Elkanah was a bigamist, a condition forbidden by God (Gen. 2:24). However, he loved Hannah dearly and gave her special consideration since she was infertile (v. 5; cf. Jacob's relationship with Rachel and Leah). Hannah's sterility may have prompted Elkanah to take Peninnah as a second wife.16
God had promised to bless His people with many descendants if they obeyed Him (Deut. 28:11). Consequently many Israelites saw a woman's inability to bear children not just as a natural handicap but also as a curse from God. Peninnah, her "rival"(v. 6), may have accused Hannah of some sin in her life that had apparently brought God's curse on her (v. 6; cf. Hagar's treatment of Sarai). >From the context we learn that Hannah was an unusually godly woman. Probably her barrenness was not a divine punishment for sin. It appears to have been a natural condition that God placed on her for His own purposes some of which become clear as this story unfolds (cf. John 9:1-3).
Elkanah was careful to observe some of the statutes in the Mosaic Law such as worshipping God yearly at Shiloh. However, he seems to have been somewhat insensitive to the depth of Hannah's suffering as a barren Israelite woman (v. 8).
The name "Lord of hosts"occurs first in the Old Testament in verse 3.17This is a very commonly used divine name in the rest of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and the prophetic books. The "hosts"are the armies of the sovereign God and consist of humans (17:45), angels (Josh. 5:14), and stars (Isa. 40:26). This name expresses the infinite resources and power at God's disposal as He fights for His people.
"Three dramatic elements in the scene make the problem of barrenness more poignant for the narrative.
"First, we are told twice that The Lord had closed her womb' (v. 5, 6). . . . Second, while it is Yahweh who has created Hannah's problem, Hannah's response is not against Yahweh, but against Peninnah (v. 6-7). . . .
"Third, the scene ends with Elkanah's four-fold question, three times lameh, why,' plus a concluding question about his own value to Hannah (v. 8). Elkanah's questions are voiced in pathos. He does not understand Hannah's response; moreover he is helpless to change Hannah's situation. Elkanah is helpless about the problem of barrenness caused by Yahweh, and he is helpless in the destructive interaction between his wives. Hannah is deeply needy and immobilized, and her husband is helpless. The family system seems desperately closed. The only opening is that every year Elkanah goes up to sacrifice to Yahweh, the very one who has closed Hannah's womb."18
