So, you’re asking yourself “How many children did Hannah have?” Yes – the Hannah from the Bible. How many children did she bear in her life time?

The answer is a little complicated.

Are you asking how many children Hannah had when she was first married (0)?

Or how many children she had when her first son was born (1, of course!)?

Or do you want to know how many children she finally had with her husband at the end of her life (6 total)?

So, I think when most people ask “How Many Children did Hannah have?” they’re really looking for that final number. Hannah had six (6) children by the end of her life.

But if you’re curious as to the details, let’s explore those now!

References to this woman – Hannah – are found in the Old Testament only.

And within the Old Testament, she appears only in the first and second chapters of the book of 1 Samuel.

According to 1 Samuel 1:1-2 she was one of two wives of a man named Elkanah. He lived in a city called Ramathaim Zophim (or – for short – Ramah). That was in the hill country of the Israelite tribe Ephraim.

In case you’re curious, Hannah’s “co-wife” (weird, I know, but not unheard of in the ancient Near East!) was named Peninah. And she wasn’t very nice to Hannah.

Anyway, since we’re trying to figure out how many children Hannah had – we need to start off by saying that she had none.

Peninah had some (we don’t know how many – but according to 1 Samuel 1:4 she had “sons and daughters”).

But Hannah? She was barren. That’s what 1 Samuel 1:2 tells us.

And even though Hannah may have been thought of as “less productive” in her agrarian society – Elkanah loved her very much according to 1 Samuel 1:5 – probably more so than he loved the “fertile” – but rather unkind – Peninah.

And this wicked Peninah would make life miserable for Hannah by mocking her for not being able to have children (1 Samuel 1:7).

Elkanah would try in vain to comfort Hannah – who had no children at this point (1 Samuel 1:8).

So, Hannah prayed in the Tabernacle in Shiloh (before it was in Jerusalem!) one day for a son (1 Samuel 1:9). She prayed so desperately and fervently that Eli – the priest – thought she was drunk! When he discovered that she was just praying with great vigor, he blessed her.

She went back home to Ramah with Elkanah. They had marital relations. And the Lord gave her a son named Samuel.

So far then Hannah has one child – a son.

Then Hannah and Elkanah brought Samuel back to Shiloh eventually to have him serve the Lord in the Tabernacle there.

It’s there that Hannah breaks into poetic verse and denounces the wicked Peninah indirectly. After that, we interestingly never hear about Peninah again.

Hannah also declared in 1 Samuel 2:5 that the barren woman bears seven children. That’s not to say that she herself actually had seven children – it seems that she’s just using a nu