I Samuel 1:1-8 · Bible study
1 Samuel 1:1-8 Commentary: The Sorrow and Faith of Hannah's Household
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine the opening of 1 Samuel, Elkanah's lineage, the family's yearly worship, and the pain of childlessness that sets the stage for Samuel's birth.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The opening scene establishes the family conflict and Hannah’s barrenness as the backdrop for Samuel’s miraculous birth.
- Key words: “Ephraimite” (H0673/ethnonym: a resident of Ephraim, not necessarily of the tribe); “shut up her womb” (H5462 H7358: a divine action, repeated for emphasis); “portion” (H4490, with the phrase “one portion of two faces” indicating a double share).
- Main debate: Whether “Ephraimite” refers to tribal descent or geographic residence, given the Levitical genealogy in 1 Chronicles 6.
- Theological theme: God’s sovereignty over human fertility and the crucible of prolonged suffering that precedes His intervention.
- Best use: Preaching or teaching on infertility, family conflict, faithful worship in hard seasons, and the role of waiting in God’s plan.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1Now there was a man named Elkanah who was from Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
3Year 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.
4And whenever the day came for Elkanah to present his sacrifice, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.
5But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb.
6Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her and taunt her viciously.
7And 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.
8“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?”
WEB World English Bible 2000
1Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2He had two wives. The name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3This man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of Armies in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Yahweh, were there.
4When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters;
5but he gave a double portion to Hannah, for he loved Hannah, but Yahweh had shut up her womb.
6Her rival provoked her severely, to irritate her, because Yahweh had shut up her womb.
7So year by year, when she went up to Yahweh’s house, her rival provoked her. Therefore she wept, and didn’t eat.
8Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why don’t you eat? Why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
KJV King James Version 1769
1Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim–zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:
2And 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.
3And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.
4And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:
5But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb.
6And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.
7And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
8Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite:
2and 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.
3And this man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice unto Jehovah of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests unto Jehovah, were there.
4And when the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:
5but unto Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but Jehovah had shut up her womb.
6And her rival provoked her sore, to make her fret, because Jehovah had shut up her womb.
7And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of Jehovah, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
8And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1And there is a certain man of Ramathaim-Zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name is Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, and Ephrathite,
2and he hath two wives, the name of the one is Hannah, and the name of the second Peninnah, and Peninnah hath children, and Hannah hath no children.
3And that man hath gone up out of his city from time to time, to bow himself, and to sacrifice, before Jehovah of Hosts, in Shiloh, and there are two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Jehovah.
4And the day cometh, and Elkanah sacrificeth, and he hath given to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions,
5and to Hannah he giveth a certain portion--double, for he hath loved Hannah, and Jehovah hath shut her womb;
6and her adversity hath also provoked her greatly, so as to make her tremble, for Jehovah hath shut up her womb.
7And so he doth year by year, from the time of her going up into the house of Jehovah, so it provoketh her, and she weepeth, and doth not eat.
8And Elkanah her husband saith to her, `Hannah, why weepest thou? and why dost thou not eat? and why is thy heart afflicted? am I not better to thee than ten sons?'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1And there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.
2And 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.
3And this man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice to Jehovah of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of Jehovah, were there.
4And it came to pass on the day that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters portions;
5but to Hannah he used to give a double portion, for he loved Hannah; but Jehovah had shut up her womb.
6And her adversary provoked her much also, to make her fret, because Jehovah had shut up her womb.
7And [as] he did so year by year, as often as she went up to the house of Jehovah, she provoked her thus; and she wept and did not eat.
8And Elkanah her husband said to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than ten sons?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1There was a man of Ramathaimsophim, of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elcana, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliu, the son of Thohu, the son of Suph, an Ephraimite:
2And he had two wives, the name of one was Anna, and the name of the other Phenenna. Phenenna had children: but Anna had no children.
3And this man went up out of his city upon the appointed days, to adore and to offer sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Silo. And the two sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were there priests of the Lord.
4Now the day came, and Elcana offered sacrifice, and gave to Phenenna, his wife, and to all her sons and daughters, portions:
5But to Anna he gave one portion with sorrow, because he loved Anna. And the Lord had shut up her womb.
