Meaning of the Name Elkanah
Elkanah combines the divine element with a Hebrew verb meaning to acquire, create, or possess. It is therefore commonly explained as "God has acquired," "God has possessed," or "God has created." The verbal nuance may vary, but the basic structure of the name is clear.
Origin
The name Elkanah is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Elkanah in the Bible?
Elkanah is best known as the father of Samuel. He appears at the beginning of 1 Samuel together with his wives Hannah and Peninnah; other Levites with the same name also appear elsewhere in Scripture.
The story of Elkanah in the Bible
Elkanah, from Ramathaim in the hill country of Ephraim, is best known as the father of Samuel. He had two wives: Peninnah, who had children, and Hannah, who for years had none. Every year Elkanah went up with his family to Shiloh to worship the LORD and offer sacrifice. When he divided the portions of the offering he gave a special share to Hannah, whom he dearly loved, and tried to comfort her when Peninnah's taunts left her in tears. After Hannah prayed at Shiloh and asked for a son, Elkanah returned with her to Ramah; the LORD remembered Hannah, and Samuel was born. Once the boy was weaned, Elkanah went up to Shiloh again with his family, and Samuel was dedicated there to the LORD's service. The name also appears among the Levites in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles, yet the best-known Elkanah remains this quietly faithful father who prepared the way for Israel's great prophet.
Is Elkanah mentioned in the Quran?
The name Elkanah does not appear in the Quran; he is known from the book of 1 Samuel in the Old Testament as the father of the prophet Samuel.
Verses where Elkanah appears
- 1 Samuel 1:1 —
Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite:
- 1 Samuel 1:19 —
They rose up in the morning early, and worshiped before Yahweh, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and Yahweh remembered her.
- 1 Chronicles 6:27 —
Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son.