Piety and Obedience in the Young.
... Joseph, by his false brethren sold,. God raised above them all; To Hannah's child,
the Lord foretold,. How Eli's house must fall. David the bear and lion slew. ...
/.../montgomery/sacred poems and hymns/hymn cccxxxi scriptural examples of.htm

Hannah's (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Hannah's (1 Occurrence). 1 Samuel 1:13 For Hannah's
prayer came from her heart, and though her lips were ...
/h/hannah's.htm - 6k

Hannah (13 Occurrences)
... Thereafter Elkanah and his family retired to their quiet home, and there, before
another Passover, Hannah gave birth to a son, whom, in grateful memory of the ...
/h/hannah.htm - 14k

Hannathon (1 Occurrence)

/h/hannathon.htm - 7k

Mark (182 Occurrences)
... This becomes a unique expression in 1 Samuel 1:12, where Eli, noticing the movement
of Hannah's lips in prayer, is said to have "marked her mouth." Jesus ...
/m/mark.htm - 93k

Intercession (12 Occurrences)
... and effective. Hannah's song, though chiefly of thankfulness, is not without
the intercessory spirit (1 Samuel 2:1-11). So also ...
/i/intercession.htm - 52k

Praying (71 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 1:13 For Hannah's prayer came from her heart, and though her lips were
moving she made no sound: so it seemed to Eli that she was overcome with wine. ...
/p/praying.htm - 27k

Moving (117 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 1:13 For Hannah's prayer came from her heart, and though her lips were
moving she made no sound: so it seemed to Eli that she was overcome with wine. ...
/m/moving.htm - 37k

Seemed (89 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 1:13 For Hannah's prayer came from her heart, and though her lips were
moving she made no sound: so it seemed to Eli that she was overcome with wine. ...
/s/seemed.htm - 32k

Samuel (129 Occurrences)
...Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah, who came up to Shiloh to worship before
the Lord, earnestly prayed to God that she might become the mother of a son. ...
/s/samuel.htm - 90k

Overcome (300 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 1:13 For Hannah's prayer came from her heart, and though her lips were
moving she made no sound: so it seemed to Eli that she was overcome with wine. ...
/o/overcome.htm - 36k

What is the significance of Hannah's prayer? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Hannah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the story of Hannah and Samuel? | GotQuestions.org

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