Elkanah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elkanah
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A drawing from 1815 showing Elkanah and his wife Hannah.
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Elkanah (Hebrew: אֱלְקָנָה, which means "God has purchased") is a figure from the First Book of Samuel in the Bible. He was the husband of Hannah and the father of the famous prophet, Samuel.
Elkanah had two wives, which was a custom in ancient times. His first wife was Hannah, and his second wife was Peninnah. While Peninnah had several children, Hannah could not have any for a long time, which made her very sad. Elkanah plays a smaller part in the story, which mainly focuses on his wife Hannah and their son Samuel.
Elkanah's Family and Faith
According to the story in the Bible, Elkanah loved Hannah very much. He tried to comfort her when she was sad about not having children. He would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why are you not eating? ... Am I not better to you than ten sons?" (1 Samuel 1:8).
Elkanah was a very religious man. Every year, he would take his whole family on a journey, called a pilgrimage, to a holy city named Shiloh. There, they would worship and offer sacrifices to God. It was during one of these trips to Shiloh that Hannah prayed for a son, promising to dedicate him to God's service.
Elkanah's Ancestry
The Bible tells us that Elkanah was the son of Jeroham and came from a long line of ancestors from a place called Ramathaim-Zophim, in the hill country of Ephraim. Because he lived there, he was sometimes called an Ephraimite.
However, other parts of the Bible, like the Books of Chronicles, say that Elkanah was a Levite. The Levites were one of the twelve tribes of Israel. They were special because they served as priests and assistants in religious ceremonies. The Levites did not have one large piece of land for their tribe. Instead, they lived in cities scattered all over Israel. So, Elkanah could be a Levite by family line but be called an Ephraimite because he lived in the territory of Ephraim.
A Prophet in Jewish Tradition
In later Jewish teachings, found in a collection of writings called the Talmud, Elkanah is considered to be a prophet. His wife Hannah and his son Samuel are also listed as prophets. This shows that he was remembered as a very important and righteous man.
See also
