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{{Short description|Biblical prophetess, traditional author of the Song of Hannah, mother of Samuel}} |
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'''Hannah horsly''' ('''חנה''', also occasionally [[transliteration|transliterated]] as '''Chana''') is a wife of [[Elkanah]] mentioned in the [[Books of Samuel]]. According to the [[Hebrew Bible]] she was the mother of [[Samuel (Bible)|Samuel]]. The Hebrew word "Hannah" has many meanings and interpretations, including "beauty" and "passion". |
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{{About|Hannah in the Book of Samuel|the figure in the Gospel of Luke|Anna the Prophetess|the Jewish martyr in the Books of the Maccabees|Woman with seven sons}} |
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{{Infobox saint |
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|name = Hannah |
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|image = Samuel dedicated by Hannah.jpg |
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|imagesize = 230px |
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|caption = Samuel Dedicated by Hannah at the Temple by Frank W.W. Topham |
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|titles = Prophetess |
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|venerated_in = [[Judaism]]<br />[[Christianity]]<br /> |
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|feast_day = December 9 (Eastern Orthodox Church) |
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|attributes = Often depicted as an [[Female infertility|infertile woman]] asking God for a child. |
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|patronage = [[Childlessness|Childless wives]], [[Female infertility|infertile women]] |
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|major_works = [[Song of Hannah]] |
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|major_shrine = [[Tomb of Samuel]], Israel |
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}} |
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'''Hannah''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|æ|n|ə}};<ref>{{cite book|title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary|first=John C.|last= Wells|publisher=Longman|location=Harlow, England|year=1990|isbn=0-582-05383-8|page=324}} Entry "Hannah"</ref> {{langx|he|{{Script/Hebrew|חַנָּה}}}} ''Ḥannā'' "favor, grace") is one of the wives of [[Elkanah]] mentioned in the [[Books of Samuel|First Book of Samuel]]. According to the [[Hebrew Bible]] she was the mother of [[Samuel]]. |
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==Biblical narrative== |
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In the Biblical narrative, Hannah is [[polygamy|one of two wives]] of Elkanah; the other, ''[[Peninnah]]'', bore a child to Elkanah, but Hannah remained childless. Nevertheless, Elkanah preferred Hannah. Every year Elkanah would offer a sacrifice at the [[Shiloh]] sanctuary, and give Hannah less of a portion of it as he would to Penninah because she did not have any children. One day Hannah went up to the temple, and prayed silently, while [[Eli (Biblical priest)|Eli]] the [[Kohen Gadol|High Priest]] was sitting on a chair near the doorpost. In her prayer she begs for a child and in return she would give the child up, putting him in the service of the Shiloh [[Kohen|priests]], and raising him as a Nazarite[[nazir]]. |
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The narrative about Hannah can be found in {{bibleverse|1|Samuel|1:2-2:21|NKJV}}. Outside of the first two chapters of 1 Samuel, she is not otherwise mentioned in the Bible. |
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In the biblical narrative, Hannah is [[Polygyny|one of two wives]] of [[Elkanah (husband of Hannah)|Elkanah]]. The other, [[Peninnah]], had given birth to Elkanah's children, but Hannah remained [[Childlessness|childless]]. Nevertheless, Elkanah preferred Hannah. According to Lillian Klein, the use of this [[chiasmus]] underscores the standing of the women: Hannah is the primary wife, yet Peninnah has succeeded in bearing children. Hannah's status as primary wife and her barrenness recall [[Sarah]] and [[Rebecca]] in [[Lech-Lecha|Genesis 17]] and [[Toledot|Genesis 25]] respectively. Klein suggests that Elkanah took Peninnah as a second wife because of Hannah's barrenness.<ref name=Klein>[http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/hannah-bible Klein, Lillian, "Hannah: Bible", Jewish Women's Archive], 20 March 2009</ref> |
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Eli thought she was drunk and questioned her, but when she explained herself he sends her away and effectively says that her prayer will be heard and her desire granted. That night she went home with her husband, they made love, and she became pregnant. As promised, when the child was born, she raised him until he was weaned and put him into the service of the Shiloh priests, then she sang/prayed a song of praise for his birth - the [[Song of Hannah]]. Subsequently, when the child proved himself a good worker, Eli blesses Hannah again, and Hannah has four or five more children. (From the text it is unclear whether she had five children total, or five in addition to Samuel. See In Samuel 2:21.) |
