Hannah’s Sorrow

God’s vision for marriage in Genesis 2:24 is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, yet by the time of 1 Samuel, that vision had long been compromised. In the ancient world, many men married multiple wives. Such is the case with a man named Elkanah and his two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah is able to have children, while Hannah remains unable to conceive. Peninnah uses that advantage as a weapon, mocking and taunting Hannah year after year. Hannah is full of grief—weeping so deeply she cannot eat. And layered on top of her personal anguish is the weight of cultural shame, since infertility in that world carries public humiliation. Her sorrow is raw and visible...