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she was working for this. But hear also what follows. And so she did, it says, year after year for a long time, when she went up to the house of the Lord. And she was despondent, and she wept, and she did not eat. The anguish was intense, the 54.639 length of her grief was long, not two and three days, nor twenty and a hundred, nor a thousand and twice that many; but, "For a long time," it says, for many years the woman was grieving and in anguish; for this is the meaning of, "For a long time;" and yet she did not despair, nor did the length of time disprove her fortitude, nor the reproaches and insults of her rival, but she prayed continually and supplicated; and what is greater than all, and what especially shows her longing for God, is that she did not simply desire to acquire this child for its own sake, but to dedicate a fruit to God, and to offer the first-fruit of her own womb, and to receive the reward of this good promise. From where is this clear? From the words that follow. For you all surely know that for women childlessness is most unbearable on account of their husbands. For many men are so irrationally disposed as to blame their wives when they do not give birth, not knowing that bearing children has its origin from above, from the providence of God, and that neither a woman's nature, nor intercourse, nor anything else is sufficient for this. But nevertheless, even though they know that they blame them unjustly, they reproach them, and often turn away from them, and are not kindly disposed toward them. 5. Let us see, then, if this was happening in the case of this woman. For if you see her being despised, dishonored, insulted, not having boldness toward her husband, nor enjoying much of his favor, you will be able to surmise that for this reason she desired a child, so that she might have boldness and much freedom, and become more desirable to her husband. But if you find the complete opposite, that she was loved more than the one who had children, and enjoyed greater favor, it is very clear that it was not for any human reason, nor to attract her husband more, that she desired a child, but for the reason mentioned. From where, then, is this clear? Hear the writer himself saying it; for he has not set it down simply, but so that you may learn the virtue of the woman. What then does he say? For Elkanah loved Hannah more than Peninnah. Then after this, seeing her not eating, but weeping, he says: "What is the matter with you, that you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart troubled? Am I not better to you than ten sons?" Do you see how he was devoted to her, and grieved more for her, not because she did not have children, but because he saw her despondent and overcome with extreme anguish? But nevertheless he did not persuade her to turn away from her despondency. For she did not seek the child for his sake, but so that she might show some fruit to God. "And she arose," it says, "after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk, and she stood before the Lord." Not simply has this been said, that "After they had eaten and drunk;" but so that you may learn that the time which others make a time for rest and relaxation, this she made a time for prayer and tears, because she was exceedingly sober and vigilant. And she stood before the Lord; "And Eli the priest," it says, "was sitting on a seat by the doorposts of the temple of the Lord." Nor is this said simply, that "Eli the priest was sitting by the doorposts of the temple of the Lord;" but in order to show the fervor of the woman. For just as often a widow, being unprotected and desolate, threatened, 54.640 suffering many injustices, when a king is about to enter, with spearmen, shield-bearers, horsemen, and much other retinue preceding him, is not intimidated, nor needs an advocate, but cutting through them all she approaches the king with much boldness, lamenting her own misfortune, with necessity guiding her hand; so indeed this woman did not blush, was not ashamed, with the priest sitting there, to ask by herself and to approach the king with much boldness; but winged by her longing, and ascending to heaven in her thought, as if seeing God himself, so she conversed with him with all fervor. And what does she say? Or rather, nothing

