Peninnah

Biblical Account

Peninnah appears only in 1 Samuel 1. Elkanah, who lived in the hill country of Ephraim, had two wives: one was Hannah, and the other was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none (1 Samuel 1:2).

Each year Elkanah went up to Shiloh to offer sacrifice. On the day of sacrifice he gave portions of the offering to Peninnah and her children, but to Hannah he gave a double portion (1 Samuel 1:4-5). During this time Peninnah "provoked her sore, for to make her fret" because Hannah could not bear children; that is, she deliberately goaded Hannah and caused her great distress. This happened year after year, so that Hannah wept and would not eat (1 Samuel 1:6-7). In the Hebrew text, verses 6-7 do not name her but refer only to "her adversary." Korean translations, following the context, make explicit that this adversary is Peninnah.

Beyond this, Scripture says nothing about Peninnah's origins, the names of her children, or what became of her afterward. Her name is sometimes interpreted as a Hebrew word related to "pearl" or "coral."

Significance Within Scripture

Peninnah is a background figure in the narrative in which Hannah makes a vow in prayer before Eli and gives birth to Samuel. The pattern of a wife with children set against a childless wife resembles the stories of Sarah and Hagar (Hagar and Ishmael) and of Rachel and Leah. For this reason, the passage is often read alongside those texts as an illustration of conflict within polygamous households. The New Testament makes no mention of Peninnah.

Interpretation and Debate

The text does not explain why Peninnah tormented Hannah, so interpreters account for her motive in different ways. It is commonly read as jealousy toward Hannah, whom their husband loved more. Jewish rabbinic literature also preserves an interpretation that Peninnah acted as she did in order to move Hannah to pray. Some see an allusion to Peninnah in Hannah's song: "she that hath many children is waxed feeble" (1 Samuel 2:5). Because the text does not refer to Peninnah directly, however, this remains a matter of interpretation. Accounts claiming that Peninnah's children died are later traditions not found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Peninnah is mentioned mainly in sermons on Hannah's prayer. In such sermons she serves as an example of the people or circumstances that make life harder for those already suffering, and the emphasis often falls on the fact that Hannah did not quarrel with others but turned to God. She is also introduced alongside Hannah in Sunday school lessons on the birth of Samuel.