The Truth About Hannah And Her Son In The Bible

We all have wishes, and while some of them never come true, some do. Having a strong desire for something is a feeling that many people have experienced at least once in their lifetime. When that feeling can't escape you, people either work to attain that wish, or for those of faith, they pray for it.

In the Bible, Hannah once desired something. It wasn't an object or thing — she wanted a son. She was married to a man named Elkanah, and he had two wives — Hannah was the first. But when it came to child bearing, Hannah bore none while the second wife, Peninnah, had given birth to 10. Making the issue of Hannah being childless all the more painful, Peninnah often poked fun at Hannah for not having any children. She continuously stoked the flames with repeated ridiculing of Hannah.

The relentless teasing, along with showing no signs of having a child, made Hannah extremely sad to the point that she did not eat and gave her feelings of inadequacy. Yet, everything changed when she decided to pray to God one day with a mighty promise. Every year, the family took a trip to Shiloh, where they prayed and offered things to the priests for sacrifice. On this particular trip, Hannah prayed like she had never prayed before. A priest in her presence named Eli witnessed her extremely deep prayer, and even thought she was drunk before advising her to go in peace and hope her wish was answered, per Bible Gateway.

In Hannah's prayer, she told God that she wanted a son. She mentioned her pain, and that God kept repeatedly bypassing her, while Peninnah continued to have children. In this prayer, however, she made a huge promise to Him.

The story is detailed in 1 Samuel, chapter 1, verses 2 to 20 (via Bible Gateway). The tale of her prayer begins in verse 11 where she pleads with God and asks for a son. She pledges that if He gives her the son she wants, she would ensure that God will have a loyal servant in him: "By giving me a son, I'll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I'll set him apart for a life of holy discipline."

It wasn't long before Hannah, after years of childlessness, was finally pregnant with the very son she wished for. Her prayers were answered, and she named the boy Samuel. On the next family trip to Shiloh, Hannah stayed back and told her husband that she wouldn't go back until Samuel was weaned. She was keeping her promise and had plans to take Samuel there when she was ready. When he was finally weaned off, Hannah brought the toddler to Shiloh with ingredients for a sacrificial meal. She asked for Eli and offered her son to him, the same priest who had previously witnessed her desperate prayer from before. For the remainder of Samuel's life, he was dedicated to God and raised by Eli.