1 Samuel 1 Study Notes: Hannah Prays for a Son
Childless Hannah, mocked by her husband’s other wife, pours out her grief before God at Shiloh and vows to give Him any son He grants. Eli first mistakes her silent prayer for drunkenness, then blesses her; Samuel is born, and once weaned he is brought to serve the LORD for life.
General
Why did Eli think Hannah was drunk as she prayed (1 Samuel 1:12-14)?
Answer: Her lips moved, but no sound of her voice came out
Eli the priest sat by the temple doorpost and watched Hannah’s mouth as she kept praying. She was praying silently, in her heart; her lips moved, but no sound came. Eli misread what he saw and rebuked her for being drunk (1:12-14). The priest failed to recognize real prayer, while the Father who sees in secret (Matthew 6:6) heard every word. Hannah was doing what the psalmist invites God’s people to do: pouring out her heart before Him (Psalm 62:8).
- 1 Samuel 1:12-14 (BSB)“As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!””Eli watches Hannah’s silent prayer and wrongly concludes that she is drunk.
- Psalm 62:8 (BSB)“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah”God’s people are invited to pour out their hearts before Him, which is what Hannah was doing.
- Matthew 6:6 (BSB)“But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”Jesus teaches that the Father sees prayer offered in secret, even when no one else hears it.
Theological
What led Eli to conclude that Hannah was intoxicated (1 Samuel 1:12-14)?
Answer: Her lips moved, but no sound of her voice came out
Hannah prayed inwardly; her lips moved but her voice was not audible, and Eli, watching her mouth, took this for drunkenness and rebuked her (1:12-14). The irony is pointed: the priest at Shiloh cannot tell earnest prayer from drunkenness, while the God who sees in secret (Matthew 6:6) hears her plea. Her silent prayer is the heart poured out before God that the psalmist commends (Psalm 62:8).
- 1 Samuel 1:12-14 (BSB)“As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!””Eli watches Hannah’s silent prayer and wrongly concludes that she is drunk.
- Psalm 62:8 (BSB)“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah”God’s people are invited to pour out their hearts before Him, which is what Hannah was doing.
- Matthew 6:6 (BSB)“But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”Jesus teaches that the Father sees prayer offered in secret, even when no one else hears it.
General
How did Elkanah try to comfort Hannah in her weeping (1 Samuel 1:8)?
Answer: He asked whether he did not mean more to her than ten sons
Elkanah asked Hannah a series of questions: why she was crying, why she would not eat, why her heart was so grieved, and whether he was not better to her than ten sons (1:8). His words show real affection, but they could not take away her sorrow or give her a child. Jacob had made a related point, in anger, to Rachel: he was not in God’s place to give her children (Genesis 30:2). Children are the LORD’s gift and inheritance (Psalm 127:3), so Hannah’s next step is to bring her request to the LORD Himself.
- 1 Samuel 1:8 (BSB)““Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?””Elkanah questions Hannah about her tears and asks whether he is not better to her than ten sons.
- Genesis 30:2 (BSB)“Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?””Like Elkanah, Jacob could not supply what only God gives, though his response to Rachel was anger rather than tenderness.
- Psalm 127:3 (BSB)“Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.”Children are a heritage from the LORD, which is why Hannah’s request had to be made to Him.
Theological
What question did Elkanah put to Hannah in his attempt to console her (1 Samuel 1:8)?
Answer: He asked whether he did not mean more to her than ten sons
Elkanah’s questions end with a tender but limited appeal: was he not better to her than ten sons (1:8)? His love is genuine, yet he cannot supply what God alone gives, the point Jacob made, in anger, to Rachel (Genesis 30:2). Since children are the LORD’s heritage (Psalm 127:3), the resolution of Hannah’s grief lies not with her husband but with God, to whom she turns in the next scene.
- 1 Samuel 1:8 (BSB)““Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?””Elkanah questions Hannah about her tears and asks whether he is not better to her than ten sons.
- Genesis 30:2 (BSB)“Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?””Like Elkanah, Jacob could not supply what only God gives, though his response to Rachel was anger rather than tenderness.
- Psalm 127:3 (BSB)“Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.”Children are a heritage from the LORD, which is why Hannah’s request had to be made to Him.
General
When Hannah brought Samuel to Eli at Shiloh, what did she say she was doing (1 Samuel 1:26-28)?
