Question 1

Who are Elkanah, Hannah, and Peninnah in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Elkanah is a man from the hill country of Ephraim who is faithful in worship. He goes every year with his family to offer sacrifices to the Lord at Shiloh. He has two wives. Hannah is his first and deeply loved wife, but she has no children. Peninnah is his other wife, who has sons and daughters. The tension in the story comes from this difference. Peninnah uses her children to taunt Hannah, while Hannah carries silent, heavy grief over her empty arms.

Question 2

Why was Hannah so distressed even though Elkanah loved her?

Accepted Answer

Hannah lived in a culture where having children, especially sons, was tied to a woman’s honor and security. Even though Elkanah clearly loved her and gave her a special share of the sacrifice, she still felt the sharp pain of barrenness. On top of that, Peninnah kept provoking her about it, especially at worship times. So Hannah was caught between a loving husband, a cruel rival, and a deep sense that God had closed her womb. Her sorrow was real even in the middle of love and worship.

Question 3

What does it mean that the Lord had shut up Hannah’s womb?

Accepted Answer

The passage says plainly that the Lord had shut up Hannah’s womb. This means her barrenness was not seen as random, but under God’s control. It does not say God was cruel to her, but that her situation was in his hands and timing. In the story, this pain becomes the very place where she will later seek God with all her heart. This reminds us that hard seasons are not outside of God’s rule, even when we do not yet see his purpose or the outcome.

Question 4

Why did Peninnah provoke Hannah year after year?

Accepted Answer

Peninnah had what Hannah longed for: children. Instead of showing kindness, she used this to wound Hannah. The text calls her Hannah’s “adversary” and says she provoked her sore, especially when they went up to the house of the Lord. Her words were meant to make Hannah fret and feel even more the gap between them. This shows how jealousy and pride can twist family relationships, and how hurtful it is when someone pokes at our deepest pain instead of helping carry it.

Question 5

What is the significance of Elkanah’s yearly worship at Shiloh?

Accepted Answer

Elkanah’s habit of going up every year to Shiloh shows steady devotion. He keeps leading his divided, hurting family to worship, even though the priests serving there, Hophni and Phinehas, were far from godly. His example teaches that family troubles and the failures of others in spiritual leadership should not stop God’s people from worshiping. He gives portions from the sacrifice to his wives and children, including a special portion to Hannah, tying his family life to the Lord’s presence and grace.

Question 6

Why did Elkanah ask, “Am not I better to thee than ten sons?”

Accepted Answer

Elkanah saw Hannah weeping, not eating, and carrying deep grief. His question, “Am not I better to thee than ten sons?” shows his love and longing to comfort her. He wanted her to know that she had him, even if she had no children. At the same time, his words show that he did not fully grasp how deep her desire for a child was. His love was real but limited. This reminds us that even kind people cannot always fill the places of pain that only God can address.

Question 7

How does Hannah’s sorrow speak to people facing similar pain today?

Accepted Answer

Hannah’s sorrow speaks to anyone who feels the ache of an unanswered longing, especially those who face infertility, family tension, or constant comparison with others. She shows that it is honest to weep, to lose appetite, and to feel the weight of what God has not yet given. At the same time, she does not turn away from the Lord. Her story encourages people to bring their grief into God’s presence, to keep joining in worship, and to trust that God sees and remembers, even when he seems silent.

Question 8

What does this passage teach about God’s character in times of suffering?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows God as the Lord of hosts, ruling over all things, including the hidden details of one woman’s life. He is sovereign over Hannah’s womb, yet he allows her sorrow to unfold over time. We see that God does not always shield his people from pain, but their tears matter in his plan. Hannah’s story, even before her prayer is recorded, hints that God works through long seasons of hurt to bring about good that reaches beyond one person and touches many others later.

1 Samuel 1:1

Now 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:

Elkanah and His Wives

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1 Samuel 1:1

Now 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:

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Elkanah and His Wives

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