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[[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 086.png|thumb|right|''Hannah's prayer'', 1860 woodcut by [[Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld]]]] |
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Every year, Elkanah would offer a sacrifice at the [[Shiloh (biblical city)|Shiloh]] sanctuary, and give Peninnah and her children a portion but he gave Hannah a double portion "because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb" (1 Samuel 1:5, [[NIV]]). One day Hannah went up to the [[Tabernacle]] and prayed with great weeping (I Samuel 1:10), while [[Eli (biblical figure)|Eli]] the [[Kohen Gadol|High Priest]] was sitting on a chair near the doorpost. In her prayer, she asked God for a son and in return she vowed to give the son back to God for the service of God. She promised he would remain a [[Nazarite]] all the days of his life. According to Lillian Klein, the value of women is demonstrably enhanced by their child-bearing capacities. The narrative takes her pain and places it in her personal failure and then draws it out in a communal context. The desperation of Hannah's vow indicates that merely bearing a male child would establish her in the community.<ref name=Klein/> |
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Eli thought she was drunk and questioned her. When she explained herself, he blessed her and sent her home. Hannah conceived and bore a son, and named him Samuel, literally ''Heard by God'',<ref>Footnote, [[New King James Version]] at 1 Samuel 1:20</ref> "since she had asked the Lord for him" (1 Samuel 1:20 NAB). She raised him until he was weaned and brought him to the temple along with a sacrifice. |
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'''Hanna''' or '''Chana''' is also the name of a woman found in the Talmud<ref>(From the Book of Maccabees, II,7) |
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</ref>. The narrative is commonly referred to as "Chana and her seven sons". In 165 BCE, King Antiochos declared that Chana's seven sons bow down to him, and proclaim him as God<ref>Tractate Gittin 57b</ref>. Each of the sons refused to bow down to His Highness, and they were each executed in front of their mother Chana, one by one. When Chana's last son was executed, the pain was unbearable, and she committed suicide. She is remembered with high regard for her religious stead-fastness, teaching her sons to keep to their faith, even if it means execution. |
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Hannah is also considered to be a prophetess: in [[Song of Hannah|her song of thanksgiving]] ({{bibleverse|1|Samuel|2:1-10|NKJV}}) she is inspired “to discern in her own individual experience the universal laws of the divine economy, and to recognise its significance for the whole course of the Kingdom of God".<ref name="biblehub.com">Kirkpatrick, A. F., [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/1_samuel/2.htm Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 1 Samuel 2], accessed 17 April 2017</ref> This song may be compared to the [[Magnificat]], [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]]'s song of thanksgiving in the [[New Testament]] ({{bibleverse||Luke|1:46-55|NKJV}}), but biblical commentator [[Alexander Kirkpatrick|A. F. Kirkpatrick]] notes that "the ''Magnificat'' should be carefully compared with Hannah’s song, of which it is an echo rather than an imitation. The resemblance lies in thought and tone more than in actual language, and supplies a most delicate and valuable testimony to the appropriateness of this hymn to Hannah’s circumstances".<ref name="biblehub.com"/> |
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'''Chana''' is a commonly used name in today's [[Jewish]] traditional culture, as remembrance of the women illustrated in the [[Bible]]. Children born with the name '''Chana''' are usually [[nickname]]d '''"Chanie"''', as it is a child-friendly pronunciation<ref>Most nicknames end the name with "ee", "ie" or "y", see "[[Nickname]]"</ref>, while keeping the root<ref>Root of Chana/Channy is "Chan", Hebrew for "Favor" or "Beauty"</ref> of the name "Chana" intact. |
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Eli announced another blessing on Hannah, and she conceived 3 more sons and 2 daughters, making six in total.<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Samuel|2:21|GNT}}: the word "more" is added in the [[Good News Translation]] and the [[New International Reader's Version]]</ref> |
