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 1:7KJV
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1 Samuel 1:7 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 1:7 mean?

1 Samuel 1:7 describes how, year after year, Hannah was provoked and made miserable by her rival whenever she went to the house of the LORD, causing her deep sorrow so that she wept and could not eat. The verse highlights the repeated emotional pain Hannah experienced during these annual visits to worship.

The setting is Hannah’s family making their yearly trip to the sanctuary at Shiloh. Hannah’s husband’s other wife, Peninnah, would taunt her because Hannah had no children. This ongoing provocation led Hannah to such distress that she would cry and lose her appetite, showing how deeply the situation affected her.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 1:7

  • The word "provoked" (כַּעַס, ka'as) means to irritate or deeply trouble someone. In this context, it shows that Peninnah’s actions were not just teasing but caused real anguish for Hannah.
  • The word "wept" (בָּכָה, bakhah) means to cry or lament. The use of this word emphasizes the intensity of Hannah’s grief, not just sadness but open, heartfelt weeping.
  • The word "eat" (אָכַל, akhal) simply means to eat, but here it underscores how Hannah’s sorrow was so great that it affected her physically, taking away her desire or ability to eat.

Why 1 Samuel 1:7 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Hannah’s suffering was not a one-time event but happened repeatedly, making her pain ongoing and not just a passing feeling.
  • The verse sets up the emotional background for Hannah’s later prayer and vow, helping readers understand the depth of her desperation and faith.
  • It shows the reality of family tension and personal pain even during religious observance, making the story relatable and honest about human struggles.

Where else these words appear

“when” Hebrew H1767 · used in 35 verses

  • Exodus 36:5 And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.
  • 1 Kings 14:28 And it was so, when the king went into the house of the LORD, that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber.
  • Isaiah 40:16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

“provoked” Hebrew H3707 · used in 53 verses

  • Deuteronomy 4:25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:
  • 2 Kings 17:11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
  • Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

“wept” Hebrew H1058 · used in 100 verses

  • Genesis 21:16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
  • Judges 20:26 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
  • Esther 8:3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.