Answer: Giving back to God for life the son He had granted her
Once Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him, with offerings, to the LORD’s house at Shiloh. She reminded Eli that she was the woman who had stood beside him praying, said the LORD had granted what she asked, and declared that she was now giving him to God for his whole life (1:24-28). Scripture urges that vows to God be fulfilled without delay (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5) and before His people (Psalm 116:18). Hannah treats her son as a gift from God (James 1:17) and gives him back to the One who gave him.
- 1 Samuel 1:26-28 (BSB)““Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. 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.” So they worshiped the LORD there.”Hannah reminds Eli who she is and gives the son she prayed for to the LORD for life.
- Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 (BSB)“When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”Vows to God are to be fulfilled without delay, as Hannah does.
- Psalm 116:18 (BSB)“I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people,”The psalmist resolves to fulfill his vows to the LORD publicly, among His people.
- James 1:17 (BSB)“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.”Every good gift comes from God, which is why Hannah gives back what she received from Him.
Theological
How did Hannah describe her presentation of Samuel to Eli (1 Samuel 1:26-28)?
Answer: Giving back to God for life the son He had granted her
Hannah identifies herself to Eli as the woman who prayed beside him, testifies that the LORD granted her petition, and dedicates him to God for all his life (1:26-28). She fulfills her vow promptly and publicly, as Scripture requires (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5; Psalm 116:18). The child received as a gift from above (James 1:17) is returned to the Giver, and the chapter closes with worship.
- 1 Samuel 1:26-28 (BSB)““Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. 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.” So they worshiped the LORD there.”Hannah reminds Eli who she is and gives the son she prayed for to the LORD for life.
- Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 (BSB)“When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”Vows to God are to be fulfilled without delay, as Hannah does.
- Psalm 116:18 (BSB)“I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people,”The psalmist resolves to fulfill his vows to the LORD publicly, among His people.
- James 1:17 (BSB)“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.”Every good gift comes from God, which is why Hannah gives back what she received from Him.
General
What change does the text describe in Hannah after Eli blessed her and sent her away in peace (1 Samuel 1:17-18)?
Answer: She ate again and no longer looked sad
Once Eli understood, he sent Hannah away in peace and prayed that Israel’s God would grant her request. Hannah asked to find favor with him, then went her way and ate again, and the sadness left her face (1:17-18). Nothing had visibly changed yet; she was not yet pregnant. But she had brought her burden to God and left it with Him. Paul describes the same thing: those who present their requests to God receive His peace guarding their hearts (Philippians 4:6-7), and the LORD sustains those who cast their burden on Him (Psalm 55:22).
- 1 Samuel 1:17-18 (BSB)““Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him.” “May your maidservant find favor with you,” said Hannah. Then she went on her way, and she began to eat, and her face was no longer downcast.”Eli blesses Hannah, and she leaves, eats, and is no longer downcast.
- Philippians 4:6-7 (BSB)“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”Those who bring their requests to God are promised His peace guarding their hearts.
- Psalm 55:22 (BSB)“Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”The LORD sustains those who cast their burden on Him.
Theological
How does the narrator describe Hannah after Eli’s blessing (1 Samuel 1:17-18)?
Answer: She ate again and no longer looked sad
Eli dismisses Hannah in peace with a wish that Israel’s God would grant her petition. She departs, eats, and her countenance is no longer downcast (1:17-18), before any change in her circumstances. The change is the fruit of committing her request to God, the peace Paul promises to those who bring their petitions to Him (Philippians 4:6-7), and the sustaining help promised to those who cast their burden on the LORD (Psalm 55:22).
- 1 Samuel 1:17-18 (BSB)““Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him.” “May your maidservant find favor with you,” said Hannah. Then she went on her way, and she began to eat, and her face was no longer downcast.”Eli blesses Hannah, and she leaves, eats, and is no longer downcast.
- Philippians 4:6-7 (BSB)“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”Those who bring their requests to God are promised His peace guarding their hearts.
- Psalm 55:22 (BSB)“Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”The LORD sustains those who cast their burden on Him.
General
True or False: When Eli rebuked her, Hannah admitted she had taken some wine but said she was still praying sincerely.
