Hebrew word · H2584

חַנָּה

chanah

Hannah

Appears 13 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A woman living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.1.2; married to Elkanah (H0511H);

mother of: Samuel (H8050)

§ Hannah = "grace"

the mother of Samuel, one of the wives of Elkanah

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 13
  1. 1 Samuel 1:2 חַנָּ֔ה וּלְחַנָּ֖ה [was] Hannah, and [belonged] to Hannah

    He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

  2. 1 Samuel 1:5 וּלְחַנָּ֕ה חַנָּה֙ and to Hannah, Hannah

    But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb.

  3. 1 Samuel 1:8 חַנָּה֙ O Hannah

    “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

  4. 1 Samuel 1:9 חַנָּ֔ה Hannah

    So after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.

  5. 1 Samuel 1:13 וְחַנָּ֗ה and Hannah

    Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk

    Here: Her name comes from the root ḥ-n-n, "to show favour" or "be gracious", so it means roughly "Grace" or "Favour". It is placed first for emphasis ("As for Hannah..."), so that she stands in contrast to Eli, who in verse 12 is "watching her mouth".

  6. 1 Samuel 1:15 חַנָּ֤ה Hannah

    “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.

    Here: Her name comes from the root ḥ-n-n, 'grace, favour'. That is fitting in a story where she pleads for favour (v. 18, 'let your servant find favour').

  7. 1 Samuel 1:19 חַנָּ֣ה Hannah

    The next morning they got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then they returned home to Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.

    Here: Her name comes from the root for 'grace, favor'. That fits the verse just before, where she asks to 'find favor' (ḥen) in Eli's eyes.

  8. 1 Samuel 1:20 חַנָּ֖ה Hannah

    So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”

    Here: Hannah's name comes from the root for 'grace/favour' (chanan). It means roughly 'favour' or 'gracious one', which suits a story about a woman who is shown favour, though the text makes no play on it here.

  9. 1 Samuel 1:22 וְחַנָּ֖ה and Hannah

    but Hannah did not go. “After the boy is weaned,” she said to her husband, “I will take him to appear before the LORD and to stay there permanently.”

  10. 1 Samuel 2:1 חַנָּה֙ Hannah

    At that time Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation.

    Here: Her name comes from the root for "grace, favour" (ḥ-n-n). The once-barren wife, now mother of Samuel, who has just handed her son over to serve at the sanctuary in Shiloh.

  11. 1 Samuel 2:21 חַנָּ֔ה Hannah

    So the LORD attended to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.

    Here: Her name is related to ḥen, 'favour / grace'. The verse quietly shows the woman named 'Favour' being favoured.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.