Who Was Hannah in the Bible? The Mother of Samuel and Her Prayer

Hannah was the wife of Elkanah and the mother of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1-2, 1:20). For years she had no children, and her husband's other wife provoked her about it (1 Samuel 1:6). At the tabernacle in Shiloh she prayed for a son and vowed to give him to the Lord, and after Samuel was born and weaned she brought him to serve under Eli the priest (1 Samuel 1:11, 1:24-28). Her prayer of praise in 1 Samuel 2:1-10 is a song of praise to God for His holiness and power.

Hannah Quick Facts

Category	Details
Name meaning	Usually understood as "grace" or "favor"
Testament	Old Testament
Key books	1 Samuel 1:1-2:21
Time period	End of the period of the judges, about 1100 BC (traditional dating)
Family	Husband Elkanah; son Samuel, then three more sons and two daughters (1 Samuel 2:21)
Home	Ramathaim in the hill country of Ephraim (1 Samuel 1:1); the family's home is called Ramah in 1 Samuel 1:19
Known for	Praying for a son at Shiloh, dedicating Samuel to the Lord, and her song of praise

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Who Was Hannah in the Bible? Her Family Situation

Elkanah was a man from Ramathaim in the hill country of Ephraim. He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none (1 Samuel 1:1-2).

Each year Elkanah went up to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, served there as priests (1 Samuel 1:3). When Elkanah gave portions of the sacrifice to his family, he gave Hannah a double portion because he loved her, even though the Lord had closed her womb (1 Samuel 1:4-5).

Peninnah kept provoking Hannah to irritate her, and this went on year after year. Hannah would weep and not eat (1 Samuel 1:6-7). Elkanah asked her why she was downhearted and whether he did not mean more to her than ten sons (1 Samuel 1:8).

The household resembles earlier family stories in Genesis. Sarah was childless for many years (Genesis 11:30), and in Jacob's family, Rachel was loved but childless while her sister Leah had sons (Genesis 29:30-31).

Hannah's Prayer at Shiloh

After the family had eaten at Shiloh, Hannah stood up. In deep anguish she prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly (1 Samuel 1:9-10). She made a vow: if the Lord would look on her misery and give her a son, she would give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor would ever be used on his head (1 Samuel 1:11). Uncut hair was a sign of the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:5), the same sign that marked Samson from birth (Judges 13:5).

Eli's Mistake

Eli the priest was sitting by the doorpost of the Lord's house. Hannah was praying in her heart. Her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard, so Eli thought she was drunk and told her to put away her wine (1 Samuel 1:12-14).

Hannah answered that she had not been drinking. She was a deeply troubled woman who had been pouring out her soul to the Lord out of great anguish and grief (1 Samuel 1:15-16). Eli told her to go in peace and said he hoped the God of Israel would grant what she had asked. Hannah went away, ate something, and her face was no longer downcast (1 Samuel 1:17-18).

The Birth of Samuel

The family returned home to Ramah, and the Lord remembered Hannah. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying it was because she had asked the Lord for him (1 Samuel 1:19-20).

When Elkanah went up for the yearly sacrifice, Hannah stayed home. She told her husband that after the boy was weaned she would take him and present him before the Lord, and he would live there always. Elkanah agreed and told her to do what seemed best to her (1 Samuel 1:21-23).

Giving Samuel to the Lord

After Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh, young as he was. She brought a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine (1 Samuel 1:24). After the bull was sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli. Hannah reminded Eli that she was the woman he had seen praying there (1 Samuel 1:25-26). Then she said:

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." (1 Samuel 1:27-28)

Hannah's Song

Hannah then prayed a song of praise (1 Samuel 2:1). It begins with her heart rejoicing in the Lord, and it moves quickly from her own story to the character of God:

"There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God." (1 Samuel 2:2)

The song describes God reversing human conditions:

• The bows of warriors are broken, and those who stumbled are armed with strength (1 Samuel 2:4).
• The woman who was barren gives birth to seven, and she who has had many sons pines away (1 Samuel 2:5).
• The Lord brings death and makes alive, sends poverty and wealth, humbles and exalts (1 Samuel 2:6-7).
• He raises the poor from the dust and seats them with princes (1 Samuel 2:8).

The song ends by saying the Lord will give strength to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed (1 Samuel 2:10). At that point Israel had no king. Hannah's son would later anoint Israel's first two kings, Saul and David (1 Samuel 10:1; 16:13).

The song recorded by Luke in which Mary praises God after learning she will bear Jesus shares several of these themes. Mary speaks of God bringing down rulers, lifting up the humble, and filling the hungry (Luke 1:46-55).

After Samuel Went to Shiloh

Elkanah went home to Ramah, and the boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli (1 Samuel 2:11). Eli's sons were wicked men who treated the Lord's offering with contempt (1 Samuel 2:12, 2:17). Samuel, by contrast, ministered before the Lord wearing a linen ephod (1 Samuel 2:18).

Each year Hannah made Samuel a little robe and brought it to him when she went up with her husband for the annual sacrifice (1 Samuel 2:19). Eli blessed Elkanah and Hannah and asked the Lord to give them children to take the place of the one she had given (1 Samuel 2:20). The Lord was gracious to Hannah, and she gave birth to three sons and two daughters, while Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord (1 Samuel 2:18-21).

The Bible does not mention Hannah again after this point or record her death.

Lessons From Hannah's Life

• Grief can be brought to God. Hannah described herself as pouring out her soul to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15).
• Prayer can be silent. Her lips moved without sound, and God heard her (1 Samuel 1:13, 1:19-20).
• Vows to God are to be kept. Hannah fulfilled her promise and brought Samuel to Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:11, 1:24-28; Ecclesiastes 5:4).
• God lifts the humble. Her song celebrates the Lord raising the poor and the barren (1 Samuel 2:5-8).

Where Hannah Appears in the Bible

• 1 Samuel 1: Her childlessness, her prayer and vow, Samuel's birth and dedication
• 1 Samuel 2:1-10: Hannah's song
• 1 Samuel 2:18-21: The yearly robe and her later children

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Hannah in the Bible?

Hannah was the wife of Elkanah and the mother of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1-2, 1:20). After years without children, she prayed for a son and dedicated him to the Lord's service at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:11, 1:24-28).

What did Hannah pray for?

Hannah prayed for a son and vowed that if the Lord gave her one, she would give him to the Lord for his whole life (1 Samuel 1:11).

Why did Eli think Hannah was drunk?

Hannah was praying in her heart. Her lips were moving but no sound came out, so Eli assumed she had been drinking (1 Samuel 1:12-14).

How many children did Hannah have?

Hannah had six children: Samuel, then three more sons and two daughters (1 Samuel 1:20; 2:21).

What is the Song of Hannah?

The Song of Hannah is the prayer of praise she offered after dedicating Samuel, recorded in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. It praises God's holiness and describes Him humbling the proud and lifting up the poor.