1 Samuel 1:1-28 | The Way of Scripture

1 Samuel 1:1-28

How does Hannah’s prayer become part of Israel’s story?

Berean Standard Bible

1 Now 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. 2 He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. 3 Year 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. 4 And 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. 5 But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb. 6 Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her viciously to taunt her. 7 And 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?”
9 So after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 10 In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.” 12 As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!” 15 “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman, for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.” 17 “Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him.” 18 “May your maidservant find favor with you,” said Hannah. Then she went on her way, and she began to eat, and her face was no longer downcast.
19 The next morning they got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then they returned home to Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. 20 So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.” 21 Then Elkanah and all his house went up to make the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, 22 but Hannah did not go. “After the boy is weaned,” she said to her husband, “I will take him to appear before the LORD and to stay there permanently.” 23 “Do what you think is best,” her husband Elkanah replied, “and stay here until you have weaned him. Only may the LORD confirm His word.” So Hannah stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
24 Once she had weaned him, Hannah took the boy with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. Though the boy was still young, she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. 25 And when they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26 “Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. 27 I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him, 28 I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.

What is the context?

This chapter follows Hannah from a painful family situation to the dedication of her son at Shiloh. Peninnah repeatedly taunts her for having no children. Elkanah loves her, yet his affection does not end her grief. The family continues its yearly worship while these wounds remain.

Hannah asks God for a son and promises his lifelong service to the LORD. Eli initially mistakes her silent prayer for drunkenness. After she explains, he blesses her, and she leaves able to eat again. Her relief precedes the answer she hopes for.

The LORD remembers Hannah, and Samuel is born. She nurses him at home before bringing him to Eli. The chapter does not give his exact age. She returns to the place where she prayed, acknowledges God’s answer, and follows through on her promise. The ending is worship rather than a celebration of her own ability to obtain an answer.

The family’s location in Ephraim does not by itself settle its ancestry. First Chronicles 6:33–38 traces Samuel and his father Elkanah through Kohath to Levi. That identifies a Levitical family; it does not make every member a priest descended from Aaron.

How is this passage commonly understood?

The broad reading is shared across Christian traditions: God hears Hannah, Samuel’s birth answers her prayer, and she dedicates him to the LORD. Henry stresses both the freedom to bring a specific need to God and the responsibility to give thanks for what has been received. He also treats Eli’s first response as a warning against judging distress by appearances.

Wesley highlights the lifelong character of Samuel’s dedication and the change in Hannah before the birth. His explanation includes inward assurance from God’s Spirit. The account itself explicitly records her prayer, Eli’s blessing, her changed expression, and God remembering her. Those details should remain distinct from a commentator’s explanation of the parts the narrator leaves unstated.

Where does this fit in God's plan?

Samuel’s story begins with one woman’s anguish, but his life belongs to a larger history. The New Testament explicitly includes Samuel among the prophets whose witness points toward the days of Jesus. In Acts 3:22–26, Peter connects that prophetic witness with God’s promise to Abraham and blessing reaching the families of the earth.

Acts does not turn every action in Hannah’s household into a hidden prediction. It does establish that the child introduced here will belong to the prophetic witness leading toward Christ. God’s answer to a personal prayer becomes part of His work for people far beyond that family.

What is our position?

Our study Prayer and Faith reads Hannah’s request as an honest desire placed within God’s purposes. She asks for a son and promises his whole life to God’s service. The account says that God remembered her; it does not make the answer a reward for reaching a certain level of persistence or emotion. Samuel’s life will serve a purpose much larger than the relief of Hannah’s sorrow.

Where can I study this further?

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