Introduction
In those grade school English classes, whether English composition classes or public speaking classes, both taught me that a strong introduction that gets the attention could use a controversial statement. I don't want to sound mean or rude, but something has really gotten on my nerves. As a Bible scholar, it irks me when couples who struggle with infertility finally have a baby, and they name the boy Isaac. As a couple who has struggled with infertility, I get it, but as a Bible scholar, I don't get it, to the point it irks me. Every time I hear of it, I want to turn to the man (hopefully the husband) and say, "Excuse me, are you 100 years old?" and then turn to the woman (hopefully the wife) and say, "Excuse me, are you 90 years old?" Modern medical science has made us much more aware of how much of a miracle this was. Normal couples conceive have an 80-85% chance of conceiving within a year of attempting, couples diagnosed with infertility have a 15-20% chance of conceiving within a year, but a 100-year-old man and 90-year-old woman have a 0% chance of conceiving. That is because most women, by the age of 50, have 0 eggs left in their ovaries (and even if they do, the egg quality is functionally nonviable) and the uterus does not produce the estrogen, progesterone and other hormones necessary for implantation and growth. In essence, Sarah's womb has been "dead" for decades! On top of that, most men's sperm, both in terms of quality and quantity, becomes poor in their 40s, very poor in their 50s and extremely poor in their 70s. In essence, Abraham himself has a near-zero chance of fertility because his sperm is either absent or nonviable. Put it all together, and the math equals a 0% chance of conceiving. Humanity may have been much more primitive 4 millennia ago, but they weren't totally clueless. For Abraham and Sarah to lie together, besides marital intimacy, is a huge act of faith! So yes, while a 15-20% chance of infertile couples conceiving is very low in comparison to the 80-85% of normal couples, Abraham and Sarah's 0% is extremely low! That's why the Lord rhetorically asks Abraham in Genesis 18:14 "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" implying that nothing is too hard for the Lord. Again, I do not want to sound insensitive to the couple struggling with infertility, so instead of merely presenting a problem, I will supply a solution. Instead of naming the boy Isaac, name him Samuel.
Background
Before diving into the text, the historical context must come first. Israel has just come off of a tumultuous time of the Judges. Typically, in the book of Judges, the events unfold in a 5-part cycle. First, Israel does evil in the eyes of the Lord, which is most often falling to the sin of idolatry. Second, the Lord punishes Israel for its sin, most often by allowing a foreign nation to invade Israel’s promised land and oppress Israel. Third, Israel cries out to the Lord for help. Fourth, the Lord sends a שָׁפַט (šāpaṭ), traditionally translated “judge,” but better translated as “deliverer” or “savior," since these people less made decisions about the laws of the land, like Judge Judy or Judge Joe Brown, and more so they save the Israelites by delivering them from the hand of their oppressive enemies. Fifth and finally, as long as the judge lived, Israel experienced shalom and Shabbat, or peace and rest. Repat cycle. By the time of the sixth and final major judge, Samson, as recorded in Judges 13-16, the cycle has begun deflating. The people of Israel have done evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord gives them over to the Philistines, but the Israelites become so comfortable with the Philistine, they don't even bother to cry out to the Lord! God, in his good grace and mercy, sends Samson as a judge. Samson reflects how far the Israelites have fallen, for he too has become quite comfortable with the Philistines, especially their women! Conflict between Samson and the Philistine only when the Philistine offend Samson personally. God has promised Samson super strength to subdue the Philistines, if he follows his Nazarite vow, yet Samson keeps violating the vow, but God in his good graces keeps allowing Samson to have his super strength, until nothing of the vow remains. Even Samson's last request to thwart the Philistines is for revenge for gouging out his eyes, a personal motive. Indeed, Samson is the worst judge Israel has experienced! Just when Israel seems to hit rock bottom, they somehow find a way to dig through that rock and go even lower! Judges 17 & 18 tell a story of a man named Micah who steals silver from his mother, makes an idol out of it, pulls aside a Levite (you know, the tribe set apart to serve as priest to the true God) to become a priest for said idol, and then ends up in a miniature civil war over it. The Israelites act no differently than the Canaanites, in whose land they supposedly conquered! All the good Joshua did has become undone during the time of the judges. Judges 19-21 tells a story of a different, whose concubine gets murdered, which in turn starts another civil war. This story has parallels matching the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 to communicate that Israel has become just as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah! Entering into the narrative in 1 Samuel 1, Israel's depraved state will continue to become apparent, yet even in Samuel's conception and birth, God will continue, in his grace and mercy, to turn Israel around with Samuel, the best judge Israel will have, even better than any of the judges in the book of Judges. As 1 Samuel 1 begins the book of 1 Samuel, the setting appears peaceful, but conflict will come, and Samuel will be ready. Also, when reading 1 Samuel 1, keep an eye out for parallels with the story of Samson and the story of Abraham & Sarah (the other reason for the introduction).
Commentary
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 Ephrathite. ~1 Samuel 1:1
The first parallel to the Samson account comes right from the opening verse. Both the Samson narrative and the Samuel narrative begin with the phrase "There was a certain man." The parallel foreshadows that Samuel will serve Yahweh as a judge, just like the preceding judges Samson did, except Samuel will do the job better. This certain man's name is Elkanah, which means "God created" or "God owns." possibly reminding the audience to keep in mind all chapter that all human life, like that of babies, is always created and owned by the Lord.
The opening verse also gives his hometown of Ramathaim-zophim, which the rest of the book of 1 Samuel will later shorten to just Ramah. This Ramah is where Samuel is where Samuel will be born, grow up, live, work, die and be buried. Ramah derives its name from the Hebrew word for "height," so the dual tense makes out Ramathaim to mean “Two Heights.” The Zophim attached at the end via hyphen merely specifies the town originated from Zuph, the original clan leader. At least 10 modern-day locations have received nominations for the ancient town of Ramathaim-zophim, each receiving its own fair share of questions and doubts. The most plausible place is the traditional site, about 5 miles north of Jerusalem and 16 miles east of Tel Aviv, which would also make it the New Testament town of Arimathea, made famous by Joseph of Arimathea. Today, the modern-day Israel Antiquities Authority has even marked it as much. Both ancient scholarship and modern archaeology, however, have raised into question the truthfulness about this site, some of which outright doubt it.
