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Hannah
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han'-a (gracious; merciful; he that gives,
(channah) grace, favor)
RELATED: Eli, Elkanah, Samuel |
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Easton's Bible Dictionary
favour, grace, One of the wives of Elkanah the Levite,
and the mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 1 ; 2). Her home was at Ramathaim-zophim, whence
she was wont every year to go to Shiloh, where the tabernacle had been pitched
by Joshua, to attend the offering of sacrifices there according to the law ( Exodus
23:15 ; 34:18 ; Deuteronomy 16:16 ), probably at the feast of the Passover (Compare
Exodus 13:10 ). On occasion of one of these "yearly" visits, being grieved by
reason of Peninnah's conduct toward her, she went forth alone, and kneeling before
the Lord at the sanctuary she prayed inaudibly. Eli the high priest, who sat at
the entrance to the holy place, observed her, and misunderstanding her character
he harshly condemned her conduct ( 1 Samuel 1:14 - 16 ). After hearing her explanation
he retracted his injurious charge and said to her, "Go in peace: and the God of
Israel grant thee thy petition." Perhaps the story of the wife of Manoah was not
unknown to her. Thereafter Elkanah and his family retired to their quiet home,
and there, before another Passover, Hannah gave birth to a son, whom, in grateful
memory of the Lord's goodness, she called Samuel, i.e., "heard of God." After
the child was weaned (probably in his third year) she brought him to Shiloh into
the house of the Lord, and said to Eli the aged priest, "Oh my lord, I am the
woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed;
and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: therefore I also
have granted him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he is granted to the Lord"
( 1 Samuel 1:27 , 1:28 , RSV). Her gladness of heart then found vent in that remarkable
prophetic ( 1 Samuel 2:1 - 10 ; Compare Luke 1:46 - 55 ) which contains the first
designation of the Messiah under that name ( 1 Samuel 2:10 , "Annointed" = "Messiah").
And so Samuel and his parents parted. He was left at Shiloh to minister "before
the Lord." And each year, when they came up to Shiloh, Hannah brought to her absent
child "a little coat" (Heb. meil, a term used to denote the "robe" of the ephod
worn by the high priest, Exodus 28:31 ), a priestly robe, a long upper tunic (
1 Chronicles 15:27 ), in which to minister in the tabernacle ( 1 Samuel 2:19 ;
15:27 ; Job 2:12 ). "And the child Samuel grew before the Lord." After Samuel,
Hannah had three sons and two daughters.
Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names
gracious; merciful; he that gives
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(grace), One of the wives of Elkanah, and mother of Samuel.
1 Samuel 1 , 2 (B.C. 1141.) A hymn of thanks giving for the birth of her son is
in the highest order of prophetic poetry, its resemblance to that of the Virgin
Mary comp. ( 1 Samuel 2:1 - 10 ) with Luke 1:46 - 55 see also ( Psalms 113:1 )
... has been noticed.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
han'-a (channah, "grace," "favor"; Hanna):
One of the two wives of Elkanah, an Ephraimite who lived at Ramathaim-zophim.
Hannah visited Shiloh yearly with her husband to offer sacrifices, for there the
tabernacle was located. She was greatly distressed because they had no children.
She therefore prayed earnestly for a male child whom she promised to dedicate
to the Lord from his birth. The prayer was heard, and she called her son's name
Samuel ("God hears"). When he was weaned he was carried to Shiloh to be trained
by Eli, the priest (1 Samuel 1). Hannah became the mother of five other children,
three sons and two daughters (1 Samuel 2:2). Her devotion in sending Samuel a
little robe every year is one of the tenderest recorded instances of maternal
love (1 Samuel 2:19). She was a prophetess of no ordinary talent, as is evident
from her elevated poetic deliverance elicited by God's answer to her prayer (1
Samuel 2:1 - 10).
Byron H. Dement
Tags:
bible commentary, bible history, bible reference, bible study, channah, define, grace, hannah, mother of samuel
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