Introduction:
Hannah is a significant figure in the Old Testament, known for her devout faith and her role as the mother of the prophet Samuel. 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. Elkanah's other wife, Peninnah, had children, but Hannah was barren. This situation caused Hannah great distress, as Peninnah would provoke her severely to irritate her (1 Samuel 1:6). Despite her anguish, Hannah remained faithful and regularly accompanied her husband to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts.

During one of these visits to Shiloh, Hannah prayed fervently to the LORD, weeping bitterly. 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). This vow indicated her promise to dedicate her son as a Nazirite, a person set apart for God's service.

Eli, the priest at Shiloh, initially mistook Hannah's silent prayer 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). Hannah's faith was rewarded, and she conceived and bore a son, whom she named Samuel, meaning "heard by God," acknowledging that her prayers had been answered.

Dedication of Samuel:
True to her vow, once Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. She 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 act of dedication was a profound expression of her faith and gratitude.

Hannah's Prayer:
In 1 Samuel 2, Hannah offers a prayer of thanksgiving, often referred to as Hannah's Song. This prayer is a powerful expression of praise and prophecy, reflecting her deep theological insight. She exalts the LORD's sovereignty, justice, and faithfulness, declaring, "There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God" (1 Samuel 2:2). Her prayer foreshadows themes found in the Magnificat, the song of Mary in the New Testament.

Legacy:
Hannah's account is a testament to the power of prayer and the faithfulness of God. Her dedication of Samuel set the stage for his significant role as a prophet, judge, and leader in Israel. Hannah's faith and her willingness to give back to God what she had longed for most serve as an enduring example of devotion and trust in God's plan.

References in Scripture:
· 1 Samuel 1:1-28
· 1 Samuel 2:1-11

Related Topics:
· Prayer and Vows
· Motherhood in the Bible
· The Role of Women in Scripture
· The Nazirite Vow
· Faith and PerseveranceHannah

gracious; merciful; he that gives

Hannah

(grace), one of the wives of Elkanah, and mother of Samuel. 1Sam 1,2 (B.C. 1141.) A hymn of thanks giving for the birth of her son is in the highest order of prophetic poetry, its resemblance to that of the Virgin Mary comp. (1 Samuel 2:1-10) with Luke 1:46-55 See also (Psalms 113:1) ... has been noticed.

Hannah

The pious wife of a Levite of Ramathaim-Zophim, named Elkanah, and mother of Samuel, B. C. 1171. She had earnestly besought the Lord for him, and freely devoted him to serve God according to her vow. She was afterwards blessed with three other sons and two daughters, 1 Samuel 1:1-2:21.

Favour, grace, one of the wives of Elkanah the Levite, and the mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 1; 2). Her home was at Ramathaim-zophim, whence she was wont every year to go to Shiloh, where the tabernacle had been pitched by Joshua, to attend the offering of sacrifices there according to the law (Exodus 23:15; 34:18; Deuteronomy 16:16), probably at the feast of the Passover (Comp. Exodus 13:10). On occasion of one of these "yearly" visits, being grieved by reason of Peninnah's conduct toward her, she went forth alone, and kneeling before the Lord at the sanctuary she prayed inaudibly. Eli the high priest, who sat at the entrance to the holy place, observed her, and misunderstanding her character he harshly condemned her conduct (1 Samuel 1:14-16). After hearing her explanation he retracted his injurious charge and said to her, "Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition." Perhaps the story of the wife of Manoah was not unknown to her. 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 Lord's goodness, she called Samuel, i.e., "heard of God." After the child was weaned (probably in his third year) she brought him to Shiloh into the house of the Lord, and said to Eli the aged priest, "Oh my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: therefore I also have granted him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he is granted to the Lord" (1 Samuel 1:27, 28, R.V.). Her gladness of heart then found vent in that remarkable prophetic song (2:1-10; Comp. Luke 1:46-55) which contains the first designation of the Messiah under that name (1 Samuel 2:10, "Annointed" = "Messiah"). And so Samuel and his parents parted. He was left at Shiloh to minister "before the Lord." And each year, when they came up to Shiloh, Hannah brought to her absent child "a little coat" (Hebrews meil, a term used to denote the "robe" of the ephod worn by the high priest, Exodus 28:31), a priestly robe, a long upper tunic (1 Chronicles 15:27), in which to minister in the tabernacle (1 Samuel 2:19; 15:27; Job 2:12). "And the child Samuel grew before the Lord." After Samuel, Hannah had three sons and two daughters. HANNAH

