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and he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Verse Takeaways

1

Polygamy: Permitted, Not Praised

Commentators explain that while polygamy was practiced by figures like Elkanah and permitted under Mosaic Law, it contradicted God's original design for marriage. The narrative subtly reveals the misery and family strife it caused, serving as a quiet rebuke of a practice that, while common, was not God's ideal.

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Book Overview

1 Samuel

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Commentaries

4

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes

On 1 Samuel 1:2

18th Century

Theologian

He had two wives - Compare Genesis 4:19. This was permitted by the law in Deuteronomy 21:15 and sanctioned by the practice of Jacob ([Refere…

Charles Ellicott

Charles Ellicott

On 1 Samuel 1:2

19th Century

Bishop

And he had two wives. —The primeval Divine ordination, we know, gave its sanction alone to monogamy. The first who seems to have v…

John Gill

John Gill

On 1 Samuel 1:2

17th Century

Pastor

And he had two wives
Which, though connived at in those times, was contrary to the original law of marriage; and for…

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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry

On 1 Samuel 1:1–8

17th Century

Minister

Elkanah maintained his attendance at God's altar, despite the unhappy differences in his family. If a family's devotions do not prevail to end its …