Why Having Two Wives Is a Bad Idea
Peninnah is a co-wife with Hannah. They’re both married to Elkanah.
Reminiscent of Jacob and his two wives, Rachel and Leah, we have the story of Elkanah and his two wives, Hannah and Peninnah.
Just as Jacob loves Rachel more than Leah, Elkanah loves Hannah more than Peninnah. Likewise, as Rachel, the favored wife, is childless, so, too, is Hannah.
Another parallel biblical account is of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, where Hagar, the wife with a child, harasses Sarah, the wife without one. So too, Peninnah harasses Hannah.
Despite Peninnah producing children for Elkanah, he loves Hannah. Peninnah lashes out by verbally harassing Hannah.
Though we shouldn’t condone what Peninnah does, we can understand her actions. But that doesn’t make what she does right.
When we’re in a trying situation, do we seek to make the best of it or harass others?
When have we risen above an unfair situation in a God-honoring way?
[Read about Peninnah in 1 Samuel 1:1–6. Discover parallel situations in Genesis 16:1–16 and Genesis 29:14–35.]
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More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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