The opening verse also traces Elkanah's ancestorial lineage all the way back to the clan of Zuph and the tribe of Ephraim, one of the sons Joseph had in Egypt. That would also make Samuel a Ephraimite, which causes problems considering Samuel serves the tabernacle a priest, a job reserved for Levites. Some have argued that Samuel and his father Elkanah are Levites, but they are “Ephraimites” in the sense they live in the land of Ephraim. This argument, however, treats the ancestry in 1 Samuel 1:1 as inaccurate. Other believe that Elkanah was a Ephraimite, but Hannah was a Levite, and since it only takes 1 drop of Levite blood to make a person a Levite, Samuel has the right to become a priest. Such a belief, however, requires a lot of arguing from the silence. Still, others think Samuel's Nazarite vow tied to tabernacle service makes him a Levite. In essence, Samuel is not a Levite by blood, but rather, Samuel is a Levite by his consecration and dedication to his vocation in the temple. Most likely, at the point Hannah drops Samuel off at the tabernacle, Eli virtually adopts Samuel, so Samuel becomes Levite by adoption, enabling him to serve a priest.
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. ~1 Samuel 1:2
The second verse provides another fact about Elkanah - he has two wives. On the surface level, this fact displays Elkanah as an upper-class man because, simply put, he can afford to have two wives and children that come with them. On a deeper level, Elkanah's polygamy exposes Israel as still struggling with sin from the time of the Judges. True, nowhere the Bible, neither in the Old Testament or New Testament, explicitly commands, "Thou shalt not practice polygamy" or "Thou shalt not have multiple spouses." In fact, some have argued that Deuteronomy 21:15-17 permits an Israelite to have 2 (or more) wives, but the law could merely command what to do if the situation arises, not necessarily allowing it. The Bible does explicitly state that leaders cannot have more than 1 wife, whether that be the Old Testament kings (Deuteronomy 17:17) or New Testament bishops and elders (1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6), and it would seem odd that leaders had to follow this command, but followers found exemption. The Bible also implicitly displays polygamy as creating unnecessary family strife, as seen in 1 Samuel 1, which will also persuade toward an interpretation against polygamy. Polygamy definitely goes against what the Lord God established in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve (see Genesis 2:24, cf. Matthew 19:4-6). Even if the Law's explicit silence on polygamy allowed freedom of interpretation, the practice of polygamy in ancient Israel took a minority role, while monogamy became the norm for the majority. Even when Israelites practiced polygamy, they did for functional, even necessary reasons, not to fulfill some sexual lust (see Genesis 16:1-3 & 30:1-4).
The second verse of 1 Samuel 1 names the wives Hannah and Peninnah, and then it states that Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. During the days of 1 Samuel, producing offspring became very essential because, without a descendant, the family came to an end and ceased to exist. Both Israelite and Gentile believed it, and not even social class gave exemption. For example, Ugaritic history teaches that Ugaritic king Keret had massive amounts of wealth, yet he lost all his sons, so when he died, his dynasty on the throne died, and so did his money. Therefore, it became common practice for upper class men to marry again if the first wife could not produce offspring. Thus, most commentaries have proposed that, although not explicitly stated in the text, Elkanah married Hannah first, but when Hannah could not conceive, Elkanah married Peninnah. As a result, Hannah became the preferred wife and Peninnah became the necessary wife. If true, this would explain the family dynamic, as it unfolds in 1 Samuel 1. Therefore, Elkanah follows his family history. Just as Abraham and Jacob took another wife to bear him children, so Elkanah took another wife to give him a son. Just like Abraham's and Jacob's good intentions led to a questionable decision to increase his kin, Elkanah's good intention led him to a questionable decision, so he could have a male offspring. Just like the Lord blessed Abraham and Jacob apart from their man-made attempt to bless themselves, God will bless Elkanah and Hannah aside from Elkanah's man-made attempt to reproduce with Peninnah. Just as Abraham’s and Jacob’s sons will play an important role in the formation of the country of Israel, so Samuel will also have a significant role in the national of Israel. It would almost seem as if the wives' names themselves back up this thinking, although the etymology has received its fair shares of debate. The name Hannah may mean "charmed" or "graced," or simply put "favored." The name Peninnah might mean "fecund," "fruitful" or "prolific." Elkanah sees Hannah as the favorite wife, but he sees Peninnah as the fruitful wife. How hard it must have been for Hannah, for the names alone remind her that Peninnah can rear children, while she cannot, which does not make her feel favored with God.
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. ~1 Samuel 1:3
The third verse informs the audience that Elkanah and his family would make an annual pilgrimage. According to the Law, a good Israelite man would take his family on a pilgrimage 3 times a year for 3 different festivals: The Feast of Unleavened Bread, The Feast of Weeks and The Feast of Booths (see Exodus 23:14-17 and Leviticus 23:15-20). Again, Elkanah demonstrates how far the Israelites have fallen from the Law. At best, Elkanah attends 1 of 3 required feasts, and at worst, Elkanah participates in 0 of 3 festivals. The fact that the text does not mention the feast by name may hint that this annual trip does not fulfill the requirements of a festival, but rather, the trip merely celebrates a tribal, clan a or family celebration (compare with 1 Samuel 20:6 & 20:29). Some scholars have suggested the feast Elkanah attends refers to the one mentioned in Judges 21:19, but such a proposal falls more on assumption than proof and evidence. Stil, the fact that Elkanah can have his plural family travel a distance and hold a feast for everyone to eat plenty again portrays Elkanah as an upper-class man.
