1 Kingdoms (1 Samuel) 1:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Among the Jewish people, there was a woman named Anna who faced the deep sorrow of infertility for many years. To add to her plight, her adversary was blessed with numerous children. It is well known that the pain of infertility is especially difficult for women. When a competitor is blessed with offspring, the agony is intensified, as her rival's happiness starkly highlights one's own sorrow, similar to how the destitute feel the sting of their circumstance more acutely when reflecting on the abundance of the wealthy.

Why did Elkanah have two wives? (1 Kings 1:2) The law did not explicitly allow or prohibit entering into a lawful marriage with multiple wives, accommodating human frailty to mitigate greater transgressions; for God aligned the laws with the capacities of those who were to observe them. The Apostle also observes, 'The law hath made nothing of it' (Hebrews 7:19).

This passage refers to the Church, which previously bore no offspring but would ultimately have more children among the Gentiles than the synagogue had ever had. As Isaiah proclaimed, "Rejoice, O barren one, that bringeth not forth; cry out and exclaim, she that hath not given birth; for she that is forsaken hath many more children than she that hath a husband, saith the Lord" (Isaiah 54:1). Similarly, Sarah, the wife of Abraham, experienced a long period of barrenness, while Abraham had already fathered a son with his Egyptian maidservant Hagar. However, in her old age and by divine promise, Sarah eventually gave birth to Isaac, the son of promise, who prefigured Christ.

The revered and blessed Anna, a prophetess, hailed from the town of Armatham, located on the elevated part of the Ephraimite territory. She was married to Elkanah, a man from the Levitical tribe. Due to her barrenness, Anna was unable to bear children, prompting Elkanah to take another wife, Peninnah, who was able to give birth. Elkanah found joy in her children. Armatham, also known as Ramah, was situated in the region of Tzuf, near the territory of Benjamin. It was in this town that Samuel resided during his leadership over the Israelites, where he also anointed Saul as king. The Levitical tribe did not possess a specific inheritance, as the Levites lived among the other tribes of Israel.