Hannah's Prayer
"I have poured out my soul before the LORD"
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- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
The whole story, in shortWhat happens, start to finish. Open it if you want the ending first.
Hannah had no children, and her husband's other wife taunted her year after year until she wept. At God's house in Shiloh she poured out her soul to the LORD and promised that if he gave her a son, she would give him back to serve God. God answered, and she named her son Samuel, brought him to serve at Shiloh, and sang, "There is no one holy like the LORD."
Where it is in the Bible: 1 Samuel 1:1 to 2:26
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Hannah: A woman who longs for a child. She has none.
- Elkanah: Hannah's husband. He loves her very much.
- Peninnah: Elkanah's other wife. She has children, and she is cruel to Hannah.
- Eli: The old priest at the house of the LORD in Shiloh.
- Samuel: Hannah's son, born in answer to her prayer.
- The LORD: God. LORD in capital letters stands for God's personal name. Jewish readers traditionally don't say it aloud, out of respect.
Setting
- Ramah, Hannah's hometown, and Shiloh, where God's house (the tabernacle) stood.
When
- More than 1,000 years before Jesus, before Israel had a king.
Before the Story
Israel had no king yet. Leaders called judges led the people. It was a time when many people did whatever they wanted (Judges 21:25).
God's house was at Shiloh. Families traveled there every year to worship and offer sacrifices.
Having children mattered a great deal. A woman with no children was often pitied or looked down on.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Year after year | 1:1-8 | Hannah is taunted and weeps |
| 2. A silent prayer | 1:9-18 | Hannah pours out her heart to God |
| 3. "I asked the LORD for him" | 1:19-28 | Samuel is born and given to God |
| 4. Hannah's song | 2:1-11 | Hannah praises God |
| 5. A little robe every year | 2:18-21, 26 | Samuel grows up at God's house |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 5Year After Year
Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
Every year the family went to Shiloh to worship the LORD.
Elkanah loved Hannah, and gave her a double portion of the meal.
But Peninnah teased Hannah cruelly about having no children. It happened year after year, until Hannah cried and wouldn't eat.
Elkanah asked, "Hannah, why are you crying?" He asked, "Am I not better to you than ten sons?" (1:8).
Scene 2 of 5A Silent Prayer
After the meal, Hannah got up and went to the house of the LORD. Eli the priest was sitting by the doorway.
"In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears" (1:10).
She made a promise. If God would give her a son, she would give him back to the LORD for his whole life.
She was praying in her heart. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
Eli thought she was drunk! "Put away your wine!" he said (1:14).
"No, my lord," Hannah replied. "I have poured out my soul before the LORD" (1:15).
"Go in peace," Eli replied, "and may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him" (1:17). A petition is a request.
Hannah went on her way and began eating again, "and her face was no longer downcast" (1:18). Downcast means sad.
Scene 3 of 5"I Asked the LORD for Him"
The LORD remembered Hannah. In time, she had a son.
She named him Samuel, "Because I have asked for him from the LORD" (1:20).
When Samuel was old enough to stop nursing, Hannah brought him to Shiloh.
She said to Eli, "I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD" (1:26).
"I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him, I now dedicate the boy to the LORD" (1:27-28).
Scene 4 of 5Hannah's Song
Then Hannah prayed a song of praise.
"My heart rejoices in the LORD" (2:1).
"There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God" (2:2).
She sang that God turns things upside down. The strong are made weak. The weak are made strong. The hungry are filled.
"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap" (2:8).
Scene 5 of 5A Little Robe Every Year
Samuel stayed at Shiloh and served the LORD with Eli.
"Each year his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him" (2:19).
Eli blessed Hannah and Elkanah. God gave Hannah three more sons and two daughters.
"And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man" (2:26).
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Year after year" (1:7) | Hannah's sadness went on for a long time. |
| "Wept with many tears" (1:10) | Hannah was honest with God about her pain. |
| "I have poured out my soul before the LORD" (1:15) | Prayer can be crying out everything to God. |
| "Because I have asked for him from the LORD" (1:20) | Samuel's name reminded Hannah that God heard her. |
| "There is no Rock like our God" (2:2) | God is strong and steady, someone to lean on. |
| "He raises the poor from the dust" (2:8) | God lifts up people who are low. |
Back Then
Having two wives happened in those days. The Bible often shows how much pain it caused, as in this story.
Children were often nursed until age two or three. That's when Hannah brought Samuel to Shiloh.
Mary's song sounds like Hannah's. When Mary was expecting Jesus, she sang that God "has filled the hungry with good things" (Luke 1:53). Her song echoes Hannah's.
Literal Reader Alert
Did Hannah give her son away? She gave him to serve God, as she had promised. She visited him every year and made him a new robe. Samuel became one of Israel's greatest prophets.
If I pray hard enough, will I get what I ask for? God heard Hannah, and he hears you. Sometimes his answer is different from what we ask. Hannah's prayer is a picture of trusting God with our deepest longings.
Why was Hannah teased? People sometimes treat others cruelly over things they can't control. If you or someone you love is longing for a child, God sees that sorrow.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hannah | Heartbroken | She had no children and was teased (1:7) |
| Eli | Mistaken | He thought she was drunk (1:14) |
| Hannah | Peaceful | She trusted God with her prayer (1:18) |
| Hannah | Joyful | God gave her a son (2:1) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
What would you pour out to God? Tap one.
Something I long for
Hannah prayed with tears. You can tell God everything.
Someone is mean to me
Hannah was teased year after year. God saw her.
No words
Hannah's lips moved without sound. God hears silent prayers.
I'm thankful
Like Hannah, you can sing to God about what he's done.
You Might Have Heard
"You have to pray with the right words."
What's true: God gives us words to pray, like the Psalms and the Lord's Prayer.
What the story is mainly about: Hannah didn't have perfect words. She cried, and her lips moved without sound. Even the priest misunderstood her. But God heard. Prayer is pouring out your heart to God.
Where Jesus is: Hannah sang about God lifting up the lowly. Many years later, Mary sang a song much like hers, because God was sending Jesus, who lifts up the lowly forever.
Good News
Hannah's sorrow went on for years. God remembered her.
"There is no one holy like the LORD... And there is no Rock like our God" (2:2).
God hears people who weep. He raises the poor from the dust. In Jesus, he came down to lift us up.
God heard Hannah's tearful prayer. He lifts up the lowly, and there is no Rock like our God.
Big Idea
Hannah poured out her heart to God, and he gave her a son, Samuel. God hears people who weep, and lifts up the lowly.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
Luther taught that God looks at the low and humble. In his explanation of Mary's song, he said God's way is to lift up people who are nothing in the world's eyes.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. In Year B, it reads 1 Samuel 1:4-20 in November (Lectionary 33), with Hannah's song in place of a psalm. In Year C, it reads 1 Samuel 2:18-20 and 26 on the First Sunday of Christmas, next to the boy Jesus in the temple.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
There is no one holy like the LORD.
How did that feel?
Using this at church
Read in church on
- First Sunday of Christmas Year CFirst reading, 1 Samuel 2:18–20, 26
For a newsletter or sermon notes
Hannah's Prayer, explained in plain words. Hannah weeps and prays for a child. God hears her. About 9 minutes. https://freescripture.org/stories/hannahs-prayer/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church