Whatever the exact feast may be, the purpose of the festival still remains on worshipping on יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת (YHWH ṣebā’ôt), commonly translated as "Lord of armies" or "Lord of hosts." This title for God appears 606 times over 268 Old Testament verses, with the top 4 Old Testament book being Jeremiah (79 times), Isaiah (62 times), Zechariah (53 times) and Malachi (24 times), but it first occurs in the Old Testament here in 1 Samuel, and 1 Samuel will use it 4 more times. The name and title also appear as אֱלֹהִ֣ים צְבָא֑וֹת (elohim ṣebā’ôt), or "God of hosts," 4 times in Psalm 80, adding another 4 instances to the count. The title צְבָא֖וֹת (ṣebā’ôt) became a popular title for deities in the Ancient Near East, as archaeologists has discovered Canaanite inscriptions gave the title to El, the father of Baal. The צְבָא֖וֹת (ṣebā’ôt) can mean all creatures (Genesis 2:1), human armies (1 Samuel 17:45), angelic armies (Joshua 5:14), celestial bodies (Judges 5:20 & Isaiah 40:26) or all the above. The idea here is the vast quantity, and more specifically, the idea here is the large any mighty power of the entity, and yet Yahweh is bigger, mightier and more powerful. That's why the best translation is "The Lord of hosts" over "The Lord of armies" (besides any Mennonite bias). The idea also communicates that the vast power of God makes him sovereign, enabling him to decide the important events of history, especially his control of the fairly new country of Israel. In short, the title portrays God as omnipotent and sovereign over all heaven and all earth, both the material and the immaterial, both the natural and unnatural.
The text further explains to the reader that Elkanah's pilgrimage led him to Shiloh. Shiloh resided north of Jerusalem about 15-20 miles north-northwest of Jerusalem and 9 miles north of Bethel, in the hills of Ephraim, near the modern-day Khirbet Seilun. That's why the text uses the verb "go up," for pilgrims would have to literally ascend the hills to reach Shiloh. From archaeology, archaeologists report the civilization inhabiting the land before the Israelites also used the land for religious worship. Ancient people had this mindset of "once a holy site, always a holy site," so the Canaanites previously using the land for religious reasons may have motivated the Israelites to keep using the land for religious reasons. Another motivation may have come from its first mention in the Old Testament, in Joshua 18:1, in which Israel has finally conquered Canaan and now divides it among the tribe. Since the conquering stopped there and the dividing started there, it would make sense to make Shiloh a center hub for their national identity, like their religion. For these reasons, the tabernacle, especially the Ark of the Covenant, resided in Shiloh. Shiloh will not make it far into 1 Samuel, for in a few chapters after this passage, Shiloh will be destroyed in its defeat against the Philistines, which happens in the 1100s. While 1 Samuel mentions the end of Shiloh, the last mentions of it in the Bible can be found in Psalm 78:60 & Jeremiah 7:12-14, describing the destruction of Shiloh, to prove that God will not hesitate to destroy a holy site in order to teach Israel a lesson.
The third verse provides one last detail of Eli, Hophni and Phineas reside in Shiloh. Here in 1 Samuel 1:3, the reader learns the names of Eli's sons. To the original audience, their names sound peculiar, for both names have Egyptian origins. Such a fact may foreshadow how evil Eli's sons could get., which in turn continues to reflect the depraved, fallen nature of Israel. Interesting enough, 1 Samuel 1:3 calls Hophni and Phineas priests of Yahweh, but it never calls Eli a priest of the Lord. Possibly, Eli has gotten too old to perform his services at the tabernacle, so Eli retires, leaving most of the priestly duties to his sons, yet he still serves as a high priest emeritus.
On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. ~1 Samuel 1:4
Based off the descriptors of 1 Samuel 1, Elkanah's sacrifice best matches the peace offering described in Leviticus 7:11-21. As with the peace offerings, God received the smaller portion, and the sacrificing individual/family got the larger portion, in order to make the peace offering a true celebration. Religious festivals can also be called feasts because they carried the notion that God and man feasted together. The person presenting the sacrifice would butcher the animal (or have a priest do it), give a portion to God, gave portions to the family, and this sharing of portions carried the idea that God and man feasted on the meat together. Because of this lavish feasting, especially on meat, which was uncommon for the average Israelite to include in every meal, many Israelites looked forward to and enjoyed these feasts, at least, those who participated in the festivals. Unfortunately, Peninnah would ruin that. The fourth verse mentions Peninnah first, in order to, in a way, get her out of the way for the rest of the story. Now the focus can fall on Hannah, as Hannah will become the main character for the rest of the chapter.
But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. ~1 Samuel 1:5
The focus now falls on Hannah because Elkanah gives her a מָנָ֥ה אַחַ֖ת אַפָּ֑יִם (mānāh ’aḥat ’appāyim), or literally "a two-nose portion as one share." In most ancient sacrifices, the god always got the nose, along with the choice meat. Therefore, in the ancient world, the phrase "nose meat" became synonymously known as the best meat of the animal. To add another layer of complexity, however, the noun for nose, אַפָּ֑יִם (appāyim) comes in the dual form. For a quick Hebrew lesson, while English has the singular for 1 and plural for 2 or more, Hebrew has the singular for 1, the dual for 2, and the plural for 3 or more. If merely attempting to communicate the favored meat, the singular would suffice, rendering the dual unnecessary. Therefore, translators debate whether the text attempts to communicate the quality of the meat or the quantity of the meat, hence why the King James Version says, "worthy portion," although many other English translations say, "double portion." It could be both quality and quantity. It's even quite possible that Elkanah gives both Hannah and Peninnah an equal share, but since Peninnah has to split the meat with her child, while Hannah gets all the meat all to herself, it looks like Hannah got a bigger portion. The quantity interpretation may have advantages, though, for possibly, the double portion would have Elkanah symbolically acting as if he was serving Hannah and her son. This theory is further advanced by the fact that the "double portion" is commonly associated with what the firstborn receives, i.e., Elkanah treats Hannah as if she begat his firstborn son. Whether quality or quantity, either way, it would seem like Elkanah attempts to adjust for an imbalance. Since Peninnah has Elkanah's favor in terms of children, Elkanah provides Hannah favor in other ways, like with the sacrificial meat at the feasts. The careful word order of 1 Samuel 1:5 attempts to communicate that Elkanah's love for Hannah overshadows her inability to give him children. Again, parallels can be made on how Abraham still loved Sarah more than Hagar, or even Jacob loved Rachel, despite their barrenness. Still, this special treatment would ultimately remind Hannah of her infertility, even though Elkanah did not mean for it to do so. Also, do not assume that Yahweh closing Hannah's womb came about in order to discipline or punish her. The text says no such thing. Still, even though the Lord did not close Hannah’s womb, God will take responsibility to open the womb, not only for Hannah’s good, but for the good of all Israel. From an outsider perspective, however, it can easily look like Yahweh cursed Hannah with infertility (if taking Deuteronomy 7:13&14 and applying to the opposite, but that falls under the logical fallacy known as denying the antecedent), which may also weigh heavy on Hannah’s heart.
