1 Samuel 1:1

ELKANAH AND HIS TWO WIVES

"There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 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."

"Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters; and although he loved Hannah, he would give Hannah only one portion, because the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival used to provoke her sorely, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons"?"

"Rama-thaim-Zophim". There were not less than eight places called "Ramah" mentioned in the O.T., most of then within five or ten miles of Jerusalem.[1] There is not enough information to determine exactly which location was referred to here.

"Elkanah ... an Ephraimite." Elkanah was an Ephraimite only in the sense that he lived in the hill country of Ephraim. He was most certainly a Levite as positively indicated in the account of his ancestry given in 1 Chronicles 6:33. Furthermore, as Keil pointed out, the very name "Elkanah" identifies him as a Levite. "All of the Elkanahs mentioned in the O.T. (with a single exception) can be proved to have been Levites."[2] R. Payne Smith stressed the fact that, "`Elkanah' was a name commonly used among the Kohathites, to which division of the sons of Levi Samuel belonged."[3]

The fact of Elkanah's being called in this passage "an Ephraimite" merely means that, like all Levites, he was attached to the tribe of Ephraim in and legal matters. "Elkanah is called an Ephraimite, because, as far as his standing was concerned, he belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, just as the Levite in Judges 17:7 is described as belonging to the tribe of Judah."[4]

"Hannah." This name in the Douay Version is "Anna." According to Henry Preserved Smith it means "grace," and Peninnah means "coral."[5] Barnes gave the meaning of Peninnah as "pearl," and declared that it means the same thing as "Margaret."[6] F. K. Farr gave the meaning of "Elkanah" as "possessed of God,"[7] a name especially appropriate for a Levite, because the Levites were in a special sense God's possession.

"He had two wives." It must not be thought that because so many examples of polygamy are found among the heroes of the O.T. that God ever approved of it. It was never the will of God (Matthew 19:3-9), and the example here in the case of Elkanah is another instance of the unhappiness and strife that normally resulted from the possession of two or more wives.

Now this man used to go up year by year to worship at Shiloh. Louise Pettibone Smith misconstrued this passage to mean that, "This pilgrimage only once a year shows that this had nothing to do with the later law of the three national festivals (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles)."[8] Such a view is founded on the outmoded and discredited theory of a LATE DATE of the Pentateuch. As Willis declared, "There are indications that this may have been one of the three national festivals mentioned in Exodus 34:18-24 and Deuteronomy 16:16."[9] In fact, no other annual festivals of the Jews existed in those times except the three feasts which were just mentioned. We agree with Willis that the particular festival that Elkanah attended was probably that the Feast of Tabernacles.

"To sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts." "This name of God, with variations, is found 260 times in the O.T., but this is the first mention of it."[10] Scholarly disputes over whether the title means "heavenly hosts such as the stars," "the hosts of angels," "the hosts of the armies of Israel," or "the hosts of all human armies" are of little interest, because God is the "Lord of all hosts." The Good News Bible and the NIV both rendered it "Lord Almighty"; but James Moffatt and the Douay Version of the Old Testament wisely let it stand as "Lord of Hosts," "Jehovah Sabaoth."

"At Shiloh" Joshua had removed the ark from Gilgal to Shiloh, a town in his own tribe of Ephraim, located about ten miles south of Shechem. (Joshua 18:1).

"Where Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas were priests of the Lord." Eli had not retired at that time as High Priest, but he had abandoned much of the duties of his office to his unscrupulous, immoral sons.

"He would give Hannah only one portion, because the Lord had closed her womb." The sacrificial meal which Elkanah's household enjoyed at Shiloh was evidently a peace-offering. Payne defended the ASV rendition here as being at least "possible," adding that, "The Hebrew text, though obscure, at least suggests `worthy' or `double' portion; and such an act by Elkanah would partially explain Peninnah's conduct."[11]

Worshippers were permitted to feast on the peace-offerings after the priests had taken their portion, and the event mentioned here was that of parceling out the food to individuals. Peninnah with her children received many portions, and despite Elkanah's love for Hannah, she would normally have received only one portion as the RSV text states it.

Hannah's weeping was evidently precipitated by Peninnah's jealous and unfeeling conduct as she taunted Hannah, especially on those occasions of the annual worship at Shiloh. Difficulties in the Hebrew text here have led some to suppose that Hannah on the particular occasion mentioned here interrupted her meal to enter the tabernacle for prayer. This, it seems, might be supported by 1 Samuel 1:18, where it mentions Hannah's eating immediately after the account of her prayer.