Elkanah

Biblical Record

1 Samuel 1:1 introduces Elkanah as an Ephraimite who lived in Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim. It identifies him as the son of Jeroham, from a family line that continues through Elihu, Tohu, and Zuph. His name is interpreted to mean "God has acquired" or "God has created."

Elkanah had two wives. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. Each year Elkanah went up to Shiloh to worship and offer sacrifices. At that time Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests there (1 Samuel 1:3). When he distributed portions of the sacrifice, Elkanah gave Hannah a special portion because he loved her (1:5). When Hannah wept after being provoked by Peninnah, he comforted her, saying, "Am not I better to thee than ten sons?" (1:8).

After Hannah prayed, her son Samuel was born. When Hannah said that she would not go up to Shiloh until the child was weaned, Elkanah gave his consent: "Do what seemeth thee good" (1:23). Samuel was afterward entrusted to Eli, and Elkanah returned to his home in Ramah (2:11). Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and Hannah later bore three more sons and two daughters (2:20–21).

Significance in Scripture

Elkanah is portrayed as a devout head of household who maintained worship at the tabernacle in Shiloh during the closing years of the period of the judges. The story of his family leads to the birth of Samuel, who would guide Israel through its transition to monarchy. The New Testament mentions Samuel (Acts 13:20; Hebrews 11:32), but Elkanah's name does not appear there.

Interpretation and Issues

• Tribal affiliation: 1 Samuel describes Elkanah as an Ephraimite (KJV "an Ephrathite"), while 1 Chronicles 6 places Samuel's family in the genealogy of the Kohathites among the Levites. Conservative interpreters regard him as a Levite who lived in the territory of Ephraim, citing the record in Joshua 21 that the Kohathites received cities within the tribe of Ephraim. Some critical scholars hold that the Chronicler later incorporated Samuel into the Levitical line.
• Polygamy: The text simply narrates the conflict between the two wives; it neither commends nor condemns Elkanah's marriages. It is often suggested that he took Peninnah as a wife because Hannah was childless, but the text does not state the reason.
• "Than ten sons": Some interpreters read these words as the comfort of a husband who deeply loved his wife. Others see them as failing to grasp fully the anguish of a childless wife.
• Attitude toward the vow: Drawing on Numbers 30, which allows a husband to annul his wife's vow, some commentators note that Elkanah did not prevent Hannah's vow but supported it.
• "Double portion": The meaning of the Hebrew expression in 1:5 is unclear. For this reason, some translations render it "one portion" or "a special portion," in contrast to the "double portion" of the New Korean Revised Version.
• Other persons of the same name: Several people named Elkanah appear in the Bible. The son of Korah (Exodus 6:24), the Korahite who joined David (1 Chronicles 12:6), and the official of King Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:7), among others, are distinct from the father of Samuel.

In the Korean Church

Elkanah is usually treated as part of the story of Hannah and Samuel. In sermons during Family Month or on the themes of marriage and the family, he is sometimes presented as an example of a husband who comforted his wife and worshiped with his family each year. In Sunday school, he appears in lessons on the birth of Samuel.