1 Samuel 1:7

7 And so he used to do^[a] year after year; {whenever}^[b] she went up to the house of Yahweh, she^[c] would provoke her so that she^[d] would weep and would not eat.

1 Samuel 1:7 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 1:7

And as he did so year by year
Elkanah went up every year to Shiloh, and offered sacrifices, taking his family with him, and gave to Peninnah and her children their portion, and to Hannah a double portion, or if but one yet the best:

when she went up to the house of the Lord;
that is, Peninnah, along with her husband, with whom she went every year to the tabernacle at Shiloh:

so she provoked her;
her rival Hannah, upbraiding her with her barrenness; to which she was stirred up by seeing her husband on these festivals take so much notice of her, and show so much love and respect for her, as always to give her the best portion. Abarbinel thinks that Peninnah and Hannah lived at two separate places, the one at Ramah and the other at Ramatha, which both together are called Ramathaim; and that they only met with and saw one another at these festivals, and then it was that the one was so very insulting and provoking to the other:

therefore she wept and did not eat;
that is, Hannah wept at the insults, reproaches, and scoffs, cast at her by her antagonist; insomuch that she could not eat of the peace offerings, though her husband always gave her the best part and portion of them; but her grief took away her stomach and appetite, that she could not eat; see ( Psalms 42:3 ) .

1 Samuel 1:7 In-Context

5 But to Hannah he would give {a double portion}, because he loved Hannah, though Yahweh had closed her womb.

6 (Now her rival wife would provoke her severely in order to upset her because Yahweh had closed her womb.)

7 And so he used to do year after year; {whenever} she went up to the house of Yahweh, she would provoke her so that she would weep and would not eat.

8 So Elkanah her husband would say to her: "Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat? And {why are you heartsick}? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"

9 Then Hannah got up after eating and drinking at Shiloh. (Now Eli the priest [was] sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the temple of Yahweh.)

Footnotes

• [a]. So Hebrew; because of the abrupt change of subject some revocalize the verb to read "it used to be"
• [b]. Or "as often as"; literally "from enough"
• [c]. That is, Penninah
• [d]. That is, Hannah