Answer: False
This is false. Hannah politely but firmly denied drinking anything. She told Eli she was a deeply troubled woman who had touched no wine or beer; instead she had been pouring out her soul to God and praying out of great anguish and grief. She asked him not to think of her as a wicked woman (1:15-16). Her picture of prayer as pouring out the soul matches the psalmist’s call to pour out our hearts before God (Psalm 62:8). Scripture invites the troubled to bring their burdens to the LORD (Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7).
- 1 Samuel 1:15-16 (BSB)““No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman, for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.””Hannah tells Eli she has not been drinking but has been praying out of deep anguish.
- Psalm 62:8 (BSB)“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah”The psalmist urges God’s people to pour out their hearts before Him, the same picture Hannah uses.
- Psalm 55:22 (BSB)“Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”Those weighed down are told to cast their burden on the LORD, who will sustain them.
- 1 Peter 5:7 (BSB)“Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”Believers may cast all their anxiety on God because He cares for them.
Theological
True or False: Hannah conceded to Eli that she had drunk some wine, while insisting that her prayer was sincere.
Answer: False
This is false. Hannah flatly denied having drunk wine or beer and described her prayer as the pouring out of her soul to God from deep anguish and grief, asking Eli not to count her a wicked woman (1:15-16). Her language mirrors the psalmist’s call to pour out the heart before God (Psalm 62:8) and models casting one’s burden on the LORD (Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7).
- 1 Samuel 1:15-16 (BSB)““No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman, for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.””Hannah tells Eli she has not been drinking but has been praying out of deep anguish.
- Psalm 62:8 (BSB)“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah”The psalmist urges God’s people to pour out their hearts before Him, the same picture Hannah uses.
- Psalm 55:22 (BSB)“Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”Those weighed down are told to cast their burden on the LORD, who will sustain them.
- 1 Peter 5:7 (BSB)“Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”Believers may cast all their anxiety on God because He cares for them.
General
Why did Hannah not go up with Elkanah to the next annual sacrifice (1 Samuel 1:21-23)?
Answer: She would wait until the boy was weaned and then bring him to stay
When Elkanah went up for the yearly sacrifice and to keep his vow, Hannah stayed home. She told her husband that after the boy was weaned she would bring him into the LORD’s presence to remain there for good. Elkanah agreed, telling her to do what she thought best and adding a prayer that the LORD would confirm His word (1:21-23). Under the law, a wife’s vow stood when her husband heard it and did not forbid it (Numbers 30:10-11), and Elkanah let Hannah’s vow stand. Both of them meant to carry out what had been promised to God (Deuteronomy 23:23).
- 1 Samuel 1:21-23 (BSB)“Then Elkanah and all his house went up to make the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, but Hannah did not go. “After the boy is weaned,” she said to her husband, “I will take him to appear before the LORD and to stay there permanently.” “Do what you think is best,” her husband Elkanah replied, “and stay here until you have weaned him. Only may the LORD confirm His word.” So Hannah stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.”Hannah stays home from the annual sacrifice until Samuel is weaned, and Elkanah agrees.
- Numbers 30:10-11 (BSB)“If a woman in her husband’s house has made a vow or put herself under an obligation with an oath, and her husband hears of it but says nothing to her and does not prohibit her, then all the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.”A wife’s vow stood when her husband heard it and did not forbid it, as Elkanah allows Hannah’s vow to stand.
- Deuteronomy 23:23 (BSB)“Be careful to follow through on what comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed to the LORD your God with your own mouth.”The law urged Israel to follow through on what they had freely vowed to the LORD.
Theological
What reason did Hannah give for staying behind from the yearly sacrifice (1 Samuel 1:21-23)?
Answer: She would wait until the boy was weaned and then bring him to stay
Hannah remained at home until Samuel was weaned, intending then to present him before the LORD to remain there permanently; Elkanah consented and prayed that the LORD would confirm His word (1:21-23). By hearing the vow and not annulling it, Elkanah let it stand, as the law of vows provided (Numbers 30:10-11). The couple’s resolve reflects the law’s insistence that vows freely made to God be carried out (Deuteronomy 23:23).
- 1 Samuel 1:21-23 (BSB)“Then Elkanah and all his house went up to make the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, but Hannah did not go. “After the boy is weaned,” she said to her husband, “I will take him to appear before the LORD and to stay there permanently.” “Do what you think is best,” her husband Elkanah replied, “and stay here until you have weaned him. Only may the LORD confirm His word.” So Hannah stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.”Hannah stays home from the annual sacrifice until Samuel is weaned, and Elkanah agrees.
