1 Samuel 1 · Verse 5

1 Samuel 1:5

But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb.
1 Samuel 1:5, King James Version

1 Samuel 1:5 in other translations

BSBBut to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb.
WEBbut he gave a double portion to Hannah, for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had shut up her womb.
ASVbut unto Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but Jehovah had shut up her womb.
YLTand to Hannah he giveth a certain portion--double, for he hath loved Hannah, and Jehovah hath shut her womb;
DARBYbut to Hannah he used to give a double portion, for he loved Hannah; but Jehovah had shut up her womb.
BBEBut to Hannah he gave one part, though Hannah was very dear to him, but the Lord had not let her have children.
WebsterBut to Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah; but the LORD had rendered her barren.

What does 1 Samuel 1:5 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 Unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion - The Hebrew here is very obscure, יתן מנה אחת אפים yitten manah achath appayim; he gave her one portion of two faces; which the Syriac renders, he gave her one Double Part; and the Chaldee, he gave her one Chosen part; the Arabic is nearly the same; the Vulgate Annae autem dedit unam partem tristis, but to Anna he being sorrowful gave one part. As the shew-bread that was presented to the Lord was called לחם פנים lechem panim, the bread of faces, because it was placed before the face or appearances of the Lord; probably this was called מנה אפים manah appayim, because it was the portion that belonged to, or was placed before, the person who had offered the sacrifice. On this ground it might be said that Elkanah gave Hannah his own portion or a part of that which was placed before himself. Whatever it was, it was intended as a proof of his especial love to her; for, it is added, he loved Hannah.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 1:1-8

Elkanah kept up his attendance at God's altar, notwithstanding the unhappy differences in his family. If the devotions of a family prevail not to put an end to its divisions, yet let not the divisions put a stop to the devotions. To abate our just love to any relation for the sake of any infirmity which they cannot help, and which is their affliction, is to make God's providence quarrel with his precept, and very…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 1:1-8 →

1 Samuel 1:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּלְחַנָּ֕הu.le.cha.Nahand to HannahH2584
יִתֵּ֛ןyi.Tenhe gaveH5414
מָנָ֥הma.Naha portionH4490
אַחַ֖ת'a.ChatoneH259
אַפָּ֑יִם'a.Pa.yimdoubleH639
כִּ֤יkiforH3588
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
חַנָּה֙cha.NahHannahH2584
אָהֵ֔ב'a.Hevhe lovedH157
וַֽיהוָ֖הva.Yah.wehand YahwehH3068
סָגַ֥רsa.Garhe had closedH5462
רַחְמָֽהּ\׃rach.Mahwomb herH7358

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 1:5

  • Genesis 30:2

    And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

  • Genesis 29:30-31

    And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.

  • Genesis 16:1

    Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

  • Genesis 20:18

    For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

  • Genesis 45:22

    To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

  • Genesis 43:34

    And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
a worthy portion. or, a double portion.The Hebrew phrase, {manah achath appayim,} is correctly rendered by Gesenius, {ein Stud fur zwei personen, doppelle Portion,} "a portion for two persons, a double portion;" for {aph} in Hebrew, and [prosopon] in Greek, which literally mean a face, are used for a person.
Ge 43:34; 45:22
he loved.
Ge 29:30,31; De 21:15
shut up.
Ge 20:18; 30:2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 1:4

    And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

  • 1 Samuel 1:5

    But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb.

  • 1 Samuel 1:6

    And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.

Read all of 1 Samuel 1

1 Samuel 1:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Mas á Anna daba una parte escogida; porque amaba á Anna, aunque Jehová había cerrado su matriz.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		mais à Anne il donna une portion double, car il aimait Anne; mais l’ Éternel avait fermé sa matrice.
German
Elberfelder 1871		aber Hanna gab er ein doppeltes Stück, denn er liebte Hanna; aber Jehova hatte ihren Mutterleib verschlossen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Annæ autem dedit partem unam tristis, quia Annam diligebat. Dominus autem concluserat vulvam ejus.