And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. ~1 Samuel 1:6
Peninnah does not see it the same way as Elkanah. In Peninnah's mind, Elkanah should love her more because she provides the heir to him. Therefore, Peninnah levels the playing field by provoking and irritating Hannah, most likely over her infertility. Effective verse 4, the text ceases to use the name Peninnah. Here in verse 6, the text calls her Hannah's "rival" (or "adversary" in the KJV), a person who causes anguish, hardship and worry. The switch from the name "Peninnah" to the title of "rival" will remind the audience that, despite no longer active in the story after the next verse, she will serve a more passive role in the background. As the saying goes, "Peninnah lives rent free in Hannah's head." Just as Hagar held in Sarai in contempt, so Peninnah would irritate Hannah (see Genesis 16:4&5). Similarly, although to a lesser extent, the rivalry and tension between Hannah and Peninnah also matches the rivalry and tension between Leah and Rachel (see Genesis 30:14-16). Interesting enough, both the relationship between Hannah & Elkanah and the relationship between Hannah & Peninnah comes down to the same common denominator of Hannah's closed womb. Elkanah's response to Hannah's barrenness is love, but Peninnah's response to Hannah's infertility is taunting and tormenting. A time meant for celebration, praise and thankfulness ends up as a time of partiality, envy, resentment and depression. Hannah may have even struggled with questions and doubts about her faith, considering she's supposed to celebrate thankfulness, when somebody reminds her that she has reasons not to be thankful. Up to this point in the Bible so far (and even after!), people have gone through much suffering up to the point of salvation. Hannah received no exemption from that.
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. ~1 Samuel 1:7
According to the seventh verse, the pattern set forth in 1 Samuel 1:3-6 becomes an annual occurrence, from the feast itself to Elkanah giving Hannah the double portion to balance things out to Peninnah abusing Hannah in return. It gets so bad that Hannah becomes so depressed she loses her appetite and can only cry. The only other noteworthy thing here is that verse 7 calls the tabernacle the "house of the Lord," a term traditionally reserved for the temple. Therefore, some scholars have attempted to argue that Shiloh had a proto-temple that existed before Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. The text probably refers to the tabernacle as the "house of the Lord" for another reason, though. Tabernacle, or tent, implies the tabernacle is nomadic, or moving. While still made of cloth, this structure is very stationary. Worship of Yahweh will happen here until Solomon builds his temple in Jerusalem. Thus, "the house of the Lord" fits here because the tabernacle is stationary like a temple, albeit a cloth temple. It also communicates that, despite the structure that supposedly houses God is made of cloth, is still reflects the splendor and magnificence of the omniscient and sovereign Yahweh supposedly housed there.
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?" ~1 Samuel 1:8
Hopefully, Elkanah slept with Peninnah that night, for if he attempted to sleep with Hannah, she probably would have sent him to the couch! No woman struggling with infertility would ever accept the answer, "Don't be sad. Hey, look on the bright side, at least you're married to me!" As cold as Elkanah's reply may sound, deep down, Elkanah tries to communicate his love for his wife, and he tries to comfort her. He means to say that he has done everything in his power to make her feel loved, except he cannot give Hannah children, even though he longs to. His inability highlights for Hannah (and perhaps for the reader) that she must act and then wait on God, rather than blaming herself as she seems to do here. Elkanah’s wording would back up this logic and reasoning. Although the Elkanah's choice to say "10 sons" may merely come from a nice round number, which in turn may sound like an ideal number, Elkanah may have said “10 sons” to refer to the 10 sons Jacob had before Rachel could give him a baby boy. Despite the fact that, up to that point, Rachel had given Jacob 0 of his 10 sons, Jacob still loved Rachel the most. Likewise, Elkanah loved Hannah, apart from the fact that she could not give him children. On a similar note, if Rachel would eventually give Jacob a baby boy, Hannah would eventually give Elkanah a son. Unfortunately, Elkanah still fails to understand the joy of marriage differs from the bliss of motherhood, hence why even the best justification still comes off sounding cold. Elkanah's sad attempt to encourage, comfort and support left Hannah feeling emptier and more desperate. Hannah will never respond to Elkanah's words. When Hannah finally does respond, however, she will respond to Yahweh.
After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. ~1 Samuel 1:9
Despite Hannah's depression having caused her to lose her appetite, Hannah still ate and drank a bit to participate, which demonstrates her faithfulness to participate in worship, although her depression robs her of the joy and pleasure of which she should celebrate. After participating, the text says Hannah rose, and the context allow the reader to complete the sentence as “…and went to the house of the Lord.” That action alone demonstrates how faithful Hannah is, for she is the only woman in the Old Testament who makes such an action. Hannah's visit to the tabernacle plus Hannah's prayer, especially during a religious festival, further heightens her piety.
At this point, Elkanah temporarily exits the scene, and a new man, Eli, enters the scene, mentioned for the first time here in verse 9. The audience finds Eli sitting on a seat besides the doorposts of the tabernacle. As discovered through Assyrian archaeology, in the Ancient Near East, a seat with no backrest would be placed against a column or a wall (probably to help support the back) in the shady part of the courtyard for the leader(s) to make rulings. While a literal chair, more importantly, the only person who could have sat in this seat would be the high priest, so this chair metaphorically represents the honor that comes with the role. As already mentioned, Eli probably retired from the role of high priests, but he possibly serves as a high priest emeritus, participating in some of the high priest job duties, like overseeing worship and judging. The mention of doorposts possibly hints at more permanent structure added to modify the tabernacle to make it more stationary and less nomadic. The mention of doorposts also helps paint a picture of the location of everything. This doorpost separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. Sitting there, he could observe everything taking place in the holy place and even the outer courtyard (the entrance of the tabernacle probably remained open during festivals), including Hannah praying. Interestingly enough, the ninth verse for some reason feels like it needs to remind the reader the setting takes place in Shiloh. Perhaps verse 9 desires to remind the audience that, despite the change of male character, the setting remains the same. Maybe putting Eli in Shiloh serves to remind the reader of the prestige of serving Yahweh as the high priest, i.e., a sacred man in a sacred city. Both might be true, the latter more so sets up an irony, for the next few chapters will reveal that the supposed holy man in a holy city is a not-so-holy man in a holy city.