6Her rival also afflicted her, and troubled her exceedingly, insomuch that she upbraided her, that the Lord had shut up her womb:
7And thus she did every year, when the time returned, that they went up to the temple of the Lord: and thus she provoked her: but Anna wept, and did not eat.
8Then Elcana, her husband, said to her: Anna, why weepest thou? and why dost thou not eat? and why dost thou afflict thy heart? Am not I better to thee than ten children?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Samuel 1:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this opening scene introduces Samuel’s family with deliberate theological care. Elkanah is called an Ephrathite because he lived in the hill country of Ephraim, but 1 Chronicles 6:33, 38 traces his lineage to Kohath, the Levite. Barnes states that “Ephrathite” indicates residence, not tribal descent. The Cambridge Bible and Gill both note that polygamy, while legally tolerated under the Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 21:15, 17), created the bitterness that drives the narrative. The Cambridge Bible further observes that the Hebrew verb tenses in verses 4, 7 express repeated action: “he used to give… her adversary used to provoke her.” This annual cycle of worship, gift-giving, and provocation frames Hannah’s desperation. Clarke and Gill highlight that Peninnah’s taunting exploited what Hannah could not control, her barrenness, which the text explicitly attributes to Yahweh. Elkanah’s love for Hannah, expressed through the double portion and his tender question in verse 8, was real, but it could not fill the void left by childlessness. The commentators thus read these verses as setting the stage for God’s surprising answer.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Geographic designation (majority view): 1 Chronicles 6:33–38 traces Elkanah to Kohath; “Ephraimite” describes residence in the hill country of Ephraim, supported by commentators (Barnes, Cambridge, Gill).
- Bethlehem connection: “Ephrathite” can refer to Bethlehem (Ruth 1:2; 1 Samuel 17:12). Wesley and some older readings connect Elkanah to Bethlehem-judah by residence.
- Tribal identification (minority): A literal reading of “Ephraimite” as tribal descent would contradict the Levitical genealogy, requiring a harmonization or text-critical solution.
What is clear: Elkanah lived in the hill country of Ephraim and was the father of Samuel; his identity as a Levite is affirmed by the Chronicler.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Elkanah's tribal identity | He was physically present in the hill country of Ephraim. | Most commentators (Barnes, Cambridge, Gill) say he was a Levite living in Ephraim (1 Chronicles 6). A minority read “Ephraimite” as indicating tribal membership, creating a contradiction with the Chronicler. |
| Meaning of the 'worthy portion' (v. 5) | Elkanah gave Hannah a special, larger portion because he loved her. | The Hebrew “one portion of two faces” is obscure. Some translate it as a double portion (WEB, ASV), others as a choice or worthy portion (KJV, Clarke), and the Vulgate renders it “one portion with sorrow” (Douay). |
| Polygamy's moral status | Polygamy was practiced by many OT figures and legally tolerated under the Mosaic Law. | Christians generally hold that polygamy violates the original creation order (Matthew 19:4, 5). Some see it as a permitted but inferior arrangement in ancient Israel; others view it as a concession that still carried consequences. |
| Cause of Hannah's barrenness | The text attributes it directly to Yahweh: “Yahweh had shut up her womb.” | Some traditions emphasize God's sovereign purposes in withholding children for a time. Others, while affirming the text, stress that the biblical God is not the author of evil and that suffering exists within His mysterious plan. |
| Peninnah's role | Peninnah is called Hannah's “adversary” and provoked her severely. | Some see her as simply a jealous co-wife; others view her as used by God to intensify Hannah's longing and drive her to prayer. The text does not morally evaluate Peninnah beyond describing her actions. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The narrative opens in the period of the judges, a time of religious and social instability (Judges 21:25). Shiloh served as Israel’s central sanctuary, where the tabernacle had been set up after the conquest (Joshua 18:1). Elkanah’s yearly pilgrimage, likely to one of the three annual feasts required by the Law (Exodus 34:23; Deuteronomy 16:16), demonstrates his piety even when the priests at Shiloh were corrupt. The title “Yahweh of Hosts” appears here for the first time, signaling God’s sovereignty over heaven’s armies.
