1 Samuel 1:1-8
Chapter 1
He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
Elkanah went to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts at Shiloh every year. The priests there were the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas.
Whenever Elkanah offered sacrifice, he gave portions to his wife, Peninnah, and all her sons and daughters.
To Hannah, however, he gave the more delightful portion because he loved her more, although she had no child.
Yet Hannah’s rival used to tease her for being barren.
It happened every year when they went to the Lord’s house. Peninnah irritated Hannah, and she would weep and refuse to eat.
Once, Elkanah, her husband, asked: “Hannah, why do you weep instead of eating? Why are you sad? Are you not better off with me than with many sons?”
Commentaries
Birth of Samuel.
The First Book of Samuel begins with the story of the birth of its main character, after whom the book is named. Instead of emphasizing the remarkable circumstances of a woman who was barren but loved by her husband, yet rejected and humiliated by his other wife, who was fertile, the author seeks to reflect the condition of the people—those whom God loves but who do not produce the results expected of that love. Just as Hannah, despite her barrenness, conceived a son, Israel—also facing barrenness in social, religious, and political stagnation and decline—can look toward a future where the people are more aligned with the justice and life project that the Lord has called it to.