Old Testament Character Study: Hannah

OLD TESTAMENT CHARACTER STUDY (HANNAH)1 In a time when everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Jgs 21:25), the narrator introduces readers to Hannah, a woman who is barren but bold enough to believe that God would answer her prayer for a son. A narrative analysis of the text (1 Sm 1-2:21) reveals Hannah to be a faithful servant whom God eventually blesses with a son who later becomes the last of the judges (1 Sm 7:5, 15), a priest (1 Sm 1:1; 16:5), the first notable prophet since Moses (1 Sm 3:19-21) and is instrumental in the establishment of Israels monarchy. The author presents Hannah as a static or flat character, for she displays a limited number of traits. She is a woman whose faith led to the genesis of a kingmaker and ultimately, the monarchy of Israel. However, apart from her faith which is revealed in her petition for a Nazarite son, almost nothing else is told of Hannah. Nonetheless, Hannah is featured as a protagonist in a comic plot where she faces challenges but remains faithful and eventually overcomes them through divine intervention. The account of Hannah begins the same way as those of the