1. Elkanah lived in Ramah, a town in the hill country of Ephraim. His great-great-grandfather was Zuph, so Elkanah was a member of the Zuph clan of the Ephraim tribe. Elkanah's father was Jeroham, his grandfather was Elihu, and his great-grandfather was Tohu.
2. Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Although Peninnah had children, Hannah did not have any.
3. Once a year Elkanah travelled from his home town to Shiloh, where he worshipped the Lord All-Powerful and offered sacrifices. Eli was the Lord's priest there, and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas served with him as priests.
4. Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he gave some of the meat to Peninnah and some to each of her sons and daughters.
5. But he gave Hannah even more, because he loved Hannah very much, even though the Lord had kept her from having children of her own.
6. Peninnah liked to make Hannah feel miserable about not having any children,
7. especially when the family went to the house of the Lord each year.One day, Elkanah was there offering a sacrifice, when Hannah began crying and refused to eat.
8. So Elkanah asked, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won't you eat? Why do you feel so bad? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?”
9. When the sacrifice had been offered, and they had eaten the meal, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli was sitting in his chair near the door to the place of worship.
10. Hannah was brokenhearted and was crying as she prayed,