- Numbers 30:10-11 (BSB)“If a woman in her husband’s house has made a vow or put herself under an obligation with an oath, and her husband hears of it but says nothing to her and does not prohibit her, then all the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.”A wife’s vow stood when her husband heard it and did not forbid it, as Elkanah allows Hannah’s vow to stand.
- Deuteronomy 23:23 (BSB)“Be careful to follow through on what comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed to the LORD your God with your own mouth.”The law urged Israel to follow through on what they had freely vowed to the LORD.
General
What did Hannah promise the LORD if He would give her a son (1 Samuel 1:11)?
Answer: She would give him up to God for life and never cut his hair
Weeping bitterly, Hannah prayed and made a vow, a solemn promise to God. She asked the Almighty LORD to look on her affliction and remember her by granting her a son; in return the boy would belong to God all his days, and his hair would never be cut (1:10-11). The uncut hair recalls the Nazirite vow in the law, by which a person was set apart to God (Numbers 6:5), and the angel’s words about Samson (Judges 13:5). The law treated vows to God as binding (Deuteronomy 23:21), and the rest of the chapter shows Hannah keeping hers.
- 1 Samuel 1:10-11 (BSB)“In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears. And 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 touch his head.””In bitter distress Hannah prays and vows to give a son back to the LORD for life, with no razor on his head.
- Numbers 6:5 (BSB)“For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.”The law of the Nazirite, a person set apart to God by a special vow, included that no razor would touch his head.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””Samson’s mother was told the same thing about her son, who was to be set apart to God from the womb.
- Deuteronomy 23:21 (BSB)“If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.”The law warned that a vow made to the LORD must be kept, which is the seriousness behind Hannah’s promise.
Theological
What were the terms of Hannah’s vow at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:11)?
Answer: She would give him up to God for life and never cut his hair
In her anguish Hannah asks God to regard her affliction and remember her, and she vows that a son would be given over to God for the whole of his life, with no razor touching his head (1:10-11). The uncut hair echoes the Nazirite regulation (Numbers 6:5) and the announcement of Samson’s birth (Judges 13:5), marking the child as consecrated from the start. Vows made to God were binding under the law (Deuteronomy 23:21), and the narrative will show Hannah fulfilling hers at cost to herself.
- 1 Samuel 1:10-11 (BSB)“In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears. And 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 touch his head.””In bitter distress Hannah prays and vows to give a son back to the LORD for life, with no razor on his head.
- Numbers 6:5 (BSB)“For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.”The law of the Nazirite, a person set apart to God by a special vow, included that no razor would touch his head.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””Samson’s mother was told the same thing about her son, who was to be set apart to God from the womb.
- Deuteronomy 23:21 (BSB)“If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.”The law warned that a vow made to the LORD must be kept, which is the seriousness behind Hannah’s promise.
General
True or False: According to the narrator, Hannah was childless because the LORD Himself had kept her from bearing.
Answer: True
This is true. Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah, and only Peninnah had children. At the sacrifices Elkanah gave Hannah a double portion because he loved her, yet the narrator twice says the LORD was the one who had shut her womb (1:5-6). Hannah’s childlessness was not chance or bad luck. Scripture presents God as the one who opens and closes the womb (Genesis 20:18), as Jacob admitted when he asked whether he stood in God’s place (Genesis 30:2). The same God who closed Hannah’s womb would later open it, and the psalmist praises Him for making the barren woman a joyful mother (Psalm 113:9).
- 1 Samuel 1:5 (BSB)“But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb.”Elkanah gives Hannah a double portion because he loves her, though she has no children.
- 1 Samuel 1:6 (BSB)“Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her viciously to taunt her.”The narrator states the cause of Hannah’s childlessness and the rival’s cruelty it provoked.
- Genesis 20:18 (BSB)“for on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household.”Earlier the LORD had closed the wombs of a whole household, showing that He rules over whether children are born.
- Genesis 30:2 (BSB)“Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?””Jacob confesses that only God, not a husband, can give or withhold children.
- Psalm 113:9 (BSB)“He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!”The psalmist praises the LORD for turning a barren woman into a joyful mother.
