Peninnah
Pronounced peh-NIN-uh
- Meaning
- "Pearl; Coral; Precious stone"
- Origin
- Hebrew
Peninnah means "pearl" or "precious stone" in Hebrew. She was the second wife of Elkanah and the rival of Hannah. Though she had children while Hannah was barren, Peninnah's role in Scripture is primarily as Hannah's antagonist. Peninnah "provoked" Hannah "sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb." Year after year at the tabernacle, Peninnah's taunts drove Hannah to tears and emotional anguish. This rivalry, though painful, was part of the crucible that forged Hannah's extraordinary prayer life. Ironically, Peninnah's cruelty drove Hannah to the desperate prayer that produced Samuel — one of Israel's greatest leaders. What Peninnah intended for harm, God used for profound good. Her story illustrates how God can transform even the pain caused by others into instruments of purpose.
Spiritual meaning
Peninnah's name — 'pearl' — ironically mirrors how pearls are formed: through irritation. The pain she inflicted on Hannah produced the prayer that gave Israel one of its greatest prophets. God transforms our deepest wounds into our most powerful testimonies.
Related verses (KJV)
"And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb."
1 Samuel 1:6 (KJV) →"And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat."
1 Samuel 1:7 (KJV) →