Mother of Samuel · OT
Hannah
A barren woman whose prayer of anguish gave Israel the prophet Samuel and a song that anticipates Mary's Magnificat.
Hannah was one of two wives of Elkanah, an Ephraimite of Ramathaim-zophim, in the closing years of the period of the Judges. Her rival Peninnah bore children; Hannah did not. Year after year she went up to the sanctuary at Shiloh and wept.
In 1 Samuel 1 she prayed silently, her lips moving without sound, vowing that if God gave her a son she would give him back. Eli the priest mistook her for drunk, then blessed her. She conceived Samuel — whose name means 'heard of God' — and when he was weaned she brought him to Shiloh and left him in the priest's care.
Her prayer in 1 Samuel 2, 'My heart exults in the LORD,' is a hinge in scripture: a poem about reversal — the proud brought low, the hungry filled, the barren given children — that Mary later echoes in Luke 1.
Key moments
Silent prayer at Shiloh
Pours out her soul before the Lord; Eli misreads her (1 Samuel 1:9-18).
Samuel's birth
'Because I have asked him of Yahweh' (1 Samuel 1:20).
Returning Samuel to the Lord
Leaves the weaned child with Eli at the sanctuary (1 Samuel 1:24-28).
The Song of Hannah
Celebrates God's reversal of fortunes (1 Samuel 2:1-10).
Key verses
"And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto Jehovah, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head."
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"For this child I prayed; and Jehovah hath given me my petition which I asked of him: therefore also I have granted him to Jehovah; as long as he liveth he is granted to Jehovah. And he worshipped Jehovah there."
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"And Hannah prayed, and said: My heart exulteth in Jehovah; My horn is exalted in Jehovah; My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as Jehovah; For there is none besides thee, Neither is there any rock like our God."
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"He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill, To make them sit with princes, And inherit the throne of glory: For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah’s, And he hath set the world upon them."
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Frequently asked
How is Hannah's song connected to Mary's Magnificat?
Both songs celebrate God lifting up the lowly and putting down the proud (1 Samuel 2:1-10; Luke 1:46-55). Mary, conscious of scripture, sings in clear echo of Hannah — connecting Samuel's birth and Jesus' birth as twin acts of divine reversal.