1 Samuel Chapter 1 Part One (Verses 1-7)

1 Samuel 1:1-2
Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 

Now there was a certain man: The book begins with “a certain man”. These words emphasize that God can raise up anyone to use in His plan. We are not first told of this man’s position in society or his status among family and friends. We are only told a few important facts which are vital to the progression of this story—the man’s name, his genealogy and he had two wives.

Elkanah: His name means God has created. He was a descendant of Zuph. Using the genealogy given in 1 Chronicles 6:16-30, we can trace Elkanah’s ancestry back through the line of Kohath. Kohath was a son of Levi. (Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Kohath had sons Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses and Miriam. (1 Chronicles 6:1-3) Although Levi had many descendants, only descendants of Aaron were designated as priests (Exodus 28:1-3). This genealogy is very important as it tells us Elkanah was a priest. Furthermore, Elkanah’s future son, Samuel, inherited the priesthood.

(Side note: The other descendants of Levi were not priests, but served in the temple in other aspects. “The work of the Levites was to assist the priests, the descendants of Aaron, as they served at the temple of the house of the LORD. They also took care of the courtyards and side rooms, helped perform the ceremonies of purification, and served in many other ways in the house of God. They were in charge of the sacred bread that was set out on the table, the choice flour for the grain offerings, the wafers made without yeast, the cakes cooked in olive oil, and the other mixed breads. They were also responsible to check all the weights and measures. And each morning and evening they stood before the LORD to sing songs of thanks and praise to Him. They assisted with the burnt offerings that were presented to the LORD on Sabbath days, at new moon celebrations, and at all the appointed festivals.” (1 Chronicles 23:28-31a) All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests.)

Ephraimite: Elkanah is called an Ephraimite not due to his heritage (as he was a Levite). However, his family lived in Ramah, which is a city located in the territory of Ephraim.

Ramathaim Zophim: Ramathaim Zophim means the watchmen in the heights. For short, this city is often called Ramah (which means the height). It was in the hill country about 25 miles north of Jerusalem and 15 miles south of Shiloh. Ramah is the birthplace of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:19-20), his residence (1 Samuel 7:17) and his burial place (1 Samuel 25:1).

He had two wives: Run! Disaster ahead!!! The Bible cites many marriages in which husbands have multiple wives. Starting all the way back with Abraham and continuing through much of the Old Testament, multiple wives were a recipe for disaster. The custom in the ancient world permitted polygamy. But God shows us again and again, that whenever one than wife is present, the peace of the home is greatly disturbed. This story is no exception. Hannah, whose name means grace, has no children. The second wife Penninah, whose name means fruitful, has children. Herein lies a perfect situation for great strife and conflict to arise. (Side note: Examining the Hebrew texts suggests that Hannah was Elkanah’s wife and Penninah was a lower wife. This suggests that Elkanah first married Hannah and when she bore no children, he took a second wife to give him children.)

1 Samuel 1:3-7
This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the LORD had closed her womb. And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb. So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. 

This man went up from his city: According to the Law of Moses, the Israelites were not to sacrifice at any place except God’s sacred place. “But you shall seek the LORD at the place which the LORD your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. They you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings and the firstborn of your herd and your flock. There also you and your households shall eat before the LORD your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the LORD your God has blessed you.” (Deuteronomy 12:5-7) Thus during Elkanah’s time, he was to bring his sacrifices to the priests and the tabernacle at Shiloh.

Additionally, the Law of Moses required the Israelites to appear before God at His dwelling place three times a year. “Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.” (Exodus 23:14-17) In 1 Samuel 1:3, the texts states Elkanah only goes to worship God yearly. This emphasizes the spiritual decay of the nation Israel. The three feasts commanded by God to be observed by the Israelites ceased to be celebrated by the nation.