Elkanah’s designation as “an Ephrathite” (or “Ephraimite”) is the central historical puzzle of this unit. Because 1 Chronicles 6 records his Levitical genealogy, most commentators understand “Ephraimite” as a geographic descriptor: he lived in the hill country of Ephraim, not that he belonged to that tribe. Wesley clarifies that he was “one of Bethlehem-judah by his birth and habitation, though by his original a Levite.” The place name Ramathaim-zophim (“two heights of the watchmen”) likely refers to a twin-peaked town, later shortened to Ramah.
Polygamy, though contrary to the original creation ordinance (Genesis 2:24), was legally tolerated in ancient Israel (Deuteronomy 21:15, 17). The practice often led to domestic conflict, as seen here. Hannah’s barrenness places her in the company of the matriarchs Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, signaling that God is about to act in a special way. The text underscores the Lord’s sovereignty: three times it states that “Yahweh had shut up her womb” (vv. 5, 6). In the ancient Near East, childlessness was often viewed as a divine curse or personal failure. Within this cultural frame, Peninnah’s cruelty and Hannah’s tears become more than personal, they raise deep questions about God’s favor and the meaning of suffering.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant manuscript variants for 1 Samuel 1:1, 8. The main textual difficulty is interpretive: the Hebrew phrase in verse 5, manah achat appayim (literally “one portion of two faces”). It is rendered variously as “a worthy portion” (KJV), “a double portion” (WEB, ASV), or “one portion with sorrow” (Douay). The Cambridge Bible calls it “an obscure expression.” Most modern translations follow the sense of a double portion, comparing Genesis 43:34 where Joseph gives Benjamin a fivefold portion. The word appayim (the dual of “nose” or “face”) may indicate something doubled or of double size.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, Hannah became the model of fervent prayer, her story is read on Rosh Hashanah, and rabbinic literature praises her silent prayer as the paradigm for heartfelt petition. The early church saw in Hannah a type of the praying believer, and her song in 1 Samuel 2 heavily influenced Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46, 55). Augustine and other church fathers highlighted her perseverance in the face of prolonged barrenness. Medieval interpreters often allegorized the rivalry between Hannah and Peninnah as the struggle between the synagogue and the church, or between the soul and worldly distractions. The Reformation’s emphasis on plain-sense reading brought renewed attention to the historical setting and to God’s sovereign hand in Hannah’s suffering. Across traditions, these verses continue to speak to those who wait long for God to act.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Faithful worship in the middle of family pain. Elkanah went up to Shiloh year after year, even though the family he brought carried conflict and grief. His persistence teaches that worship is not canceled by suffering; it is the place where suffering is brought before God.
- The cruelty of comparison and provocation. Peninnah used her children as a weapon. Her taunting reminds us that the people closest to us can wound us most deeply, and that prolonged bitterness hardens hearts.
- The limits of human comfort. Elkanah’s love for Hannah was genuine, but his question, “Am I not better to you than ten sons?”, shows that even the best human affection cannot satisfy the deepest longings of the soul. Only God can.
Five-point outline
- God’s sovereign design in barrenness. The narrator insists that Yahweh shut Hannah’s womb. This is not fate or chance. It is the Lord withholding, preparing to give something greater.
- The yearly rhythm of hope and disappointment. “Year by year” the pattern repeated, worship, gift, provocation, tears. Faithfulness does not always bring immediate relief, but it keeps the relationship with God alive.
- The double portion as a sign of love. Elkanah gave Hannah a double portion because he loved her. Yet his favor could not override the shame her culture attached to childlessness. Love can be both real and insufficient.
- The taunt that targets the wound. Peninnah provoked Hannah “to irritate her.” She knew exactly where Hannah hurt. Cruelty often knows its aim.
- The question that points beyond itself. “Am I not better to you than ten sons?” The answer is no, and yes. No human can replace the gift of a child, but Elkanah’s words unwittingly point to the One who is better than every gift.
Illustration hooks
- A couple struggling with infertility receives cheerful announcements from friends. Each baby shower feels like a fresh wound, and well-meaning comments like “just relax” only sting more.