She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. ~1 Samuel 1:10
Whereas Elkanah fails to comfort Hannah, Hannah now finds solace in Yahweh, as evident in her willingness to pray to him, for suffering has a habit of turning atheists and agnostics into theists. Hannah's prayer of intercession plays a pivotal role in this pericope, for the prayer receives mention 4 times in the chapter (verses 10, 12, 26 & 27). Only Samuel will also pray prayers of intercession in the book of 1 Samuel, and he too does so 4 times (7:5, 8:6, 12:19&23). Only a prayer warrior like Samuel can come from a prayer warrior like Hannah. In her praying, the Hebrew text uses a tautological infinitive, which literally translates into "and weeping, she was weeping" to communicate that she is absolutely and definitely sorrowful.
And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” ~1 Samuel 1:11
The eleventh verse records Hannah's prayer, which not only makes Hannah the first woman to explicitly pray in the Old Testament, it also makes her the first woman to vow a vow. Furthermore, Hannah has one of the longest prayers in the Bible, of both men and women alike! Hannah’s prayer sounds similar to a lament psalm found in the book of Psalms. First, Hannah calls out to God by his divine name Yahweh, the most of any woman to do so at eighteen. More specifically, Hannah calls him יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת (YHWH ṣebā’ôt), only the second time the name appears in the Bible and the first time it occurs in a prayer, making a woman the first one to pray to this sacred name. Second, Hannah depicts what has caused her to lament. Third, Hannah petitions the Lord for some sort of salvation from her suffering. Fourth, Hannah declares her certainty. Fifth, Hannah promises her devotion to Yahweh. In her prayer of lament, Hannah refers to herself as a "handmaid" or "maidservant" three times, which reflects her humility and reverence toward Yahweh. Out of the grief of her suffering, Hannah vows a vow, which sounds like a redundancy in English, but in Hebrew, the redundancy emphasizes the guarantee to give back a good or service in exchange for an answered prayer. The first verb of her petition asks Yahweh to look on her. Here, in the Hebrew text, another tautological infinitive exists, which literally renders, "looking you look," but again here attempts to communicate the certainty of the action (why most English translations translate it as "indeed look"). The second verb of her petition asks the Lord to remember her, or זכר (zākar) in the Hebrew. Here, Hannah does not merely remind the Lord of her existence, but rather, she asks him to intervene and act favorably towards her, or simply put, take care of her, after what seems to be a prolonged period of inactivity. Simply put, if the Lord sees and remembers her suffering, he will naturally have pity on her and act accordingly.
As part of her vow, Hannah promises that, if God gives her a son (which again further proves Elkanah married Peninnah to give him an heir, furthered by the literal Hebrew text זֶ֣רַע אֲנָשִׁ֑ים, or "male seed"), then she will give the kid to him, to serve him in the temple, something a woman struggling with infertility would not so easily do. It means even more when considering that not even the Levites had to serve a lifelong term. Such a vow would be impossible to fulfill if the Lord gave Hannah a daughter, for only males could serve in temple. This vow would also make the boy serve in the temple at a younger age than most Levites began their service. Again, the text invites for parallels between Hannah's infertility journey and Sarah's infertility journey in Genesis. Both had to have faith in Yahweh to provide for them a child. The Lord had to command Abraham and Sarah to give up Isaac, as made famous in the Genesis 22 passage. Hannah, here in 1 Samuel 1, voluntarily gives, even before the Lord delivers. Talk about faith!
The other part of Hannah's promise contains a clause of "no razor shall touch his head," or simply, not cutting his hair. Scholars debate whether Hannah intended for the full Nazarite vow, as found in Numbers 6, since Hannah neither specifically names this certain vow nor lists any of the other stipulations of the Nazarite vow within here. If not intending the Nazarite vow, then not cutting the hair simply becomes 1 specific condition in exchange for 1 specific promise. For example, ancient people would sometimes not cut their hair as long involved in battle to ask their god for the blessing of victory (see Deuteronomy 32:42 and Judges 5:2). The Nazarite vow still seems the most plausible, for a few reasons. First, Hannah merely mentions the most famous condition of the Nazarite vow, expecting the reader to read between the lines and fill in the blanks for all the missing ones. Second, Hannah only mentions abstaining from cutting hair because that stipulation would have applied throughout childhood, whereas the prohibition against wine and any other alcoholic drinks would not have applied until adulthood. Third, other vows of not cutting hair typically aligned with war, but here Hannah dedicates the child to service in the tabernacle. Fourth, and probably most important, the text again invites the reader to parallel this future judge with the most recent judge Samson. While Samson never took his vow seriously and became an extremely bad judge, the worst Israel has ever seen, Samuel will take his role seriously and become, quite possibly, the best judge Israel has ever seen, better than any judge in the book of Judges, even Othniel! The other factor that throws off whether or not Hannah speaks of the Nazarite vow is that Hannah makes the duration of the vow a lifelong one. According to Numbers 6, the Nazarite vow has start and end times. Then again, the Bible does display men serving lifelong Nazarite vows, like Samson, Elijah and John the Baptist. On a similar note, Samuel, like Samson and John the Baptist, had his mother enforcing the Nazarite vow on him. From a holistic biblical view, this alone hints Samuel was meant for greatness! Whether Nazarite vow or not, anybody can appreciate the careful thought she pouts into the vow. She neither asks the Lord to bless her human attempts to have a baby, like Sarah pairing up Abraham and Hagar (cf. Genesis 16:2), nor does she make a foolish vow which ends up costing her child’s life, like Japheth (cf. Judges 11:29-39). If any comparison to the Japheth story, she makes her son a living sacrifice (cf. Romans 12:1).