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It has been suggested among [[Biblical criticism|Biblical critical]] commentaries that the name "Samuel" in the story of Samuel is a better etymological reference to the name [[King Saul|Saul]], and because of this it has been posited that the stories may have been displaced at one time in the narrative's transmission history. ''Peake's Commentary on the Bible'' explains: |
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[[File:Gerbrand van den Eeckhout - Anna toont haar zoon Samuël aan de priester Eli.jpg|thumb|Hannah presenting her son [[Samuel (Bible)|Samuel]] to the priest [[Eli (biblical figure)|Eli]], ca. 1665]] |
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Hannah's conflict with her rival, her barrenness, and her longing for a son are stereotypical motifs. According to Michelle Osherow, Hannah represents the character of the earnest petitioner and grateful celebrant of divine glory. Hannah was an important figure for early English [[Protestantism]], which emphasized the importance of private prayer.<ref name=Osherow>[https://books.google.com/books?id=pT2xTE8a7boC&dq=Hannah+%28biblical+figure%29&pg=PR4 Osherow, Michelle. ''Biblical Women's Voices in Early Modern England'', Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2009] {{ISBN|9780754666745}}</ref> The Jerusalem Talmud took Hannah as an exemplar of prayer. The story of Hannah is the [[Haftarah]] reading for [[Rosh Hashanah]].<ref>''my'' Jewish Learning, [http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/rosh-hashanah-haftarah-1-samuel-11-210/ Rosh Hashanah Haftarah: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10], accessed 17 April 2017</ref> |
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===Samuel or Saul=== |
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:Hannah named her son Samuel. The name, in the narrative, is interpreted as meaning "I have asked him of the Lord," but this interpretation belongs, etymologically, to the name Saul. It has therefore been suggested that the etymology, and probably the whole birth story with it, has been displaced from Saul to Samuel in the course of compilation or transmission.<ref>Mathew Black, ''Peake's Commentary on the Bible''. Routledge, 2001. ISBN 0-415-26355-7, p. 319</ref> |
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The Hebrew form of the name "Saul" is ''shaul,'' and the story of Samuel's birth contains repeated uses the related verbal root ''sh-'-l'' in various forms, including in the verse in which Hannah explains her son's name (1:20). In verse 28, the form ''shaul'' ("lent") itself is found, identical to the Hebrew name of Saul. As a result, it has been suggested by [[Biblical criticism|critical]] commentators the story was originally about the birth of Saul, but that the name "Samuel" was substituted for Saul at a later date.<ref>On the etymological references to Saul in 1 Samuel 1, see Brettler, Marc. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/3266549 The Composition of 1 Samuel 1-2].” Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 116, no. 4, 1997, p. 602. "This half-verse [1:28a], which is so rich in the root [shaal], can only with great imaginative effort be made into an etymology of Samuel rather than Saul."</ref><ref>Mathew Black, ''Peake's Commentary on the Bible''. Routledge, 2001 [1920]. {{ISBN|0-415-26355-7}}, p. 319</ref> Alternatively, [[Nadav Na'aman]] argues that the verbal root ''sh-'-l'' is actually related to the name "Shiloh", the place where Samuel was born.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Samuelʼs Birth Legend and the Sanctuary of Shiloh |journal=Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages |url=https://www.academia.edu/38485667 |last=Na’aman |first=Nadav |issue=1 |volume=43 |pages=51–61 |year=2017 |issn=0259-0131 |hdl=10520/EJC-87008214d}}</ref><ref>For bibliographical information about scholarly arguments for 1 Samuel 1 originally being about Samuel, see Brettler, Marc. “[https://www.jstor.org/stable/3266549 The Composition of 1 Samuel 1-2].” Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 116, no. 4, 1997, p. 602.</ref> |
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==Vows== |
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The editors of the 1906 [[Jewish Encyclopedia]] presented but disputed this view, arguing that interpreting Hannah's "asked of God" answer as referring to the etymology of Samuel's name, the basis of the displacement theory, is "not tenable": |
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Numbers 30:11-13 allows a husband to nullify a vow made by his wife, if he registers his objection when he learns of it. However, if he says nothing, the vow is allowed as valid. The next time Elkanah goes to Shiloh, Hannah remains home to care for her child, but tells him that she will present the boy to the Lord when he is weaned. Elkanah responds, "Do what you think best." By the time "the child was weaned"—there is some debate as to what age Samuel was dedicated to the Temple—Hannah serves the soundness of her promise by bringing a viable child to serve in the sanctuary, already educated in the ways of the Lord. The quality of one's sacrifice reflected the quality of one's faith. |
