1 Samuel 1:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

NASB: And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

CSB: He had two wives, the first named Hannah and the second Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.

NLT: Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Elkanah (1 Samuel 1:1), who becomes the father of Samuel, had two wives. Polygamy was not rare in Israel at this time, especially when the first wife was barren. Continuing the family line was one of the highest cultural values of the day; producing an heir was all-important for a man. Those who struggled with infertility, yet could afford to support a larger family, often took a second wife to keep trying for children.

That's why Abraham's wife Sarah finally urged Abraham to take her Egyptian servant Hagar (Genesis 16:1–3). Rachel, also childless, did the same with Jacob and her servant Bilhah (Genesis 30:3–4). This was a move followed by Jacob's other wife, Leah, with her servant Zilpah (Genesis 30:9–10).

For those reasons (1 Samuel 1:5–6), it's likely Elkanah's first wife was Hannah. He was able to have children with his second wife Peninnah, but he still loved Hannah dearly and treated her with special favor (1 Samuel 1:5).

First Samuel 1:1–20 describes how Samuel the prophet came to be born. His mother Hannah was barren and mocked by her husband's other wife, who had many children. During a family feast at Shiloh, Hannah prayed out of her deep despair. She vowed to give her son back to God if He would allow her to conceive. Once Eli, the priest, understood that Hannah was not drunk, he told her the Lord would grant her request. Satisfied, she returned home and soon gave birth to a boy. She named him Samuel.

Elkanah lives in Ephraim with two wives. Hannah is barren, while his other wife has many children. At the annual family sacrifice and feast in Shiloh, Hannah weeps and pours out her grief before the Lord. She vows to give a son to Him for lifelong service if the Lord gives her a boy. After confronting Hannah for drunkenness and then seeing that she was praying from her depth of emotion, Eli the priest blesses Hannah and affirms her prayer. Elkanah and Hannah conceive, and she gives birth to a son that she names Samuel. Once he is weaned, she presents him to Eli at the temple and gives him over to the Lord as long as he lives.

First Samuel 1 begins the story of Samuel with the account of his unlikely-seeming birth. Samuel's mother Hannah is barren. During a family trip to temple of the Lord in Shiloh, she weeps bitterly before the Lord and pours out her grief. She vows to give a son back to the Lord if He will allow her to bear one. Eli the priest blesses her and affirms her prayer. Before long, Samuel is conceived and born. Once he is weaned, Hannah brings the boy and a large sacrifice to the temple. She gives Samuel over to the Lord.

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.

Accessed 5/6/2024 11:45:25 AM