Hannah
“Grace, graciousness, or favor”
Summary
Hannah was the beloved but childless wife of Elkanah the Levite who, after fervent prayer at Shiloh, gave birth to Samuel and dedicated him to lifelong service at the tabernacle, composing a magnificent prophetic psalm of praise.
☩Trial and Prayer
Hannah was the beloved wife of Elkanah, a Levite from Ramathaim-zophim, but her childlessness was a source of deep grief, especially under the taunts of her rival Peninnah, Elkanah's other wife who had children. During the annual pilgrimage to Shiloh, Hannah was so distressed she could not participate in the festive meal. In her anguish, she prayed silently—so intensely that her lips moved without sound, leading the high priest Eli to suspect she was drunk.
☩The Vow and Its Fulfillment
Hannah vowed that if God gave her a son, she would dedicate him as a Nazarite to serve the Lord all his life. God granted her petition, and she named her son Samuel ("heard of God"). After weaning him, she brought Samuel to Shiloh with sacrifices and presented him to Eli, reminding him of her former prayer: "For this child I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition."
☩Hannah's Song
Hannah's thanksgiving erupted in an exalted prophetic hymn celebrating God's reversal of human conditions—the mighty brought low, the humble exalted, the barren made fruitful, the proud silenced. Her song anticipates Mary's Magnificat and contains early references to the Lord's "anointed" (messiah), pointing to the future king whom her son would anoint. Each year she visited Samuel, bringing him a little robe, and God blessed her with three more sons and two daughters.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Hannah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Hannah," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Hannah," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Hannah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).