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In [[Leviticus]], provisions were made for redeeming vows or pledges in money that would go to the support of the priests and the sanctuary.<ref>''The Torah, A Women's Commentary'', URJ Press and Women of Reform Judaism, 2008. p 773-774</ref> So Hannah could have chosen that option to fulfill her vow, if on calm reflection, once she had her son, she felt unable to part with him. |
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:The name "Shemu'el" is interpreted "asked of Yhwh," and, as Khimih suggests, represents a contraction of "M'El Shaul", an opinion which Ewald is inclined to accept ("Lehrbuch der Hebräischen Sprache," p. 275, 3). But it is not tenable. The story of Samuel's birth, indeed, is worked out on the theory of this construction of the name (i. 1 et seq., 17, 20, 27, 28; ii. 20). But even with this etymology the value of the elements would be "priest of El" (Jastrow, in "Jour. Bib. Lit." xix. 92 et seq.). Ch. iii. supports the theory that the name implies "heard by El" or "hearer of El." The fact that "alef" and "'ayin" are confounded in this interpretation does not constitute an objection; for assonance and not etymology is the decisive factor in the Biblical name-legends, and of this class are both the first and the second chapter. The first of the two elements represents the Hebrew term "shem" (= "name"); but in this connection it as often means "son." "Shemu'el," or "Samuel," thus signifies "son of God" (see Jastrow, l.c.).<ref>"Samuel", ''Jewish Encyclopedia'', 1901-1906. </ref> |
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==In art== |
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{{Prophets of the Tanakh}} |
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[[William Wailes]] created a stained-glass window depicting Hannah, Samuel and Eli for the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Ambleside, Great Britain.<ref>[http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54184 "A Mother in Israel", Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University]</ref> |
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[[File:Matteo_giovannetti,_profeti_della_grande_udienza,_1353,_12.jpg|thumb|{{lang|la|"Anna, mater Samuel"}} depicted in a fresco of the Biblical prophets by [[Matteo Giovanetti]], 1353.]] |
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==In fiction== |
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*Smith, Eileen, Jill,"A Passionate Hope: Hannah's Story, Daughters of the Promised Land" (2018) |
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<references /> |
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*Moore, H.B., "Hannah: Mother of a Prophet" (2022) |
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*Etzioni-Halevy, Eve "The Song of Hannah" (2005) |
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==See also== |
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<!-- Don't need head category [[:Category:Prophets in Judaism]] or [[Category:Prophets in Christianity]], both hold sub-cat [[:category:Prophets of the Hebrew Bible]] which is in the template {{Prophets of the Tanakh}} --> |
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{{commons category|Hannah, mother of Samuel|Hannah}} |
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{{Portal|Saints}} |
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* [[Tel Arad]] |
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* [[Midrash Samuel]] |
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* [[Song of Hannah]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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[[Category:Biblical characters in rabbinic literature]] |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[he:חנה]] |
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[[nl:Hanna (bijbel)]] |
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[[ru:Анна Пророчица (Ветхий Завет)]] |
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[[Category:Women in the Hebrew Bible]] |
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[[zh:哈拿]] |
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Latest revision as of 01:48, 25 October 2024
Hannah | |
|---|---|
 Samuel Dedicated by Hannah at the Temple by Frank W.W. Topham | |
| Prophetess | |
| Venerated in | Judaism Christianity |
| Major shrine | Tomb of Samuel, Israel |
| Feast | December 9 (Eastern Orthodox Church) |
| Attributes | Often depicted as an infertile woman asking God for a child. |
| Patronage | Childless wives, infertile women |
| Major works | Song of Hannah |
Hannah (/ˈhænə/;[1] Hebrew: חַנָּה Ḥannā "favor, grace") is one of the wives of Elkanah mentioned in the First Book of Samuel. According to the Hebrew Bible she was the mother of Samuel.
