The Holy Prophetess Hannah, Mother of the Prophet Samuel
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Life
Hannah was an Old Testament righteous woman remembered as the mother of the Prophet Samuel. The narrative of her life is preserved in the first book of Samuel, where she appears as one of the two wives of Elkanah. Long childless while her co-wife Peninnah bore children, Hannah endured her barrenness with grief but persistent prayer, and her petition before God at the sanctuary of Shiloh became the occasion for the birth and dedication of one of Israel's foremost prophets and judges.
The Orthodox Church commemorates her as a prophetess and righteous woman on December 9, the same day on which it keeps the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Saint Anna. She is distinguished from Righteous Anna, the mother of the Theotokos, with whom her name is shared in Greek and Slavonic usage. Hannah is widely regarded as an intercessor and patroness for the childless and those struggling with infertility.
In her own wordsReadHide
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My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD.
Old TestamentMarriage to Elkanah and barrennessHannah lived in marriage with Elkanah but remained childless. Elkanah took a second wife, Peninnah (called Phennena in the synaxarion), who bore him children, and Hannah grieved deeply over her own barrenness.
Old TestamentPrayer and vow at ShilohAt the sanctuary of Shiloh, Hannah prayed with weeping for a son and vowed that, if granted a child, she would dedicate him to the service of God. The high priest Eli at first mistook her silent, fervent prayer for drunkenness, but after she explained herself he blessed her.
Old TestamentBirth and dedication of SamuelHannah conceived and bore a son, Samuel, a name understood to mean 'heard by God.' After weaning him, she brought him to the temple at Shiloh with a sacrifice and presented him to serve the Lord under Eli, fulfilling her vow.
Old TestamentThe Song of Hannah and further childrenHannah uttered a hymn of thanksgiving, the Song of Hannah, preserved in the first book of Samuel and often compared by commentators to the Magnificat. After presenting Samuel, she went on, by the biblical account, to bear three more sons and two daughters.
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Veneration
The Orthodox Church honors Hannah among the righteous of the Old Testament, keeping her memory on December 9. On the same day the Church commemorates the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Saint Anna, together with several other saints in the synaxarion such as Sophronius, Archbishop of Cyprus, and Stephen the 'New Light' of Constantinople.
Because her Greek and Slavonic name coincides with that of Saint Anna the mother of the Theotokos, Hannah is treated as a distinct figure. Her steadfast prayer through long barrenness has made her a figure to whom the childless and those seeking children have traditionally turned.
