I Samuel 1 · The Lantern

Elkanah and His Wives

And there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim, from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.

"There was, it says, one man of Ramathaim, of Mount Ephraim." It does not escape me that in the first place, in some copies it stands: "There was a certain man"; but in those copies which we have approved as more correct it stands thus: "There was one man." And in this the Hebrews too, who contradict us in other things, agree with us. There was, then, one man.

1. Whom then does this man represent to us, if not our Lord and Redeemer, who both appeared in the weakness of our flesh, and yet did not subdue that same weakness of His assumed nature with the enticements of a more indulgent life?

And (he said) his name was Elkanah, etc. The names of the fathers of Elkanah unveil their lives, faith, virtues, and the sublimity of those in whom and through whom the Lord is accustomed to be spiritually born; that is, in whose acts or inspirations, faith and love of Him are infused into hearts where they were not before.

And he had two wives; the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the second Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Thus, therefore, I think it more worthy to interpret the marriages of old men, thus beautifully do I regard the marriages of the patriarchs entered into in their last and now-failing age, thus I reckon their necessary begetting of sons is to be counted. For to such marriages and to offspring of this kind, not the young so much as the old are suited.

(Moral Exposition) Hence he is described as having two wives, because he is joined to the active life through the fruitfulness of good works and to the contemplative life through the love of inner delight. Therefore Peninnah is said to have had children, but Anna is said to have had no children. For what are the children of the active life, except the fruits of good works?

And Phenenna had children, etc. The synagogue, ever since she was betrothed to the Lord, has never ceased to generate spiritual children for him through teaching.

And that man went up from his city year by year to bow down and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh; and there the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD.

But let us see also to what place Elkanah came together with his wives, "to sacrifice, it says, to the Lord in Shiloh. But there were, it says, Eli, and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas, priests of the Lord." Shiloh is the name of the place in which sacrifices were offered to the Lord, before the temple was built in Jerusalem.

(Moral Exposition) Indeed, he ascends on appointed days, because he advances gradually in the splendors of eternal vision. For what are those manifestations of inner light, if not days of the elect mind?

There were, however, there, the two sons of Eli, etc. Eli, my God: Ophni, meaning barefoot: Phinehas, meaning mute mouth. There were thus, in the time of the imminent Incarnation of the Lord, priests consecrated to the Lord in the law of good priesthood, and sons of rightly believing priests: but they were devoid of the grace due to action and preaching; having neither the open…

And when the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters;

but to Hannah he would give one double portion — for he loved Hannah, though the LORD had shut her womb.

Let us not take this with a grain of salt; instead let us learn also from this the highest values, and when we fall foul of some disaster, even if we are suffering grief and pain, even if the trouble seems insupportable to us, let us not be anxious or beside ourselves but wait on God's providence.

15. What does it mean that when he gave portions to Peninnah, and to her sons and daughters, he was by no means sad: but when he gave one portion to Hannah, he is said to have been sad? But what is the one portion of Hannah, except the temporal affliction of holy Church?

And he gave to his wife Peninnah, etc. The Lord, suffering in the human flesh, and provoking to divine matters, gave to the Synagogue and all who believed and feared Him in it, both small and great, various operations of virtues and divisions of graces.

And her rival would provoke her bitterly, to make her thunder inside — because the LORD had shut up her womb.

The word rival [aemulare] has a threefold meaning. First, it means to emulate [imitari], as in "Seek after the greater gifts." We also read, "It is good that you always be emulated for the good." Second, it is to envy [invidere], even one's enemy, as was said through Samuel to Saul: "God has taken the kingdom from you and has given it to your rival [aemulo]." Peninnah, moreover…

(Moral Exposition) Anna is afflicted by her rival, when immoderate attention to good work disturbs the quiet of inner vision.

