“Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim… and his name was
Elkanah… And he had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the
name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no
children.”
Hannah rates as a pivotal figure in the Book of Samuel, leaving a lasting mark on Jewish liturgy
and history. Abravanel gives us a close reading of the chapter’s beginning verses. In so doing,
we better grasp not only Elkanah’s family’s dynamics, but also learn about God’s providence
vis-à-vis Hannah.
Elkanah had two homes, as is implied with the word: “Ramathaim”, a plural form of the singular
“Ramat” or heights. Hannah lived on one “Ramat”, Peninah the other. Likely, Abravanel says,
the two hilltops neighbored each other, both heights visible one to the other. Further, he adds,
Elkanah’s main residence was with Hannah, this despite that she was childless: “And Peninnah
had children, but Hannah had no children.”
But was Hannah barren, reproductively impaired, Abravanel probes? No. Had Hannah been
barren, a verse would have written so explicitly, as it had with the matriarch Sarah (Genesis 11).
Abravanel advances that Hannah’s reproductive system was fine. God prevented her from
conceiving and giving birth.
The Creator intervened and hindered Hannah from having children, as implied “But Hannah had
no children.” More evidence appears later in this chapter when Elkanah and his wives ascended
to the Tabernacle. There, Elkanah “…gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but the LORD
had shut up her womb.” Abravanel derives his opinion using elementary logic. It is, Hannah’s
womb was open, intact, and thus capable of conceiving children, however God stepped in and
“shut up her womb.”
Of course, this begs a question: why did the Maker impinge upon Hannah’s natural ability and
tamper with her physiognomy? Here is the answer. Heaven’s plan called for Hannah’s fervent
prayer to lift her out of the imposed impasse. The result was that God desired Samuel’s
conception and birth to be otherworldly, a miraculous happening.