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τούτου εἰργάζετο. Ἄκουε δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ οὕτως ἐποίει, φησὶν, ἐνιαυτὸν κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν ἀπὸ ἱκανοῦ, ἐν τῷ ἀναβαίνειν αὐτὴν εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου. Καὶ ἠθύμει, καὶ ἔκλαιε, καὶ οὐκ ἤσθιεν. Ἐπιτεταμένη ἡ ὀδύνη, πολὺ τὸ 54.639 μῆκος τῆς λύπης, οὐ δύο καὶ τρεῖς ἡμέραι, οὐδὲ εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν, οὐδὲ χίλιαι καὶ δὶς τοσαῦται· ἀλλ', Ἐξ ἱκανοῦ, φησὶν, ἔτη πολλὰ λυπουμένη καὶ ὀδυνωμένη ἦν ἡ γυνή· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἀπὸ ἱκανοῦ· καὶ ὅμως οὐκ ἀπεδυσπέτησεν, οὐδὲ ἤλεγξεν αὐτῆς τὴν φιλοσοφίαν τοῦ χρόνου τὸ μῆκος, οὐδὲ τὰ ὀνείδη καὶ αἱ λοιδορίαι τῆς ἀντιζήλου, ἀλλ' ηὔχετο συνεχῶς καὶ ἱκέτευε· καὶ τὸ δὴ μεῖζον ἁπάντων, καὶ ὃ μάλιστα δείκνυσιν αὐτῆς τὸν περὶ τὸν Θεὸν πόθον, ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ παιδίον κτήσασθαι ἐπεθύμει, ἀλλὰ καρπὸν ἀναθεῖναι τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τῆς οἰκείας γαστρὸς ἀπάρξασθαι, καὶ τῆς καλῆς ταύτης ὑποσχέσεως λαβεῖν τὸν μισθόν. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ῥημάτων. Ἴστε γὰρ δήπου πάντες, ὅτι ταῖς γυναιξὶ διὰ τοὺς ἄνδρας μάλιστα ἀφόρητον ἡ ἀπαιδία. Πολλοὶ γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὕτως ἀλόγως διάκεινται, ὡς ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἐγκαλεῖν, ἐπειδὰν μὴ τίκτωσιν, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι τὸ τεκεῖν ἄνωθεν ἔχει τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας, καὶ οὔτε γυναικὸς φύσις, οὔτε συνουσία, οὔτε ἄλλο οὐδὲν αὐταρκὲς πρὸς τοῦτό ἐστιν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως, καίτοι γε εἰδότες ὅτι ἀδίκως ἐγκαλοῦσιν, ὀνειδίζουσι, καὶ ἀποστρέφονται πολλάκις, καὶ οὐχ ἡδέως πρὸς αὐτὰς ἔχουσιν. εʹ. Ἴδωμεν τοίνυν καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς γυναικὸς εἰ τοῦτο συνέβαινεν. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἴδῃς αὐτὴν καταφρονουμένην, ἀτιμαζομένην, ὑβριζομένην, παῤῥησίαν οὐκ ἔχουσαν πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα, οὐδὲ πολλῆς ἀπολαύουσαν τῆς εὐνοίας, δυνήσῃ στοχάσασθαι, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἐπεθύμει παιδίου, ἵνα παῤῥησίαν ἔχῃ καὶ ἐλευθερίαν πολλὴν, καὶ ποθεινοτέρα γένηται τῷ ἀνδρί. Ἂν δὲ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν εὕρῃς, αὐτὴν τῆς τὰ παιδία ἐχούσης μᾶλλον ἀγαπωμένην, καὶ πλείονος ἀπολαύουσαν εὐνοίας, εὔδηλον ὅτι οὐ δι' ἀνθρώπινόν τι, οὐδ' ἵνα τὸν ἄνδρα ἐπισπάσηται μᾶλλον, ἐπεθύμει παιδίου, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν εἰρημένην αἰτίαν. Πόθεν οὖν τοῦτο δῆλον; Ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ τοῦ συγγραφέως αὐτὸ λέγοντος· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁπλῶς αὐτὸ τέθεικεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῆς γυναικὸς μάθῃς τὴν ἀρετήν. Τί οὖν οὗτός φησιν; Ἠγάπα γὰρ ὁ Ἐλκανὰ τὴν Ἄνναν ὑπὲρ τὴν Φενάνναν. Εἶτα μετὰ ταῦτα ἰδὼν αὐτὴν οὐκ ἐσθίουσαν, ἀλλὰ κλαίουσαν, φησί· Τί ἔστι σοι, ὅτι κλαίεις; καὶ ἵνα τί οὐκ ἐσθίεις; καὶ ἵνα τί τύπτει σε ἡ καρδία σου; οὐκ ἀγαθὸς ἐγώ σοι ὑπὲρ δέκα τέκνα; Ὁρᾷς πῶς αὐτῆς ἐξήρτητο, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνης ἤλγει πλέον, οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν παιδία, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ὁρᾷν ἀθυμοῦσαν αὐτὴν καὶ περιοδυνίᾳ κατεχομένην; Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἔπεισεν αὐτὴν ἀποστῆναι τῆς ἀθυμίας. Οὐ γὰρ δι' αὐτὸν ἐζήτει τὸ παιδίον, ἀλλ' ἵνα τινὰ καρπὸν ἐπιδείξηται τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ ἀνέστη, φησὶ, μετὰ τὸ φαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐν Σηλὼμ, καὶ μετὰ τὸ πιεῖν, καὶ κατέστη ἐνώπιον Κυρίου. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ τοῦτο εἴρηται, ὅτι Μετὰ τὸ φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν· ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι τὸν καιρὸν, ὃν ἀνέσεως ἕτεροι καὶ ἀδείας ποιοῦνται, τοῦτον εὐχῆς καὶ δακρύων ἐποιεῖτο καιρὸν, διὰ τὸ σφόδρα νήφειν καὶ ἐγρηγορέναι. Καὶ κατέστη ἐνώπιον Κυρίου· καὶ Ἠλεὶ ὁ ἱερεὺς, φησὶν, ἐκάθητο ἐπὶ τοῦ δίφρου ἐπὶ τῶν φλιῶν ναοῦ Κυρίου. Οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἁπλῶς εἴρηται, ὅτι ὁ Ἠλεὶ ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐκάθητο ἐπὶ τῶν φλιῶν ναοῦ Κυρίου· ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τοῦ δεῖξαι τὴν θερμότητα τῆς γυναικός. Καθάπερ γὰρ χήρα πολλάκις γυνὴ ἀπροστάτευτος οὖσα καὶ ἔρημος, ἐπηρεαζομένη, πολλὰ 54.640 ἀδικουμένη, βασιλέως εἰσελαύνειν μέλλοντος, δορυφόρων, ἀσπιδηφόρων, ἱππέων, ἑτέρας πολλῆς θεραπείας προαπαντώσης, οὐ καταπλήττεται, οὐδὲ προστάτου δεῖται, ἀλλὰ πάντας αὐτοὺς διατεμοῦσα μετὰ πολλῆς ἐντυγχάνει τῷ βασιλεῖ παῤῥησίας, τὴν οἰκείαν ἐκτραγῳδοῦσα συμφορὰν, τῆς ἀνάγκης αὐτὴν χειραγωγούσης· οὕτω δὴ καὶ αὕτη ἡ γυνὴ οὐκ ἠρυθρίασεν, οὐκ ᾐσχύνθη, τοῦ ἱερέως καθημένου, αὐτὴ δι' ἑαυτῆς αἰτῆσαι καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς παῤῥησίας τῷ βασιλεῖ προσελθεῖν· ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τοῦ πόθου πτερωθεῖσα, καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβᾶσα τῇ διανοίᾳ, ὡς αὐτὸν ὁρῶσα τὸν Θεὸν, οὕτω μετὰ πάσης αὐτῷ θερμότητος διελέγετο. Καὶ τί φησι; Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲν