Elkanah

1There was a man named Elkanah. He lived in Ramathaim-zophim, in the hills of Ephraim. His father was Jeroham, and Jeroham's father was Elihu. Elihu's father was Tohu, and Tohu's father was Zuph. Their family came from Ephraim.

Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:

NoteThe Bible often lists a man's father and grandfather. This tells us which family he came from. Ephraim was one of the big family groups of Israel.

2Elkanah had two wives. One was named Hannah, and the other was named Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

And 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.

NoteLong ago some men had more than one wife. Both wives lived in the same house with the children.

3Every year Elkanah left his town and went to Shiloh. There he worshiped the LORD of hosts and gave him gifts. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests there.

And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

Note"Hosts" is an old word for armies. "LORD of hosts" means God is the strongest king of all. Shiloh was the town with God's special tent house. Families traveled there once a year to worship. The gifts were animals and food given to God. Priests were men who served God at his house.

4When the day came for Elkanah to give his gift, he shared out the food. He gave a share to Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.

And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

NoteA gift to God was also a family meal. The meat was shared out, and everyone got a piece.

5But he gave Hannah a double share, because he loved her. The LORD had kept her from having babies.

But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.

NoteBack then, having children mattered very much to a family. A woman with no children often felt sad and left out.

6Peninnah said mean things to Hannah again and again. She did it to hurt her, because the LORD had kept Hannah from having babies.

And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.

7This went on year after year. Every time Hannah went to the LORD's house, Peninnah teased her. So Hannah cried and would not eat.

And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

8Her husband Elkanah said to her, "Hannah, why are you crying? Why won't you eat? Why is your heart so sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"

Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

NoteHaving ten sons would have seemed like a huge blessing. Elkanah is telling Hannah how much he loves her.

19Early the next morning they bowed down and worshiped the LORD. Then they went home to Ramah. Elkanah and Hannah slept together as husband and wife. And the LORD remembered Hannah.

And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.

Note"Remembered" does not mean God had forgotten her. It means he acted to help her now.

20After some time, Hannah had a baby boy. She named him Samuel. She said, "I asked the LORD for him."

Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

NoteThe name Samuel sounds like the words for "asked of God." They spoke Hebrew, so the name reminded Hannah of her prayer.

21Later Elkanah and his whole family went to give the LORD the yearly gift. He also kept the promise he had made to God.

And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.

22But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, "I will wait until the boy stops drinking milk. Then I will bring him to the LORD's house. He will stay there for good."

But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.

NoteBabies then drank their mother's milk for about three years. So Samuel was a little boy by now, not a baby.

23Her husband Elkanah said, "Do what you think is best. Stay here until he is ready. May the LORD do what he has said." So Hannah stayed home and fed her son until he was older.

And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

24When Samuel no longer drank milk, Hannah took him with her. She brought a young bull, a basket of flour, and a skin bag of wine. She brought them all to the LORD's house in Shiloh. The boy was still very young.

And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young.

NoteThe King James says "one ephah of flour." An ephah was a measure, about enough to fill a big bucket. A "bullock" is a young bull, a large male cow. People carried wine in bags made from animal skin, because they had no glass bottles.

25They killed the bull as a gift to God. Then they brought the boy to Eli.

And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.

NoteKilling an animal was how people gave a gift to God. Part of it was burned, and part was eaten together.

26Hannah said, "Please listen, sir. As surely as you are alive, I am that same woman. I stood here beside you and prayed to the LORD."

And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.

Note"As surely as you live" was a way of making a promise. It means "I am telling you the truth."

27"I prayed for this boy. And the LORD gave me what I asked him for."

For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

28"So now I give him back to the LORD. He will belong to the LORD his whole life." And they worshiped the LORD there.

Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

NoteThe King James says Hannah "lent" him to the LORD. Here it means she gave him for good, not just for a while.

11Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. But the boy Samuel stayed and served the LORD. He helped Eli, a priest who served God at God's tent.

And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.

NoteRamah was the town where Samuel's family lived. God's tent was a big tent for worship. This was long before there was a temple building. A priest was a man whose job was to help people worship God.

18But Samuel served the LORD. He was only a boy. He wore a linen ephod, a plain vest worn by those who served God.

But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

NoteLinen is a soft cloth made from a plant. An ephod was a plain vest, like an apron with no sleeves.

19Every year his mother made him a little coat. She brought it to him when she and her husband came to give the yearly offering.

Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

NoteSamuel lived at God's tent, away from his family. His mother could only visit him once each year.

20Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife. He said, "May the LORD give you more children through this woman. She gave her son to the LORD." Then they went home.

And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home.

NoteBefore Samuel was born, Hannah promised God something. She said that if she had a son, he would serve God all his life.

21The LORD was kind to Hannah. She had three more sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up serving the LORD.

And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.