Theological
True or False: The narrator attributes Hannah’s barrenness directly to the LORD having closed her womb.
Answer: True
This is true. In the same breath as Elkanah’s love and the double portion, the narrator twice names the LORD as the one who had shut Hannah’s womb (1:5-6). Her barrenness lies within God’s providence, the same sovereignty seen when He closed the wombs of Abimelech’s household (Genesis 20:18) and that Jacob acknowledged before Rachel (Genesis 30:2). The God who withheld is also the God who gives, and the psalmist celebrates Him for making the childless woman a glad mother (Psalm 113:9), which is exactly the turn Hannah’s story takes.
- 1 Samuel 1:5 (BSB)“But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb.”Elkanah gives Hannah a double portion because he loves her, though she has no children.
- 1 Samuel 1:6 (BSB)“Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her viciously to taunt her.”The narrator states the cause of Hannah’s childlessness and the rival’s cruelty it provoked.
- Genesis 20:18 (BSB)“for on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household.”Earlier the LORD had closed the wombs of a whole household, showing that He rules over whether children are born.
- Genesis 30:2 (BSB)“Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?””Jacob confesses that only God, not a husband, can give or withhold children.
- Psalm 113:9 (BSB)“He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!”The psalmist praises the LORD for turning a barren woman into a joyful mother.
General
What reason did Hannah give when she named her son Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20)?
Answer: She had asked the LORD for him
After the family went back to Ramah, the LORD remembered Hannah. In time she became pregnant and had a son, and she called him Samuel, explaining that she had asked the LORD for him (1:19-20). Remembering here does not mean God had forgotten; it means He acted on her behalf, as when He remembered Rachel (Genesis 30:22) and attended to Sarah (Genesis 21:1-2). The text credits the birth to God’s action, and Hannah’s naming of the boy keeps the answered prayer before everyone. In the New Testament, Elizabeth’s son John is likewise given in answer to prayer (Luke 1:13).
- 1 Samuel 1:19-20 (BSB)“The next morning they got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then they returned home to Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.””The LORD remembers Hannah; she bears a son and names him Samuel, explaining that she asked the LORD for him.
- Genesis 30:22 (BSB)“Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb,”God likewise remembered Rachel and opened her womb, using the same language of remembering.
- Genesis 21:1-2 (BSB)“Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.”The LORD attended to Sarah and gave her a son at the promised time.
- Luke 1:13 (BSB)“But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.”Zechariah’s prayer was heard, and his wife Elizabeth bore a son, another child given in answer to prayer.
Theological
What explanation does Hannah give for the name Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20)?
Answer: She had asked the LORD for him
The LORD remembered Hannah, and she became pregnant and had a son, whom she named Samuel because she had asked the LORD for him (1:19-20). Divine remembering denotes God acting in covenant faithfulness, not recovering from forgetfulness, as with Rachel (Genesis 30:22) and Sarah (Genesis 21:1-2). The birth is credited to God; the name memorializes the answered petition, a pattern continued in the birth of John the Baptist in answer to Zechariah’s prayer (Luke 1:13).
- 1 Samuel 1:19-20 (BSB)“The next morning they got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then they returned home to Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.””The LORD remembers Hannah; she bears a son and names him Samuel, explaining that she asked the LORD for him.
- Genesis 30:22 (BSB)“Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb,”God likewise remembered Rachel and opened her womb, using the same language of remembering.
- Genesis 21:1-2 (BSB)“Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.”The LORD attended to Sarah and gave her a son at the promised time.
- Luke 1:13 (BSB)“But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.”Zechariah’s prayer was heard, and his wife Elizabeth bore a son, another child given in answer to prayer.
General
How did Peninnah treat Hannah on the family’s yearly visits to worship (1 Samuel 1:6-7)?
Answer: She mocked her until Hannah cried and refused food
Peninnah, whom the text calls Hannah’s rival, provoked her harshly because Hannah had no children. This happened year after year, and each time they traveled to the LORD’s house, Peninnah’s taunts left Hannah weeping and unable to eat (1:6-7). The Bible records similar painful rivalries in the families of the patriarchs: Hagar looked down on the childless Sarai (Genesis 16:4), and Rachel envied her sister Leah (Genesis 30:1). These homes had more than one wife, and the text shows the misery that followed rather than praising it. Hannah’s sorrow sets the scene for her prayer.
