There are 2 thoughts on “Hannah’s Adversity and Peninnah’s Redemption”.

  1. Pingback: Ten Hidden Gems from the Interpreter Journal | Meridian Magazine

  2. I wonder though – should we consider this narrative in 1 Samuel as part of a genre of related stories, where an infertile wife is humiliated by the co-wife who has a lower status – there are several narratives that fit this genre. If this is so, then I think you might have it backwards. That is, Peninnah is written into the text with this role – and not elevated to it by later readers.

    The second issue (at least for me) comes from my reading of Christopher Jero’s article “Mother-Child Narratives and the Kingdom of God: Authorial Use of Typology as an Interpretive Device in Samuel–Kings” (BBR 25/2, 2015). Jero’s work extends the idea that the story of Hannah’s desire for a child is intended as a parallel to Israel’s desire for a king: neither has what they want, Hannah’s rival has several children while the Philistines have 5 kings, and so on. If Peninnah is being cast as a type for the Philistines and the relationship between Peninnah and Hannah is a type of the relationship between Israel and Philistia, it becomes more difficult to redeem Peninnah.

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 characters available

All comments are moderated to ensure respectful discourse. It is assumed that it is possible to disagree agreeably and intelligently and comments that intend to increase overall understanding are particularly encouraged. Individual authors are given the option to disallow commenting or end commenting after a certain period at their discretion.

Close this window

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This