--- title: "The Birth of Samuel" description: "After years of public taunts and personal agony, Hannah has finally given birth to a son, Samuel, and returned to the temple to fulfill her miraculous promise to the Lord." image: "" book: "1 Samuel" bookId: "1SA" testament: "old" startChapter: 1 startVerse: 1 endChapter: 1 endVerse: 28 coversChapters: [1] aiTitle: "Miracle Birth Ends Long Silence: Hannah Fulfills Vow to Dedicate Son at Shiloh" aiDescription: "After years of public taunts and personal agony, Hannah has finally given birth to a son, Samuel, and returned to the temple to fulfill her miraculous promise to the Lord." hasAiStory: true location: "Shiloh" persons: ["Eli","Elihu","Elkanah","God","Hannah","Hophni","Jeroham","Peninnah","Phinehas","Priests","Samuel","Tohu","Zuph"] hashtags: ["faith","mercy","obedience","priesthood"] genre: "history" readingTime: 4 type: "adaptive" slug: "1SA/the-birth-of-samuel" canonicalId: "1SA.1.1-1.28" chronologicalOrder: 482 relatedSlugs: ["GEN/eleven-sons-of-jacob","DEU/one-place-for-worship","NUM/the-nazirite-vow-aarons-blessing","JDG/the-birth-of-samson","JOB/my-complaint-is-just","JOB/jobs-plea-to-god","JOB/life-seems-futile","MRK/the-healing-touch-of-jesus","DEU/the-pilgrimage-festivals","1SA/the-lord-calls-samuel","PSA/psalm-25-to-you-i-lift-up-my-soul","2KI/elijah-the-prophet","JOS/distribution-from-shiloh","EXO/moses-in-egypt","PSA/psalm-62-waiting-on-god","1SA/elis-wicked-sons","GEN/the-descendants-of-adam","1SA/abigail-intercedes-for-nabal","GEN/isaac","ISA/the-future-blessing-for-zion","LUK/the-boy-jesus-at-the-temple","LUK/on-the-mount-of-olives","PSA/psalm-20-the-day-of-trouble"] prevSlug: null nextSlug: "1SA/hannahs-prayer-of-thanksgiving" --- A deeply emotional scene unfolded at the temple today as [Hannah](/persons/hannah), a woman long known for her grief, returned to the site of her most desperate prayer to keep her promise. Standing before [Eli](/persons/eli) the [priest](/persons/priests), she presented her young son, [Samuel](/persons/samuel), confirming that the boy she once begged [God](/persons/god) for is now fully dedicated to a lifetime of service. The situation began years ago under a cloud of intense domestic friction. Hannah suffered under the constant, vicious taunts of her rival, [Peninnah](/persons/peninnah), who mocked her for being unable to have children. Despite her husband [Elkanah](/persons/elkanah)’s attempts to comfort her with extra portions at the annual feast, Hannah remained heartbroken, refusing to eat as she carried the weight of her longing. The turning point occurred during a visit to Shiloh. In a moment of raw, public vulnerability, Hannah stood by the temple door and wept, pouring out her soul to the Creator. She made a solemn vow: if granted a son, she would give him back to the Lord for the rest of his life. At the time, Eli the priest mistook her silent, tearful pleading for drunkenness, but after hearing her explanation, he sent her away with a blessing. The tide turned shortly after her return home. Hannah conceived and gave birth to Samuel, a name she chose to signify that she had asked for him from the Lord. For years, she stayed away from the annual travel to care for him, waiting until he was weaned to ensure his transition to the temple would be permanent. Today, that journey concluded. With a bull, flour, and wine in hand, Hannah returned to the same spot where she once felt so oppressed. She stood before Eli, reminding him of the woman who had been weeping there years prior. Her posture was no longer downcast; she held her son with a firm sense of purpose, formally handing him over to his new life of service, declaring that for as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the Lord. ### Elkanah and His Wives Now there was a man named [Elkanah](/persons/elkanah) who was from Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of [Jeroham](/persons/jeroham), the son of [Elihu](/persons/elihu), the son of [Tohu](/persons/tohu), the son of [Zuph](/persons/zuph), an Ephraimite. He had two wives, one named [Hannah](/persons/hannah) and the other [Peninnah](/persons/peninnah). And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. Year after year Elkanah would go up from his city to worship and sacrifice to the [LORD of Hosts](/persons/god) at Shiloh, where [Eli](/persons/eli)’s two sons, [Hophni](/persons/hophni) and [Phinehas](/persons/phinehas), were [priests](/persons/priests) to the LORD. And whenever the day came for Elkanah to present his sacrifice, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb. Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her and taunt her viciously. And this went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival taunted her until she wept and would not eat. “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” ### Hannah Prays for a Son So after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears. And she made a vow, pleading, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever come over his head.” As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard.
So Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!” “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman oppressed in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.” “Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him.” “May your maidservant find favor with you,” said Hannah. Then she went on her way, and she began eating again, and her face was no longer downcast. ### The Birth of Samuel The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then returned home to Ramah.
And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him [Samuel](/persons/samuel), saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.” Then Elkanah and all his house went up to make the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, but Hannah did not go. “After the boy is weaned,” she said to her husband, “I will take him to appear before the LORD and to stay there permanently.” “Do what you think is best,” her husband Elkanah replied, “and stay here until you have weaned him. Only may the LORD confirm His word.”
So Hannah stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. Once she had weaned him, Hannah took the boy with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. Though the boy was still young, she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. And when they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. “Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him, I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD.”
So they worshiped the LORD there.

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