HANNAH (harenah), (Heti. N'17", khan-naw', grace, favor), wife of Elkanah (a Levite of Eph ratah) and mother of Samuel.
(1) A Childless Wife. She was very dear to her husband, but being childless was much ag grieved by the insults of Elkanah's other wife, Peninnah, who was blessed with children. The family lived at Ramathaim-zophim, and, as the law required, there was a yearly journey to offer sacrifices at the sole altar of Jehovah, which was then at Shiloh. Women were not bound to at tend; but pious females free from the cares of a family often did so, especially when the husband was a Levite. Every time that Hannah went there childless she declined to take part in the festivities which followed the sacritices,being then,as it seems, peculiarly exposed to the taunts of her rival.
(2) An Earnest Prayer. At length, on one of these visits to Shiloh, while she prayed before re turning honie, she vowed to devote to the Al mighty the son which she so earnestly desired (I Sam. It seems to have been the custom to pronounce all vows at the holy place in a loud voice, under the immediate notice of the priest (Deut. xxiii :23 ; Ps. lxv ) ; but Hannah prayed in a low tone, so that her lips only were seen to move. This attracted the attention of the high priest, Eli, who suspected that she had taken too much wine at the recent feast. From this suspi cion Hannah easily vindicated herself, and re turned home with a lightened heart.
(3) Birth of a Son. Before the end of that year Hannah became the rejoicing mother of a son, to whom the name of Samuel was given, and who was from his birth placed under the obli gations of that condition of Nazariteship to which his mother had vowed him. (B. C. rm.)
(4) Taken to Shiloh. Hannah went no more to Shiloh till her child was old enough to dispense with her maternal services, when she took him up with her to leave him there, as, it appears, was the custom when one already a Lcvite was placed under the additional obligations of Nazariteship. When he was presented in due form to the high priest, the mother took occacion to remind him of the former transaction: 'For this child,' she said, 'I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him' ( Sam. i :27). Hannah's gladness afterwards found vent in an exulting chant, which furnishes a remarkable specimen of the early lyric poetry of the Hebrews, and of which many of the ideas and images were in after times repeated by the Virgin Mary on a somewhat similar occasion (Luke i :46, sq.).
(5) Annual Visits. After this Hannah failed not to visit Shiloh every year, bringing a new dress for her son, who remained under the eye and near the person of the high-priest. (See SAM UEL.) That great personage took kind notice of Hannah on these occasions, and bestowed his blessing upon her and her husband. The Lord repaid her abundantly for that which she had, to use her own expression, 'lent to him ;' for she had three sons and two daughters after Samuel.