As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. ~1 Samuel 1:12
The twelfth verse describes Hannah's actions as הִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל לִפְנֵ֣י (hithpallel pene), or "praying before" Yahweh. This phrase makes its debut in the Hebrew Old Testament right here. Note this phrase differs from "praying to" the Lord. The phrase הִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל לִפְנֵ֣י (hithpallel pene) carries the notion of a prayer full absorbed in Yahweh's presence, pouring out her heart before the Lord, forgetting everybody (including herself) and everything except God for the time. In essence, "praying before Yahweh" implies more closeness and more intimacy with the Lord than just "praying to God." In a way, it resonates similarly to Moses speaking face to face with Yahweh. Hannah finds herself so immersed in her prayer that she even pays no attention to Eli observing.
Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. ~1 Samuel 1:13
Hannah becomes so engrossed in her prayer that her lips begin to move as if she speaks, despite still praying silently. Observing Eli can only assume Hannah has become drunk. To be fair to Eli, back in the Ancient Near East, most people prayed aloud, and such feasts had drinking aplenty, which both men and women participated in equally, so Eli made a safe assumption. It may also hint that worship by prayer had become uncommon in Shiloh, which furthers the point of Israel's depraved state. While Eli could see Hannah's lips moving with no sound, Eli could not see the reverence Hannah had for her God and her religion. Eli succeeds in seeing Hannah’s lips, but he fails to see her heart. Eli cannot observe the Spirit moving in Hannah, so he can only guess that spirits move her. These little notes and details about Eli serve to foreshadow Eli's poor insight, which in turn symbolically represents Eli's inability to see the sin rampant in his sons' lives.
And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” ~1 Samuel 1:14
The fourteenth verse paints a picture of Eli initiating the conversation with Hannah. This scene may portray a norm that only Eli could initiate the conversation as the superior in society, whether as her elder, a high priest or a male. Eli's locution seems to have the illocution of insulting Hannah for her supposed drunkenness at a holy and religious event. Not knowing and just assuming, the only pastoral advice Eli can give Hannah is to sober up and abstain from wine. As early as the first chapter of 1 Samuel, the text foreshadows that Eli began losing his aptitude to lead Israel. In fairness to Eli, however, it would only be right for Eli, as high priest emeritus, to discipline Hannah for entering a sacred realm intoxicated.
But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. ~1 Samuel 1:15
Whereas Eli judged when he had no right to judge (cf. Matthew 7:1-5), Hannah follows the wisdom of Proverbs 15:1 (ahead of her time) with her soft answer to turn away Eli's wrath. Here Hannah attempts to justify her delay of exiting the tabernacle grounds after the festivities had concluded. Hannah describes herself as "troubled in spirit,” a phrase Job uses 3 times to describes his suffering. Such a phrase implies how determined Hannah felt to uplift her struggles and suffering to Yahweh, for she acknowledges that no person, but only God, can cure her from her psychological pain. Then Hannah describes her actions as "pouring out her soul." Do not assume this refers only to the internal and immaterial. The abstract idea of "pouring out" here comes from the concrete idea of pouring something out of its container to free it from the confines of its container. Therefore, this "pouring" encompasses the whole self, both the material and immaterial, both the external and the internal. On top of that, Hannah specifies that she pours out her soul, which the ancients made the source of all emotions. In essence, it's pouring out very emotionally. Again, this idea further concretes that Hannah fully absorbed herself in Yahweh's presence, forgetting everyone and everything but God. The reader can feel the pain in her prayer. Still, Hannah does not feel like she prays in a temple made a cloth and poles, but rather, she feels like prays before the throne of the Lord. Furthermore, this act of Hannah "pouring out her soul" reflects how much she trusts the God she worships (see Psalm 62:9, in which pouring out the soul synonymously parallels trust).
Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” ~1 Samuel 1:16
Hannah, seeing Eli as a middleman between Yahweh and the people of Israel, she begs him not to dismiss her as a Gentile, pagan or any other worthless woman. Hannah is indeed a Yahweh-fearing woman, and Eli should see her as that. Instead, Hannah prays out of grief and irritation, pointing back to verse 6. Again, the text begs to contrast Hannah's piety before Eli with Hophni's and Phineas's sinfulness before Eli.
Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” ~1 Samuel 1:17
In 1 Samuel 1:17, Eli wishes Hannah to לְכִ֣י לְשָׁל֑וֹם, or "Go in peace," followed by Eli’s own prayer blessing Hannah’s prayer request. The wording of 1 Samuel 1:17 bears a striking similarity to the wording of 1 Samuel 1:27, probably to make it blatantly clear that Yahweh answered the petition of Hannah and Eli with the birth of Samuel. Eli probably intended his words to signify a productive finale of arbitration and to guarantee the approval of Hannah’s supplication, making Hannah the only person in the OT to receive such an honor. If Hannah’s prayer depended on the affirmation of the priest, then only out of the Lord’s graces towards Hannah the petition came to fulfillment, for Eli brought shame to the priesthood. While שָׁלוֹם here primarily serves as an expression for two people departing, the expression does not wish that Hannah avoids a battle or war, but rather, it wishes that Hannah may experience God’s blessings come to full completion, which in Hannah’s case would involve a child.
And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. ~1 Samuel 1:18
The eighteenth verse provides a word play. Hannah, whose name means "favored," asks Eli for her to find favor in his eyes, a common phrase in the Old Testament. Here, Hannah asks for Eli to also join her in petition to Yahweh, if she has indeed found his favor. From here, Hannah departs from Eli’s presence, and a stark realization hits the reader. Eli, who is supposed to serve as high priest, as a representative on how people should worship the Lord, mentions the Lord only once, and he never calls Yahweh by his divine name, instead opting for “the God of Israel.” Meanwhile, Hannah has called on Yahweh by name 3 times already, and she will say it another 4 times by the end of the chapter. Hannah is not priestess, yet she somehow is closer to the Lord! Therefore, Hannah can confidently leave the tabernacle in success. From the deepest despair, Hannah now can feel like she won, and it shows. The eighteenth intends to parallel the seventh verse. Verse 7 records Hannah physically demonstrating her sadness with tears, but in verse 18, her sadness has fully left her, to the point her face no longer displays it. The seventh verse reports that Hannah's sadness makes her fast, but the eighteenth verse has Hannah eating. Hannah's trust in Eli, and more importantly, Yahweh, has turned her mood around, as shown by her actions. Even though her prayer has yet to be answered, she can truly rejoice in Eli's prayer, and more importantly, the Lord listening to her.