Biblical narrative
[edit]The narrative about Hannah can be found in 1 Samuel 1:2–2:21. Outside of the first two chapters of 1 Samuel, she is not otherwise mentioned in the Bible.
In the biblical narrative, Hannah is one of two wives of Elkanah. The other, Peninnah, had given birth to Elkanah's children, but Hannah remained childless. Nevertheless, Elkanah preferred Hannah. According to Lillian Klein, the use of this chiasmus underscores the standing of the women: Hannah is the primary wife, yet Peninnah has succeeded in bearing children. Hannah's status as primary wife and her barrenness recall Sarah and Rebecca in Genesis 17 and Genesis 25 respectively. Klein suggests that Elkanah took Peninnah as a second wife because of Hannah's barrenness.[2]
Every year, Elkanah would offer a sacrifice at the Shiloh sanctuary, and give Peninnah and her children a portion but he gave Hannah a double portion "because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb" (1 Samuel 1:5, NIV). One day Hannah went up to the Tabernacle and prayed with great weeping (I Samuel 1:10), while Eli the High Priest was sitting on a chair near the doorpost. In her prayer, she asked God for a son and in return she vowed to give the son back to God for the service of God. She promised he would remain a Nazarite all the days of his life. According to Lillian Klein, the value of women is demonstrably enhanced by their child-bearing capacities. The narrative takes her pain and places it in her personal failure and then draws it out in a communal context. The desperation of Hannah's vow indicates that merely bearing a male child would establish her in the community.[2]
Eli thought she was drunk and questioned her. When she explained herself, he blessed her and sent her home. Hannah conceived and bore a son, and named him Samuel, literally Heard by God,[3] "since she had asked the Lord for him" (1 Samuel 1:20 NAB). She raised him until he was weaned and brought him to the temple along with a sacrifice.
