Chana (Bible)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Hannah (; ''Ḥannā'' "favor, grace") is one of the wives of
Elkanah Elkanah ( ''’Ĕlqānā'' "El (deity), El has purchased") was, according to the Books of Samuel, First Book of Samuel, the husband of Hannah (biblical figure), Hannah, and the father of her children including her first, Samuel. Elkanah practiced ...
mentioned in the
First Book of Samuel The Book of Samuel () is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) that constitute a theological ...
. According to the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...
.


Biblical narrative

The narrative about Hannah can be found in . Outside of the first two chapters of 1 Samuel, she is not otherwise mentioned in the Bible. In the biblical narrative, Hannah is one of two wives of
Elkanah Elkanah ( ''’Ĕlqānā'' "El (deity), El has purchased") was, according to the Books of Samuel, First Book of Samuel, the husband of Hannah (biblical figure), Hannah, and the father of her children including her first, Samuel. Elkanah practiced ...
. The other,
Peninnah Peninnah ( ''Pəninnā''; sometimes Transliteration, transliterated ''Penina'') was one of Elkanah (husband of Hannah), Elkanah's two wives, briefly mentioned in the first Book of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:2). Her name derives from the word (''pəninā ...
, had given birth to Elkanah's children, but Hannah remained
childless ''Childless'' is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Charlie Levi and starring Barbara Hershey, Joe Mantegna, James Naughton and Diane Venora. The sudden passing of a teenage girl unsettles the four adults in her life. Jarred by ...
. Nevertheless, Elkanah preferred Hannah. According to Lillian Klein, the use of this
chiasmus In rhetoric, chiasmus ( ) or, less commonly, chiasm (Latin term from Greek , "crossing", from the Ancient Greek, Greek , , "to shape like the letter chi (letter), Χ"), is a "reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses ...
underscores the standing of the women: Hannah is the primary wife, yet Peninnah has succeeded in bearing children. Hannah's status as primary wife and her barrenness recall
Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...
and
Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...
in
Genesis 17 Lech-Lecha, Lekh-Lekha, or Lech-L'cha ( ''leḵ-ləḵā''—Hebrew language, Hebrew for "go!" or "leave!", literally "go for you"—the incipit, fifth and sixth words in the parashah) is the third weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the ...
and
Genesis 25 Toledot, Toldot, Toldos, or Toldoth (—Hebrew language, Hebrew for "generations" or "descendants," the second word and the Incipit, first distinctive word in the ''parashah'') is the sixth weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Judais ...
respectively. Klein suggests that Elkanah took Peninnah as a second wife because of Hannah's barrenness.Klein, Lillian, "Hannah: Bible", Jewish Women's Archive
20 March 2009
Every year, Elkanah would offer a sacrifice at the Shiloh sanctuary, and give Peninnah and her children a portion but he gave Hannah a double portion "because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb" (1 Samuel 1:5, NIV). One day Hannah went up to the
Tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...
and prayed with great weeping (I Samuel 1:10), while
Eli Eli most commonly refers to: * Eli (name), a given name, nickname and surname * Eli (biblical figure) Eli or ELI may also refer to: Film * ''Eli'' (2015 film), a Tamil film * ''Eli'' (2019 film), an American horror film Music * ''Eli'' (Jan ...
the
High Priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious organisation. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many god ...
was sitting on a chair near the doorpost. In her prayer, she asked God for a son and in return she vowed to give the son back to God for the service of God. She promised he would remain a
Nazarite In the Hebrew Bible, a nazirite or a nazarite ( ''Nāzīr'') is an Israelite (i.e. Jewish) man or woman who voluntarily took a vow which is described in . This vow required the nazirite to: * Abstain from wine and strong drink as well as all oth ...
all the days of his life. According to Lillian Klein, the value of women is demonstrably enhanced by their child-bearing capacities. The narrative takes her pain and places it in her personal failure and then draws it out in a communal context. The desperation of Hannah's vow indicates that merely bearing a male child would establish her in the community. Eli thought she was drunk and questioned her. When she explained herself, he blessed her and sent her home. Hannah conceived and bore a son, and named him Samuel, literally ''Heard by God'', "since she had asked the Lord for him" (1 Samuel 1:20 NAB). She raised him until he was weaned and brought him to the temple along with a sacrifice. Hannah is also considered to be a prophetess: in her song of thanksgiving () she is inspired “to discern in her own individual experience the universal laws of the divine economy, and to recognise its significance for the whole course of the Kingdom of God".Kirkpatrick, A. F.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 1 Samuel 2
accessed 17 April 2017
This song may be compared to the
Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for "y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary or Canticle of Mary, and in the Byzantine Rite as the Ode of the Theotokos (). Its Western name derives from the incipit of its Latin text. This ...
,
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
's song of thanksgiving in the
New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
(), but biblical commentator A. F. Kirkpatrick notes that "the ''Magnificat'' should be carefully compared with Hannah's song, of which it is an echo rather than an imitation. The resemblance lies in thought and tone more than in actual language, and supplies a most delicate and valuable testimony to the appropriateness of this hymn to Hannah's circumstances". Eli announced another blessing on Hannah, and she conceived 3 more sons and 2 daughters, making six in total.