Her rival also afflicted her, etc. The Synagogue afflicted the Gentiles, reproaching them for being neglected by God due to their immense crimes, and for neither being able to merit the discourse of God nor the oracles of the prophets, by which the offspring of souls acceptable to God might be brought forth; and therefore, the womb of their mind was deprived of the spiritual se…

And so it went, year by year: as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, so she would provoke her; and she wept and would not eat.

Thus a Godward fast is a work of reverential awe. By its means also Hannah the wife of Elkanah making suit, barren as she had been beforetime, easily obtained from God the filling of her belly, empty of food, with a son, indeed, and a prophet.

18. For he also brought forth lamentations of his own sorrow, saying: "I have great sadness, and continual sorrow in my heart: for I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, who are my kinsmen according to the flesh" (Rom. 9:2, 3). And because he did not receive joy from their conversion, it is added: (Verse 7.) And she did not take food.

And so he did year by year, etc. He calls the Temple of the Lord the tabernacle of testimony, which remained in Shiloh until these times. Consider the single years or single virtues by which the Synagogue advanced in the house of the Lord; and the Gentiles, who were far from this, were provoked to tears, accusing it.

And Elkanah her husband said to her: “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

Hannah Prays for a Son

And Hannah rose after the eating at Shiloh, and after the drinking. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.

You see, just as a widow who is destitute and all alone, much abused and wronged, will often not be alarmed at the imminent triumphal procession of emperor, bodyguards, shield bearers, horses, and all the rest of his advance retinue, but without need of a patron will brush past them all and with great confidence accost the emperor, exaggerating her own situation under pressure…

20. For what was it then for the holy Church to eat, except to receive the food of consolation through divine encouragement? And what was it for her to drink, except to rejoice in the sweetness of inner consolation poured into her? For if food strengthens, drink cheers; therefore we take food when, having seen the eternal rewards, we are strengthened amid adversities.

And Anna rose, etc. The Church rose from the prolonged grief of its desolation, having now received confidence in supplicating the Lord.

And she was bitter of soul; and she prayed to the LORD, and wept and wept.

"And she stood," it says, "before the Lord"; and what are her words? "Adonai, Lord, Eloi Sabaoth!" and this is, being interpreted, "O Lord, the God of Hosts." Her tears went before her tongue; by these she hoped to prevail with God to bend to her request. Where tears are, there is always affliction also: where affliction is, there is great wisdom and heedfulness.

There were two women with the honored name of Anna: one married, who gave birth to holy Samuel; the other a widow, who recognized the Saint of saints when he was still an infant. The married one prayed with grief of soul and affliction of heart, because she had no sons.

22. And since we have referred Anna's drink to the joy of the holy Church, which is shown to rejoice, how is it narrated that she wept with a bitter spirit? But it can reasonably be understood that contemplation of heavenly reward had lifted her up to rejoice, and compassion for rejected Judea stirred her up by affecting her with bitterness of spirit.

And she vowed a vow and said: “LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but give your servant seed of men — then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come on his head.”

WHETHER SAMUEL WAS ONE OF THE SONS OF AARON, AND WHETHER HE IS TO BE CONSIDERED A PRIEST? — There are some among us who, partly occupied with secular affairs and partly less studious concerning the Holy Scriptures, fall into error, thinking that Samuel was a priest, that is, that he traced his origin from Aaron, whose offspring the Lord God ordained should be born priests, not…

(Moral Exposition) She vows her son to Almighty God who seeks the joy of contemplation for the fruit of the mind, not for the favor of vanity.

And Anna made a vow, etc. The Church vows, if the word would be entrusted to the nations, and the grace of faith would be granted, and a people strong in virtues would arise from them, that they would serve the Lord until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, and never in the example of the Jews, they would bend the knee to Baalim and Astarte, and the other idols of the nati…

And it was, as she prayed long before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth.

Now Hannah — she was speaking in her heart; only her lips were moving, and her voice was not heard. And Eli thought she was drunk.

Prayer is, then, to speak more boldly, converse with God. Though whispering, consequently, and not opening the lips, we speak in silence, yet we cry inwardly. For God hears continually all the inward converse.

At home her rival mocked her. She went into the temple, and the priest's boy abused her and the priest upbraided her. She fled the storm at home, entered port and still ran into turbulence. She went to get a remedy, and not only did not get it but received an additional burden of taunts, and the wound instead was opened up again.

And only her lips moved, etc. Clearly an ecclesiastical operation and most worthy of divine regard, which itself anticipated the Lord's encouragement with devotion, saying: Enter your chamber, and having closed the door, pray to your Father who is in secret (Matthew VI).

And Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine from you.”

And Hannah answered and said: “No, my lord. I am a woman hard of spirit; and wine or strong drink I have not drunk, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.

Do not take your servant for a worthless woman — for out of the greatness of my anguish and my provocation I have spoken until now.”

And Eli answered and said, “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your asking that you have asked of him.”

And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” And the woman went on her way, and she ate, and her face was not so anymore.

36. The woman went on her way, because the holy Church preached the word of faith to the Gentiles. Which the apostles also say, threatening the Jews: "Because you judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46).

And the woman went on her way, and ate, etc. And the Church prospered in the hope of heavenly compassion, raised in the faith and love of Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life; refreshed by the consolatory and comforting feasts of sacred Scripture, it could not thenceforth be changed by any pressures or blandishments from the true God whom it once acknowledged into di…

The blessed Virgin is venerative and restorative of the honor taken from God, and a mother consenting that Christ be offered as the price.

The Birth of Samuel

And they rose early in the morning and bowed down before the LORD; and they returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.

And it was, at the turning of the days, that Hannah conceived and bore a son; and she called his name Samuel — “because from the LORD I asked him.”

Let the men among us emulate her, let the women among us imitate her: the woman is teacher of both sexes. Those who are sterile, let them not despair; those who are mothers, let them bring up in this fashion the children they have borne; and let everyone emulate this woman's faith in giving birth and zeal following the birth.

38. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah at that time when our Redeemer looked upon the appointed time for calling the Gentiles, so that while he poured the grace of heavenly love into the bosom of his new bride, namely the holy Church, he might beget from her a new offspring of the faithful.

And it happened after the cycle of days Anna conceived, etc. It happened after the illumination of much spiritual knowledge and the manifestation of virtues, through which the apostles shone upon the world, the Gentiles conceived through catechizing and gave birth to a people believing in God through baptizing, or rather the people believed in God through His people.

And the man Elkanah went up, with all his house, to sacrifice to the LORD the sacrifice of the days, and his vow.

But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the boy is weaned; then I will bring him, and he shall appear before the LORD and stay there forever.”

And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what is good in your eyes; stay until you have weaned him — only may the LORD establish his word.” So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.

And she brought him up with her when she had weaned him, with three bulls, and one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine; and she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh — and the boy was young.

But it is now time to recall also a few things concerning the prayer of Hannah, which she poured forth when offering to God Samuel, whom she had weaned from the milk. In which, first indeed, we say this, that the boy who is offered to God could not be offered before he was weaned from the milk.

(Moral Exposition) Now the boy is led to the tabernacle with three calves, because for the abundance of spiritual gifts we ought to give thanks to the supreme Trinity. Concerning these calves the prophet beseeching the Lord says: "Take away all iniquity, and receive the good, and we will render the calves of our lips" (Hosea 14:3).

The boy, however, was still a little child, etc. The people of the nations had recently converted to the faith and produced not a few martyrs, who with unanimous devotion shed their blood for Christ, and grafted the wild olive tree onto the good olive tree; this was done by ministers of the word.

And they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the boy to Eli.

And she said: “Please, my lord — as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood beside you here, praying to the LORD.

For this boy I prayed; and the LORD has given me my asking that I asked of him.

And I also have lent him to the LORD; all the days that he lives, he is lent to the LORD.” And he bowed down there to the LORD.

I Samuel1

Elkanah and His Wives

Hannah Prays for a Son

The Birth of Samuel