- An employee who has been passed over for promotion watches a colleague receive public praise. The comparison is not explicitly cruel, but it eats away inside.
- A family holiday where one sibling is married with children and the other is single or childless. The conversation turns to grandchildren, and the one who doesn’t fit feels invisible.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God allow some couples to suffer through infertility while others conceive easily?
- Is it a sin to feel bitter toward God when He withholds something we long for?
- How can I support a friend or family member in pain without resorting to empty platitudes?
Leading a Discussion
This passage opens the story of Samuel, Israel’s great prophet. But the narrator does not rush past the pain. He lets us sit with Hannah’s tears. As you discuss these verses, pay attention to how each character responds to the situation. Ask yourselves what God might be doing beneath the surface.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 1, 2. Why does the narrator include Elkanah’s genealogy and the contrast between Peninnah’s children and Hannah’s childlessness?
- What stands out to you about Elkanah’s yearly worship at Shiloh? What kind of man does this repeated journey reveal him to be?
- Compare the portions given to Peninnah and to Hannah. What does the double portion say about Elkanah’s feelings? How do you think it affected the family dynamics?
- Verses 5 and 6 both say “Yahweh had shut up her womb.” Why do you think the writer emphasizes this? How does this statement shape your understanding of Hannah’s suffering?
- Peninnah provoked Hannah “year by year” (v. 7). What drives someone to inflict the same wound repeatedly? Have you ever seen long-term bitterness play out in a relationship?
- Elkanah asks, “Am I not better to you than ten sons?” (v. 8). In what ways is his question loving? In what ways does it miss the point?
- The rest of the story shows that God was not ignoring Hannah. How does knowing what comes next, Samuel’s birth and ministry, change the way you read these opening verses about pain and waiting?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Joshua 17:17 | Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, that is, to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people, and have great power. You shall not have one lot only; |
| Joshua 17:18 | but the hill country shall be yours. Although it is a forest, you shall cut it down, and it’s farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.” |
| Joshua 24:33 | Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in the hill of Phinehas his son, which was given him in the hill country of Ephraim. |
| Judges 12:5 | The Gileadites took the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. Whenever a fugitive of Ephraim said, “Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No;” |
| Judges 17:1 | There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. |
| Judges 19:1 | In those days, when there was no king in Israel, there was a certain Levite living on the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim, who took for himself a concubine out of Bethlehem Judah. |
| Ruth 1:2 | The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab and lived there. |
| I Samuel 1:19 | They rose up in the morning early and worshiped Yahweh, then returned and came to their house to Ramah. Then Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and Yahweh remembered her. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes sees Hannah's barrenness as more than personal tragedy: it parallels the Church's apparent weakness in dark times, which God reverses at His chosen moment into glorious triumph. He also highlights that "Lord of Hosts" appears here for the first time, asserting God's supremacy over the starry powers that Israel's neighbors worshipped.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies Elkanah as a Levite from the Kohathite line, a descendant of Korah, making Samuel a member of that family. He explains that the name Ramathaimzophim refers to two hills with watchtowers, likely a school of prophets, and clarifies that Elkanah is called an Ephrathite because he dwelled in Mount Ephraim, not because he came from Bethlehem.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights that Elkanah, though a Levite bound by the original law against polygamy, still had two wives — a common practice when every man did what seemed right. The larger portion he gave Hannah was an Eastern custom of favoring a beloved wife, which fueled Peninnah's harsh provocation.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch sees Samuel's birth as the hinge point between Israel's judges and its monarchy. Samuel, consecrated as a Nazarite from the womb, would deliver Israel not by military force but through the spiritual power of his word and prayer, and he established the prophetic office as a permanent force alongside the priesthood and kingship.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange views the opening of Samuel as a deliberate turning point: the priesthood had failed, and a new prophetic order was necessary to restore the nation's heart. Hannah's devout vow and her son's birth are not merely personal blessings but God's providential preparation of the reformer who would reunite Israel around the living God.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry explains that the books bear Samuel's name not because he wrote them entirely, but