Hannah is one of Elkanah’s two wives. She is loved by her husband but has no children, while Peninnah has sons and daughters and provokes Hannah bitterly. During the family’s regular visits to worship at Shiloh, Hannah’s grief becomes especially intense.

At the sanctuary she weeps and prays silently, moving her lips without speaking aloud. Eli the priest initially assumes she is drunk. Hannah explains that she is pouring out her soul before the LORD. She asks for a son and vows that if a son is given, she will give him back to God’s service.

Eli sends her away in peace. In time Hannah conceives and gives birth to Samuel. After the child is weaned, she brings him to Shiloh with offerings. She reminds Eli that she is the woman who had stood there praying and says that the child for whom she prayed is now being dedicated to the LORD.

Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2 celebrates God’s reversal of human fortunes: the proud are brought low, the weak are strengthened, the hungry are fed, and the poor are raised. The themes anticipate the political and spiritual reversals that will shape the rest of Samuel.

Samuel grows while serving under Eli. One night he hears his name and repeatedly assumes Eli is calling him. Eli eventually understands that the LORD is calling the boy and tells Samuel how to respond. When the call comes again, Samuel listens.

The message Samuel receives concerns judgment on Eli’s household. Though afraid, he tells Eli what he has heard. As Samuel grows, Israel recognizes that he has been established as a prophet. The child born from Hannah’s anguished prayer thus becomes a central figure in Israel’s transition to kingship.