- 1 Samuel 1:6-7 (BSB)“Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her viciously to taunt her. And this went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival taunted her until she wept and would not eat.”Year after year Peninnah provokes Hannah at the house of the LORD until she weeps and refuses food.
- Genesis 16:4 (BSB)“And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.”Hagar despised the childless Sarai once she herself had conceived, a similar rivalry in Abraham’s household.
- Genesis 30:1 (BSB)“When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.”Rachel’s envy of her sister Leah shows how childlessness bred bitter rivalry between wives.
Theological
What does the narrator say Hannah’s rival did during the family’s annual visits to Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:6-7)?
Answer: She mocked her until Hannah cried and refused food
Peninnah is called Hannah’s rival, and she provoked her bitterly over her barrenness, repeatedly and even during the seasons of worship, until Hannah wept and refused food (1:6-7). The scene echoes the strife of earlier households with more than one wife, Hagar’s contempt for Sarai (Genesis 16:4) and Rachel’s envy of Leah (Genesis 30:1). The narrator records the domestic misery without endorsing the arrangement. Hannah’s grief becomes the occasion for her prayer.
- 1 Samuel 1:6-7 (BSB)“Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her viciously to taunt her. And this went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival taunted her until she wept and would not eat.”Year after year Peninnah provokes Hannah at the house of the LORD until she weeps and refuses food.
- Genesis 16:4 (BSB)“And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.”Hagar despised the childless Sarai once she herself had conceived, a similar rivalry in Abraham’s household.
- Genesis 30:1 (BSB)“When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.”Rachel’s envy of her sister Leah shows how childlessness bred bitter rivalry between wives.
General
Where did Elkanah travel every year to worship and offer sacrifices (1 Samuel 1:3)?
Answer: Shiloh, where Eli’s sons served as priests
Elkanah, a man from Ephraim’s hill country, made a trip every year to worship and offer sacrifices at Shiloh (1:3). Shiloh was where Israel had pitched the Tent of Meeting, the portable sanctuary from the wilderness years (Joshua 18:1), and an annual feast in honor of the LORD was held there (Judges 21:19). The law told God’s people to come before Him at the place He chose (Deuteronomy 16:16). The narrator also names the priests serving at Shiloh: Eli’s sons, named Hophni and Phinehas. Their names matter, because chapters 2 to 4 will show how they served and what became of them. No temple had yet been built in Jerusalem.
- 1 Samuel 1:3 (BSB)“Year after year Elkanah would go up from his city to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD.”Elkanah goes up every year to worship at Shiloh, where Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas serve as priests.
- Joshua 18:1 (BSB)“Then the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And though the land was subdued before them,”Israel had set up the Tent of Meeting at Shiloh, which is why worship and sacrifice took place there.
- Judges 21:19 (BSB)““But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.””Shiloh was already known for a yearly feast to the LORD in the period of the judges.
- Deuteronomy 16:16 (BSB)“Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed.”The law called Israel to appear before the LORD at the place He would choose, which explains these regular trips.
Theological
To which sanctuary did Elkanah make his annual pilgrimage, and who are named as its priests (1 Samuel 1:3)?
Answer: Shiloh, where Eli’s sons served as priests
Elkanah’s yearly worship took him to Shiloh (1:3), where the Tent of Meeting had stood since the conquest (Joshua 18:1) and where a yearly feast was kept (Judges 21:19), in keeping with the command to come before God where He would choose (Deuteronomy 16:16). The narrator immediately names the officiating priests, Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, setting up the contrast between this corrupt priesthood and the child Samuel that drives chapters 2 to 4. The Jerusalem temple did not yet exist.
- 1 Samuel 1:3 (BSB)“Year after year Elkanah would go up from his city to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD.”Elkanah goes up every year to worship at Shiloh, where Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas serve as priests.
- Joshua 18:1 (BSB)“Then the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And though the land was subdued before them,”Israel had set up the Tent of Meeting at Shiloh, which is why worship and sacrifice took place there.
- Judges 21:19 (BSB)““But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.””Shiloh was already known for a yearly feast to the LORD in the period of the judges.
- Deuteronomy 16:16 (BSB)“Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed.”The law called Israel to appear before the LORD at the place He would choose, which explains these regular trips.