Bible Person

Peninnah

Meaning: pearl; precious stone; the face · Female · 2 cross references

Peninnah is Elkanah's other wife and the mother whose fertility becomes a source of pain for Hannah. She stands within the domestic tension that frames the birth story of Samuel. First appears in 1 Sam 1:2.1

AI summary: Peninnah matters because her cross references place her at the emotional center of Hannah's grief, where rivalry inside a household becomes part of the backdrop for one of Israel's most important answered prayers. The narrative does not flatten her into a symbol, but it does show how human provocation can drive deeper dependence on God. Taken together, the material presents Peninnah as a painful but important figure in the story that leads to Samuel's birth.1

Central Figure

Peninnah

Meaning: pearl; precious stone; the face