There were seven barren women in the Bible, and one of them was Hannah, the wife of Elkanah and mother to Samuel the prophet. Although 1 Samuel opens by telling us the story of Hannah and the grief she felt over being barren, that grief soon turns to joy when the Lord responds to her prayers and grants her a son. 

When Hannah prayed to the Lord for a son, she vowed that her son would serve the Lord. 

And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

1 Samuel 1:11 (NIV)

After this prayer, Hannah conceived and gave birth to Samuel. After Samuel had been weaned, Hannah took him to Shiloh to serve the Lord. 

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.

1 Samuel 1:24 (NIV)

First Samuel 2 opens with Hannah’s prayer.

Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.

1 Samuel 2:1 (NIV)

In 1 Samuel 2:5, Hannah includes the following in her prayer.

Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away (emphasis added).  

1 Samuel 2:5 (NIV)

However, in 1 Samuel 2:21, we’re given this insight.

And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

1 Samuel 2:21 (NIV)

Some might read this verse and wonder if it contradicts verse five. After all, in verse five, seven children are mentioned, whereas only six are mentioned in verse 21. How do we reconcile this difference between the two verses? 

Firstly, Hannah’s prayer is of thanksgiving, praise, and faith. After all, every prayer should contain praise and thanksgiving and be rooted in faith. Whether it’s a lamentation or an expression of fear and doubt, faith is the key to unlocking every door. Secondly, the “conflict” in Hannah’s prayer is between pride and faith. When Hannah says, “My mouth boasts over my enemies,” we might think of her rival, Peninnah.

Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.

1 Samuel 1:6-7 (NIV)

Although we could say that Hannah only thought of Peninnah, I believe Hannah wasn’t so small-minded. Certainly, Peninnah’s arrogance and hurtful treatment toward Hannah are worthy of consideration, but consideration within the context of faith defeating pride. Consider the third verse.

“Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.

1 Samuel 2:3 (NIV)

Again, we could apply this to Peninnah, but we’d be shortsighted because of what comes next.

The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

1 Samuel 2:4 (NIV)

This verse is a picture of pride and human strength versus the strength that comes from faith. 

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (emphasis added).

1 Peter 1:7 (NIV)

Therefore, by verse five, we see this theme continued. Those who have faith in God aren’t hungry; the barren woman who put her faith in God now has seven children. Hannah prayed this after Samuel was born, as indicated by verse one, which follows the events in 1 Samuel 1. “Hannah prayed” immediately after she dropped off Samuel to serve the Lord in 1 Samuel 1:24-28, but long before 1 Samuel 2:21. Still, you may say, this doesn’t resolve the discrepancy between this verse and verse 21. 

Consider this definition of faith from Hebrews 11:1.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

When Hannah prayed in 1 Samuel 2, her prayer for seven children reflected her faith. Indeed, seven often symbolically refers to completion, but thinking that Hannah was only symbolic in her prayer nullifies faith’s place in her prayer and diminishes our learning. Remember what Paul said about God being “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” in Ephesians 3:20 (NIV). 

Consider also this passage from 2 Kings where we see Elisha’s final prophecy over Israel as given to Jehoash, the King at the time.

Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”

2 Kings 13:19 (NIV)

Jehoash could have struck the ground with the arrows five or six times, revealing his faith in God, but Jehoash was an evil king with little to no faith in God. Therefore, he struck the ground only three times, and instead of God responding to great faith by completely destroying Aram, Israel would only defeat them three times. 

Finally, consider what Jesus said about prayer and faith. 

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:24 (NIV)

Thus, Hannah’s prayer describes the differences between having faith in God and relying upon one’s own strength in pride. This concept continues from verse five and culminates in verses nine and ten.

He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

1 Samuel 2:9-10 (NIV)

Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2 not only reflects the victory of faith over pride but also prophetically speaks to the time of kings in Israel and, ultimately, to the reign of the Messiah over all the earth. 

Therefore, there is no contradiction between 1 Samuel 2:5 and 1 Samuel 2:21.