han'-a (channah, "grace," "favor"; Hanna): One of the two wives of Elkanah, an Ephraimite who lived at Ramathaim-zophim. Hannah visited Shiloh yearly with her husband to offer sacrifices, for there the tabernacle was located. She was greatly distressed because they had no children. She therefore prayed earnestly for a male child whom she promised to dedicate to the Lord from his birth. The prayer was heard, and she called her son's name Samuel ("God hears"). When he was weaned he was carried to Shiloh to be trained by Eli, the priest (1 Samuel 1). Hannah became the mother of five other children, three sons and two daughters (1 Samuel 2:2). Her devotion in sending Samuel a little robe every year is one of the tenderest recorded instances of maternal love (1 Samuel 2:19). She was a prophetess of no ordinary talent, as is evident from her elevated poetic deliverance elicited by God's answer to her prayer (1 Samuel 2:1-10).

Byron H. Dement

2584. Channah -- mother of Samuel
... 2583, 2584. Channah. 2585 . mother of Samuel. Transliteration: Channah Phonetic
Spelling: (khan-naw') Short Definition: Hannah. ... Hannah. ...
/hebrew/2584.htm - 6k

Hannah Praying Before the Lord.
... HANNAH PRAYING BEFORE THE LORD. The ... Shiloh. One day, Hannah, the wife of
a priest named Elkanah, came to the Tabernacle to worship. ...
/.../mother stories from the old testament/hannah praying before the lord.htm

Works by Hannah Whitall Smith
... WORKS BY HANNAH WHITALL SMITH. THE CHRISTIAN'S SECRET OF A HAPPY LIFE No. 02.
Cloth.75c. No. 03. Cloth, gilt edges. [USD]1.00 No. 04. White cloth, boxed. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/secret power/works by hannah whitall smith.htm

About the Prefigured Change of the Israelitic Kingdom and ...
... Chapter 4."About the Prefigured Change of the Israelitic Kingdom and Priesthood,
and About the Things Hannah the Mother of Samuel Prophesied, Personating the ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 4 about the prefigured change.htm

Samuel the Boy Prophet
... Elkanah, a Zuphite of the hill country of Ephraim, lived at Ramah with his two wives,
Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/samuel the boy prophet.htm

The History of Saul
... This history maketh mention that there was a man named Elkanah which had two wives,
that one was named Hannah, and the name of the second Peninnah. ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the history of saul.htm

A True Story
... All alone in the evening grey,. Sick and dying, poor Hannah lay; Through the broken
pane the cold wind swept,. Poor Hannah shivered, and moaned, and wept. ...
/.../bevan/hymns of ter steegen and others second series/a true story.htm

That More Might be Given and Gotten.
... Now let us look a bit at the second of these, the portrait of Hannah the Hebrew
woman. ... A leaderless people! This is the niche of the Hannah story. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on prayer/that more might be given.htm

The Child Samuel.
... Now, at one time there lived in a little cottage on the hill of Ramah, not far from
what is now Jerusalem, a certain man named Elkanah, whose wife Hannah had a ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/the child samuel.htm

Samuel --The Child of the Temple.
... the temple. When Eli was high priest a man named Elkanah came up from Ramah
to worship, and Hannah his wife went with him. She was ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xvii samuelthe child of.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

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

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

Elkanah (20 Occurrences)
... He had two wives, Hannah, who was the mother of Samuel, and Peninnah. Int. ...
Of his two wives, Hannah, the childless, was best beloved. ...
/e/elkanah.htm - 14k

Barren (44 Occurrences)
... Of females that bear no issue: `aqar: Sarah (Genesis 11:30); Rebekah (Genesis
25:21); Rachel (Genesis 29:31); Manoah's wife (Judges 13:2, 3); Hannah (1 Samuel ...
/b/barren.htm - 23k

Eli (36 Occurrences)
... In Eli's first interview with Hannah (1 Samuel 1:12), she is the central figure;
in the second interview (1 Samuel 1:24), it is the child Samuel. ...
/e/eli.htm - 24k

Drunk (84 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV NAS RSV). 1 Samuel 1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in
Shiloh, and after they had drunk. ... 1 Samuel 1:13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart. ...
/d/drunk.htm - 34k

Elka'nah (20 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 1:8 And Elkanah her husband said unto her: 'Hannah, why weepest
thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? ...
/e/elka'nah.htm - 11k

Peninnah (2 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 1:2 and he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name
of other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ...
/p/peninnah.htm - 7k

Penin'nah (2 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 1:2 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. ...
/p/penin'nah.htm - 6k

Conceiveth (27 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 1:20 and it cometh to pass, at the revolution of the days, that Hannah
conceiveth, and beareth a son, and calleth his name Samuel, 'for, from Jehovah ...
/c/conceiveth.htm - 13k

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

Who was Hannah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Elkanah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus