Which son of Hannah is born after her prayer, in the haftarah read on Rosh Hashanah? Samuel is the son Hannah receives after praying for a child.
According to 1 Samuel, Hannah was distressed because she had no children. At the sanctuary in Shiloh, she silently poured out her anguish to God and promised that, if granted a son, she would dedicate him to divine service. After Samuel was born, she brought him to Eli, the priest, at Shiloh.
Samuel later became a prophet, judge and pivotal leader in Israel’s history. He is associated with the transition from the period of judges to monarchy: he anointed Saul as Israel’s first king and later anointed David. Hannah’s song of thanksgiving in 1 Samuel 2:1–10 forms part of the Rosh Hashanah haftarah.
The answer is sometimes confused with Saul because Samuel later anoints Saul, or with David because Samuel anoints David. Neither is Hannah’s son. A linguistic detail also causes discussion: the Hebrew root connected with “asked” or “lent” appears in the naming story, but the biblical text identifies the child as Samuel.