Shiloh: Shiloh was the religious center for the tabernacle for almost 400 years. It was about 15 miles north of Ramah. Joshua located the tabernacle in Shiloh. “The whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled themselves at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there…” (Joshua 18:1) (The tabernacle, as called the tent of meeting, was the sacred worship tent God commanded Moses to build while the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness. The tabernacle contained many sacred articles such as a golden lampstand, a golden table of showbread, the golden altar of incense and the centerpiece—the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was located in the Most Holy place (as known as the Holy of Holies) in the tabernacle. (For more details about the tabernacle, please read Exodus 25-28 and 30.) Only the high priest once a year (on the Day of Atonement) was allowed to enter the most holy place and offer a sacrifice to make atonement for the nation of Israel. (Please read Leviticus 16 for more details about the Day of Atonement.)

Although Shiloh served as the religious center for almost 400 years, its glory came to an abrupt end. The exact details of its destruction are not given in the Bible; however, through the prophet Jeremiah, we read that God used Shiloh as a lesson for Israel to stress what happens to a place of worship when the people cease to worship God. “’But now go to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I spoke to you, rising early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you but you did not answer, therefore, I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.’” (Jeremiah 7:12-14)

Eli, Hophni and Phinehas: These priests were mentioned by name because they were well known in Israel. Hophni and Phinehas were known for their wickedness (1 Samuel 2:17, 24). The mention of Hophni and Phinehas gives a sharp contrast with godly Elkanah making the yearly voyage to offer sacrifices to God. Hophni’s name means swordsman, and Phinehas’s name means oracle. Eli’s name means high, ascended or my God.

He would give portions: Every year, Elkanah and his family visited the tabernacle for a yearly sacrifice. They would eat the ceremonial meal at the tabernacle, with each member of the family receiving their allotted portion. The sacrifice made was probably a peace or thanksgiving offering. Burnt offerings and sin offerings were not eaten by the person giving the sacrifice. But the peace offerings and the thanksgiving offerings, the person offering the sacrifice receive an abundant portion. In the peace and thanksgiving offerings, the blood was poured out at the base of the altar and the fat was burned on the altar. The breast and the right shoulder were the portion for the priest and the rest belong to the person offering the sacrifice. (See Leviticus 3:1-5; 7:11-18, 29-32 for details on the peace and thanksgiving offerings.)

In his abundant love for Hannah, Elkanah would give Hannah a double portion. The concept of the double portion is first mentioned in the Law of Moses: “But he shall acknowledge the firstborn…by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his” (Deuteronomy 21:17). A firstborn son was entitled to receive twice the inheritance of that of a father’s other sons, in addition to the right of succession. Thus, one can quickly surmise an unintended consequence of Elkanah’s kind and loving gesture; it ultimately set the stage for tremendous jealousy. Hannah’s double portion would be viewed by Peninnah and her children as a special inheritance. Hannah would become the victim of abuse: “her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable” (1 Samuel 1:6).

 

Therefore she wept and did not eat: Because of the conflict between the two wives, Hannah was reduced to a state of sadness. Hannah’s sorrow is in violation of Deuteronomy 12:7: “There also you and your households shall eat before the LORD your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the LORD your God has blessed you.” This is an important lesson for us. How do our emotions taint our ability to worship the Lord? Do we let bitterness and the worries of the world prevent us for rejoicing in the Lord or experiencing God’s abundant blessings? Hannah was richly blessed by her husband by receiving a double portion from the sacrifices; yet, Hannah allows Peninnah to cause great sorrow and weeping to take hold of her time in the Lord’s house.

The LORD had closed her womb: God’s sovereignty over the womb occurs multiple times in the Bible. “For the LORD had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife” (Genesis 20:18). “Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren” (Genesis29:31). “Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb” (Genesis 30:22). In the Old Testament, it was a great reproach among Jewish women to be barren because every woman hoped that she would bring forth the Messiah into the world.  Additionally, barrenness was a great tragedy for a woman because her husband’s inheritance depended on her bearing a son to continue the family name and inherit the family’s estate. According to Deuteronomy 7:13-14, having children was a sign of God’s blessing. Thus, barrenness was considered a curse. (In Deuteronomy 7:13-14, God promises the Israelites to make them abundantly fruitful in the land if they obeys God’s commandments. “He will love you and bless you and multiple you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your gain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle.”)