Hannah is also considered to be a prophetess: in her song of thanksgiving (1 Samuel 2:1–10) she is inspired “to discern in her own individual experience the universal laws of the divine economy, and to recognise its significance for the whole course of the Kingdom of God".[4] This song may be compared to the Magnificat, Mary's song of thanksgiving in the New Testament (Luke 1:46–55), but biblical commentator A. F. Kirkpatrick notes that "the Magnificat should be carefully compared with Hannah’s song, of which it is an echo rather than an imitation. The resemblance lies in thought and tone more than in actual language, and supplies a most delicate and valuable testimony to the appropriateness of this hymn to Hannah’s circumstances".[4]
Eli announced another blessing on Hannah, and she conceived 3 more sons and 2 daughters, making six in total.[5]
In contemporary biblical criticism
[edit]
Hannah's conflict with her rival, her barrenness, and her longing for a son are stereotypical motifs. According to Michelle Osherow, Hannah represents the character of the earnest petitioner and grateful celebrant of divine glory. Hannah was an important figure for early English Protestantism, which emphasized the importance of private prayer.[6] The Jerusalem Talmud took Hannah as an exemplar of prayer. The story of Hannah is the Haftarah reading for Rosh Hashanah.[7]
Samuel or Saul
[edit]The Hebrew form of the name "Saul" is shaul, and the story of Samuel's birth contains repeated uses the related verbal root sh-'-l in various forms, including in the verse in which Hannah explains her son's name (1:20). In verse 28, the form shaul ("lent") itself is found, identical to the Hebrew name of Saul. As a result, it has been suggested by critical commentators the story was originally about the birth of Saul, but that the name "Samuel" was substituted for Saul at a later date.[8][9] Alternatively, Nadav Na'aman argues that the verbal root sh-'-l is actually related to the name "Shiloh", the place where Samuel was born.[10][11]
Vows
[edit]Numbers 30:11-13 allows a husband to nullify a vow made by his wife, if he registers his objection when he learns of it. However, if he says nothing, the vow is allowed as valid. The next time Elkanah goes to Shiloh, Hannah remains home to care for her child, but tells him that she will present the boy to the Lord when he is weaned. Elkanah responds, "Do what you think best." By the time "the child was weaned"—there is some debate as to what age Samuel was dedicated to the Temple—Hannah serves the soundness of her promise by bringing a viable child to serve in the sanctuary, already educated in the ways of the Lord. The quality of one's sacrifice reflected the quality of one's faith.
In Leviticus, provisions were made for redeeming vows or pledges in money that would go to the support of the priests and the sanctuary.[12] So Hannah could have chosen that option to fulfill her vow, if on calm reflection, once she had her son, she felt unable to part with him.
In art
[edit]William Wailes created a stained-glass window depicting Hannah, Samuel and Eli for the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Ambleside, Great Britain.[13]
In fiction
[edit]- Smith, Eileen, Jill,"A Passionate Hope: Hannah's Story, Daughters of the Promised Land" (2018)
- Moore, H.B., "Hannah: Mother of a Prophet" (2022)
- Etzioni-Halevy, Eve "The Song of Hannah" (2005)
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Wells, John C. (1990). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow, England: Longman. p. 324. ISBN 0-582-05383-8. Entry "Hannah"
- ^ a b Klein, Lillian, "Hannah: Bible", Jewish Women's Archive, 20 March 2009
- ^ Footnote, New King James Version at 1 Samuel 1:20
- ^ a b Kirkpatrick, A. F., Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 1 Samuel 2, accessed 17 April 2017
- ^ 1 Samuel 2:21: the word "more" is added in the Good News Translation and the New International Reader's Version
- ^ Osherow, Michelle. Biblical Women's Voices in Early Modern England, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2009 ISBN 9780754666745
- ^ my Jewish Learning, Rosh Hashanah Haftarah: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10, accessed 17 April 2017
- ^ On the etymological references to Saul in 1 Samuel 1, see Brettler, Marc. “The Composition of 1 Samuel 1-2.” Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 116, no. 4, 1997, p. 602. "This half-verse [1:28a], which is so rich in the root [shaal], can only with great imaginative effort be made into an etymology of Samuel rather than Saul."
- ^ Mathew Black, Peake's Commentary on the Bible. Routledge, 2001 [1920]. ISBN 0-415-26355-7, p. 319
- ^ Na’aman, Nadav (2017). "Samuelʼs Birth Legend and the Sanctuary of Shiloh". Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages. 43 (1): 51–61. hdl:10520/EJC-87008214d. ISSN 0259-0131.
- ^ For bibliographical information about scholarly arguments for 1 Samuel 1 originally being about Samuel, see Brettler, Marc. “The Composition of 1 Samuel 1-2.” Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 116, no. 4, 1997, p. 602.
- ^ The Torah, A Women's Commentary, URJ Press and Women of Reform Judaism, 2008. p 773-774
- ^ "A Mother in Israel", Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University
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