In contemporary biblical criticism

Hannah's conflict with her rival, her barrenness, and her longing for a son are stereotypical motifs. According to Michelle Osherow, Hannah represents the character of the earnest petitioner and grateful celebrant of divine glory. Hannah was an important figure for early English
Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
, which emphasized the importance of private prayer.Osherow, Michelle. ''Biblical Women's Voices in Early Modern England'', Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2009
The Jerusalem Talmud took Hannah as an exemplar of prayer. The story of Hannah is the
Haftarah The ''haftara'' or (in Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazic pronunciation) ''haftorah'' (alt. ''haftarah, haphtara'', ) "parting," "taking leave" (plural form: ''haftarot'' or ''haftoros''), is a series of selections from the books of ''Nevi'im'' ("Pr ...
reading for
Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...
.


Samuel or Saul

The Hebrew form of the name "Saul" is ''shaul,'' and the story of Samuel's birth contains repeated uses the related verbal root ''sh-'-l'' in various forms, including in the verse in which Hannah explains her son's name (1:20). In verse 28, the form ''shaul'' ("lent") itself is found, identical to the Hebrew name of Saul. As a result, it has been suggested by
critical Critical or Critically may refer to: *Critical, or critical but stable, medical states **Critical, or intensive care medicine * Critical juncture, a discontinuous change studied in the social sciences. *Critical Software, a company specializing i ...
commentators the story was originally about the birth of Saul, but that the name "Samuel" was substituted for Saul at a later date. Alternatively,
Nadav Na'aman Nadav Na'aman (Hebrew language, Hebrew: נדב נעמן; born in 1939 in Jerusalem) is an Israeli archaeologist and historian. He specializes in the study of the Near East in the second and first millenniums Current Era , BCE. His research combin ...
argues that the verbal root ''sh-'-l'' is actually related to the name "Shiloh", the place where Samuel was born.


Vows

Numbers 30:11-13 allows a husband to nullify a vow made by his wife, if he registers his objection when he learns of it. However, if he says nothing, the vow is allowed as valid. The next time Elkanah goes to Shiloh, Hannah remains home to care for her child, but tells him that she will present the boy to the Lord when he is weaned. Elkanah responds, "Do what you think best." By the time "the child was weaned"—there is some debate as to what age Samuel was dedicated to the Temple—Hannah serves the soundness of her promise by bringing a viable child to serve in the sanctuary, already educated in the ways of the Lord. The quality of one's sacrifice reflected the quality of one's faith. In Leviticus, provisions were made for redeeming vows or pledges in money that would go to the support of the priests and the sanctuary. So Hannah could have chosen that option to fulfill her vow, if on calm reflection, once she had her son, she felt unable to part with him.


In art

William Wailes William Wailes (1808–1881) was the proprietor of one of England's largest and most prolific stained glass workshops. Life and career Wailes was born and grew up in Newcastle on Tyne, England's centre of domestic glass and bottle manufacturing. ...
created a stained-glass window depicting Hannah, Samuel and Eli for the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Ambleside, Great Britain."A Mother in Israel", Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University
/ref>


In fiction

*Smith, Eileen, Jill, "A Passionate Hope: Hannah's Story, Daughters of the Promised Land" (2018) *Moore, H.B., "Hannah: Mother of a Prophet" (2022) *Etzioni-Halevy, Eve "The Song of Hannah" (2005)


See also

*
Tel Arad Tel Arad () or Tell 'Arad () is an archaeological site consisting of a lower section and a Tell (archaeology), tell or mound, located west of the Dead Sea, about west of the Israeli city of Arad, Israel, Arad in an area surrounded by mountain r ...
*
Midrash Samuel Midrash Samuel (Hebrew: ''מדרש שמואל'') is an aggadic midrash on the books of Samuel. Names It is first quoted by Rashi, who calls it by several names: "Midrash Shmuel", "Aggadat Midrash Shmuel", "Aggadah deShmuel", and "Midrash 'Et l ...
*
Song of Hannah The Song of Hannah is a poem interpreting the prose text of the Books of Samuel. According to the surrounding narrative, the poem, 1 Samuel 2:1–10, was a prayer delivered by Hannah to give thanks to God for the birth of her son, Samuel. It is s ...


References

{{Authority control Books of Samuel people Women in the Hebrew Bible Eli (biblical figure) Samuel