They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. ~1 Samuel 1:19
After one last episode of worshipping Yahweh at Shiloh, the setting shifts from Shiloh to Ramathaim-zophim, shortened to Ramah for the first time here, to signal the end of the scene. More importantly, at Ramah, Yahweh remembers Hannah. In the Torah, when it says that God remembers, it usually has something to do with salvation (see Genesis 8:1, 19:29, 30:22; Exodus 2:24), and in a way, God provides salvation to Hannah in her barrenness. The verb here intends for the audience to think back to the verb's earlier use in verse 11. The Lord has not forgotten Hannah's petition, and he intends to fulfill it, which he does, which in turn highlights the goodness of God.
And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.” ~1 Samuel 1:20
In the Hebrew text, the 3 verbs "conceived," "bore" and "named" come consecutively, in order to demonstrate Yahweh's active watch over the pregnancy and delivery to make sure it came to healthy fruition. That last verb "called" has the subject of Hannah, making her, the mother, the one naming the baby, a widespread practice of day (cf. Genesis 29:32 & 1 Samuel 4:21), but Elkanah, as the father, probably gave consent. Hannah names the infant Samuel, claiming she chose the name because she asked/requested the child from the Lord. The name Samuel, however, does not really sound anything like the Hebrew words for "ask" or "request." In the Hebrew, the name שְׁמוּאֵל (šemû·ʾēl) probably derived as a compound from the Hebrew term שׁמע (šā·mǎʿ), meaning "hear" or "listen," and the Hebrew term אֵל (el), the generic word for God or a god. Therefore, in the most literal sense, the name Samuel means "heard of God" or "God listened." In the case of Hannah naming Samuel, however, God is still the subject, and the verb remains heard/listened, but the name now has a heavily implied direct object of "what Hannah asked/requested, i.e., "God heard/listened to what Hannah asked/requested." Despite the unconventional naming, more importantly, Hannah insists on inputting God in the name. Although a widespread practice among Hebrews during that time, Hannah does so with great intentionality. Although conceived by natural means, Hannah still credits overcoming his barrenness to the grace and mercy of God. For Hannah, Samuel is the living proof that God hear/listens, as he should be for anybody struggling with infertility.
The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. ~1 Samuel 1:21
The twenty-first verse sounds similar to the third verse to demonstrate that the calendar has cycled once again to the annual feast, but this time, it comes under happier pretense, with the birth of Samuel. Notice how the text says his vow. Elkanah has agreed to an adopted Hannah's vow as his own vow, too. Therefore, Elkanah is equally obligated as Hannah to fulfill the vow.
But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.” ~1 Samuel 1:22
This time, however, Hannah will not join Elkanah in the yearly feast. Hannah does not break the Law here, for according to Exodus 23:17, Yahweh only required men to attend the festivals. If anything, Hannah voluntarily goes to festivals, despite knowing the abuse she will face from Peninnah, as seen earlier in the chapter, further highlights her piety to the faith. Hannah's unwillingness to attend the annual festival may reflect Hannah's unwillingness to leave the child there, for Hannah knows that the next she goes to Shiloh, she will be expected to leave without Samuel returning. She knows what she must do, but that does not make it any easier on the emotions. Hannah justifies that the time of weaning the child makes the most sense when to bring him to Shiloh. Both the Apocrypha and Egyptian archaeology reveal that Ancient Near East people traditionally weaned their children between the ages of 3 and 4, typically close to 3 years old, mostly due to breastmilk being safer to drink than water in those days. While Hannah's reason could easily turn into an excuse, her justification does make sense. To drop off an infant at the tabernacle could become a burden on Eli to raise another child. After all, his sons are now adults, an indicator of his age. Hannah might have done Eli a favor by at least waiting for Samuel to become a toddler. Heck, Eli may have not even allowed Hannah to drop off a boy younger than that, even if she wanted to! Also, by the age of 3 or 4, Samuel could comprehend how to perform small tabernacle tasks, so he could begin fulfilling the vow his mother placed on him from the start.
Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. ~1 Samuel 1:23
According to Numbers 10:23, a husband could either confirm or deny the vow his wife made. According to 1 Samuel 1:23, Elkanah decides to confirm it. Give credit to Elkanah, for by affirming it, Elkanah too has agreed to give up his first child with Hannah, the favorite wife. Elkanah has realized from remembering his Israel's history that sons born to barren women have a habit of becoming something great, so he might have taken on similar expectations on Samuel. While Elkanah agrees with Hannah's logic, Elkanah feels uncertain that Yahweh agrees with Hannah's reasoning. Therefore, Elkanah simply concludes that if Hannah's will does not interfere with the will of the Lord, she may do what seems best. His words may also serve as a disclaimer, begging Yahweh to spare their lives from judgment, especially the new baby, if Hannah does indeed act selfishly. Interesting enough, the Lord remains silent on whether he approves or not.
And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. ~1 Samuel 1:24
Beginning with the twenty-fourth verse, the rest of the text will demonstrate that Hannah indeed kept her end of the vow, as well as the command to consecrate the firstborn son. If Hannah wanted to get technical, she could have invoked Leviticus 27:1-8 to claim she had the right to redeem Samuel and take him back home. Instead, Hannah, in both faithfulness and thankfulness, sticks to her promises to dedicate him to lifelong temple service forever. Verse 24 uses the 3rd person singular pronoun “she” to put emphasis on Hannah fulfilling her vow, despite Elkanah went up with her, as evident later. Most English Bibles declare that Hannah offered 1 3-year-old bull, with the exception of the KJV and NKJV, which states that Hannah sacrificed 3 bulls. The English Bibles that read 1 3-year-old bull read from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint and/or the Peshitta. The KJV and NKJV say 3 bulls because of the Masoretic Text. The rest of the sacrifice includes an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, which attempts to communicate the generosity of the sacrifice. As established earlier, Elkanah lived an upper-class life, meaning he could afford such a generous offering. Therefore, 3 bulls make more sense, for it also expresses the generosity of sacrifice.
Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. ~1 Samuel 1:25
The twenty-fifth verse uses the 3rd person plural "they" in order to portray the couple both involved in the thanksgiving. Also in the twenty-fifth verse, the Hebrew manuscripts read in the passive, in order to de-emphasize who gave it and to emphasize what was given. Again, the text desires to highlight the generosity of the offering, which in turn highlights Elkanah's and Hannah's joy and thankfulness.
And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. ~1 Samuel 1:26.
The text switches back to active to switch back to putting attention on Hannah. Just in case Eli forgot, Hannah reminds Eli that she was the woman pleading to Yahweh for a baby boy.
For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. ~1 Samuel 1:27
The wording here in the twenty-seventh verse is remarkably similar to the wording of the seventeenth verse. The similar wording clearly points out this child as the answer to her petition to the Lord in verse 17. Again, Hannah testifies to the fact that God hears and answers the prayers of the pious and the religious, and again, she has a physical testimony in the form of a baby boy. The reader can hear the joy in Hannah's words.
Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshipped the Lord there. ~1 Samuel 1:28
Read the words of the twenty-eighth verse as the finalization of Hannah's vow. With these vows, she completes her vow. As promised, Yahweh has given her a baby boy, so Hannah gives him back to the Lord. This dedication to fulfill her vow may serve as the first sign of revival in the fallen and depraved Israel. Since the text makes it apparent that Israel seems lax in following God's Law, quite possibly, Israel may have gotten away from consecrating the firstborn sons to the Lord (see Exodus 13:2, 12, 13, 34:19&20 and Numbers 3:13, 18:15&16). Hannah's fulfillment of her vow definitely consecrates her firstborn son to the Lord, once again displaying her religious piety.
Application
Here in 1 Samuel 1, a lot of teachable life applications emerge. Trust in God’s perfect timing, especially for the important life events. God listens to everyone, and he can answer anyone’s prayer. The trajectory of a nation can change through a single family. Yahweh can use suffering to achieve his will, and in turn, the blessing that comes as a result can overpower the curse that preceded it. Your relationship with God carries more importance than your relationship with society. In fact, on a similar note, Godly power can overcome what social power cannot. Most importantly, however, 1 Samuel teaches surrender. Too many times have people turned Hannah's story in 1 Samuel 1 as bargaining. Too often have people portray Hannah as making a deal with God. Such thinking creates dangerous theology, causing Christians plea bargains and make deals with God. Instead, Hannah simply surrenders. To paraphrase here, Hannah pretty much tells them, "Look Lord, here and now, I surrender having a son. If you give me a son, then I will just give him right back to you." An objection may arise, "In 1 Samuel 2:21, however, it says the Lord gave Hannah 3 more sons and 2 daughters. She didn't surrender them the Lord to serve in the tabernacle." To answer that objection, turn to Genesis 22:12 in the Peshitta, the first Syriac Bible. Genesis 22:12 in the Hebrew text has the Lord saying "...for now I know you fear God..." but the Peshitta text has God saying, "...for now I have made known you fear God..." The Hebrew text makes it sound like the Lord did not know something, which would bring into question his omniscience. The Peshitta, however, does not have the most literal translation, but rather, the Peshitta interprets it with the right theology, stating that God always knew Abraham feared God, but he put on a public display that would prove to any witnesses he feared God. Likewise, Hannah surrenders, Yahweh puts her to the test, and when she passes the test, Yahweh blesses her obedience by opening her womb. A relationship dependent on bargaining and making deals is not a healthy relationship in general, especially a relationship with the Lord. A healthy relationship with God surrenders to God's will, his good, perfect and pleasing will, and the blessings come out of that surrender.
Conclusion
For the next 6 chapters of 1 Samuel, Samuel, Eli’s adopted son, will parallel Eli’s biological sons, Hophni and Phineas, and ultimately, Eli as well. While Eli will Samuel just like he raised Hophni and Phineas, Hophni and Phineas will fail where Samuel will succeed. Hophni and Phineas will confront the Philistines and die, but Samuel will confront the Philistines and survive, even thrive.
From his conception and birth, Samuel will play a crucial role in 1 Samuel, all the way until his death. He will serve Israel as its last judge. He will serve Israel by ushering in Israel's 1st king. He will serve Israel as prophet at Ramah, functioning as the mouthpiece of God, to inform Israel about the responsibility of the change they take on, as they invoked it. He serves as priest at Shiloh, replacing the evil, sinful, wicked Eli and sons with a godlier example of what serving Yahweh looks like. He will ultimately (yet somewhat indirectly) take responsibility of transition Yahweh worship from Shiloh to Jerusalem. Most importantly, Samuel will turn Israel from its depraved state and turn Israel back to Yahweh with his own faithfulness. All this expectation for Samuel builds up right here in 1 Samuel 1.
From the onset, the book of 1 Samuel wants its audience to know the importance of Samuel. To make that point unmistakable, the narrative begins by drawing our attention to the kind of home from which he emerges: one with a deeply religious mother. Her observance of her religion contrasts the cruel Peninnah and the oblivious Eli, who both serve as reminds of Israel's current depraved state. In this way, Samuel’s birth is framed not merely as a personal blessing but as the first sign of Yahweh’s intention to renew His people through a faithful servant. The Lord gifted Samuel to Hannah, and now that Hannah has gifted him back to God, the rest of 1 Samuel will portray Samuel in light of the relationship to his Heavenly Father, not his earthly mother.
Ultimately, 1 Samuel 1 demonstrates that Yahweh accomplishes His greatest purposes through the faithfulness of ordinary people who wholly trust Him. Hannah's story is not merely the account of a barren woman receiving the son she long desired, but the account of God preparing a faithful servant to lead His covenant people back to Himself. Her surrender stands in stark contrast to Israel's spiritual decline, while Samuel's birth signals that the Lord has already begun His work of renewal. By opening the book with Hannah's faith and Samuel's dedication, the author reminds the reader that God's redemptive plan often begins quietly, through humble obedience rather than human power. Thus, the chapter calls every generation of believers to trust God's timing, surrender their desires to His perfect will, and remain confident that He continues to accomplish His purposes through those who faithfully follow Him.
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