Hannah showed unmatched restraint with her words. She not only knew the right things to say, but also when to say nothing. Yet instead of responding to her tormentor, she kept her mouth shut.
She left the dinner table and went straight to God with her plea. Her character was tested when Eli accused her of being drunk. And once again Hannah demonstrated grace and humility through her words. When she could have easily mouthed back at him, she chose to display proper respect.
Once Hannah explained herself to Eli, his heart softened. Eli was right. God answered her prayer. Eventually Hannah bears Elkanah a son, Samuel, Pninah finds affection and appreciation with a Canaanite lover, and over time the two women become allies of sorts, as they raise a formidable clan who will carry Elkanah's name for generations to come.
Samuel, the most famous of them, tortured by his sinful love for Pninah, who is prohibited to him by Torah law, will lead his people against the Philistines, rule as a wise judge over the Israelites in time of peace, and anoint Kings Saul and David in his lifetime. A biblical story with a feminist twist, but primarily a study in human nature, it brings to life the world of the Old Testament with a cast of captivating, enigmatic characters. In the tradition of Anita Diament's The Red Tent , this is not a mere retelling of a story from the Bible, but a wholly new and original imagining.
Discussion Questions 1. In the Bible, Pninah is given short mention only as Elkanah's "other" wife, and Hannah's adversary. Hannah herself appears briefly as Elkanah's beloved wife, at first a barren woman and then as the mother of Samuel, and the "speaker" of a psalm titled "The Song of Hannah. Discuss the ways in which the author, Eva Etzioni-Halevy, has developed rich, complex characters from such a fleeting moment in the Bible—how effective and believable are these characters, and what makes us care about these women?
What do you believe prompted and motivated Etzioni-Halevy to write about them? In the tradition of The Red Tent, this book takes a few scant lines from the Bible and from them creates an opulent, intricate romantic plot, replete with flawed protagonists, heightened dramatic situations, enemies who turn out to be allies, and true villains. In what way does such an interpretation help or confound our understanding of the Bible?
Is such an interpretation intended merely for entertainment value? What do you believe Etzioni-Halevy's intentions are—who is her target audience and what feminist and other message is she trying to get across?
By alternating between Hannah and Pninah's point of view, each chapter not only delivers a new portion of the story, but a new perspective on a shared situation. Compare the Book of Hannah with the Book of Pninah. How do the two scrolls work hand in hand to reveal the story of this family? In what ways do the differences between them work against one another? How different or similar are the narrating voices? The Bible makes it clear how deeply he loved her, and the pain she endured from the other wife.
Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.
This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. Why are you downhearted? She took her pain to the only one who could alleviate it — the Lord her God. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. Yet even in her sincere petition Hannah is met with more negativity. Elkanah was a pious man, according to the religious standards of that time.
Each year, we went to offer a sacrifice to the Lord in Shiloh. When Penninah went to praise the Lord, he gave her a portion of meet to complete the sacrifices and she shared it with her children. To Hannah, he gave a hidden portion of meat, because she was sterile. Elkanah loved Hannah, even though God had not allowed her to have kids.
Her rival Penninah began to bother her and she became sad, because God had not allowed her to have children. Why are you downhearted? Hannah wanted the privilege of being a mother.
The Bible says she prayed and cried unconsolably, including promising the Lord that if she conceived a child, she would dedicate him to God all the days of his life. She would never cut his hair. Remember Samson? While she cried, the priest Eli thought that she was drunk. Eli went to ask her how long she had been drinking. What a way of praying!
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