Hannah is one of the most inspiring women in the Holy Bible. She appears in the book of 1 Samuel in the Old Testament as the wife of Elkanah and the mother of Samuel, the great prophet and judge of Israel. Her story is a powerful testimony of how persistent prayer, poured out from a broken heart, can move the hand of God.
The Meaning of the Name Hannah
The name Hannah (from the Hebrew חַנָּה, Channah) means “grace” or “full of grace.” This meaning foreshadows her story: a woman who, even in the midst of deep pain, received abundant grace from the Lord.
The Pain of Barrenness and Peninnah’s Provocation
Hannah was deeply loved by Elkanah, but she was barren. Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, had many sons and daughters and constantly used this to provoke and humiliate Hannah.
“And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb.” (1 Samuel 1:6, NKJV)
Even though Elkanah gave Hannah a double portion during the sacrifices – a clear sign of his special love – she lived in anguish. The Bible says she wept bitterly and could hardly eat.
Trying to comfort her, Elkanah tenderly asked:
“Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” (1 Samuel 1:8, NKJV)
The Prayer That Changed Everything
During one of the family’s annual journeys to Shiloh, where the tabernacle stood, Hannah could bear it no longer. She went to the door of the tabernacle and prayed with such intensity that only her lips moved. Eli the priest thought she was drunk.
Hannah answered with dignity:
“No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:15, NKJV)
Eli blessed her:
“Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” (1 Samuel 1:17, NKJV)
From that moment on, Scripture says, “her face was no longer sad” (1 Samuel 1:18).
The Birth of Samuel and the Fulfillment of the Vow
“So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:20, NKJV)
As soon as Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him to the tabernacle and presented him to Eli, fulfilling the vow she had made: to dedicate the boy completely to the Lord’s service.
Hannah’s Song of Praise – One of the Most Beautiful in Scripture
After giving Samuel to the Lord, Hannah did not remain sorrowful. Instead, she burst into a magnificent song of victory that centuries later would echo in Mary’s Magnificat:
“And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. No one is holy like the Lord, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:1-2, NKJV)
And the miracle did not stop there: after Samuel, the Lord gave Hannah three more sons and two daughters (1 Samuel 2:21).
Hannah’s Legacy
It was Samuel, the child born of Hannah’s prayer, who anointed both Saul and David as kings of Israel. And it was from the lineage of David that Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, was born.
Hannah’s story teaches us that:
- God hears the prayer offered with faith and tears;
- He is able to reverse the impossible;
- When we surrender our deepest desire into His hands, He gives us far more than we asked.
Hannah went from being a humiliated and broken woman to the mother of one of the greatest prophets in history and an ancestor in the line of the Messiah. A true story of grace.
