Strata: How Many?

How many women are identified by name as praying in the Hebrew Bible?

Answer: One

Only Hannah, the mother of Samuel, is identified by name as offering up prayers in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).¹ In 1 Samuel 1:10, Hannah prays (Hebrew wattipallel) to the Lord for a son. She continues her prayer in 1 Samuel 1:12, and this prayer is referenced in 1 Samuel 1:26–27. In 1 Samuel 2:1, Hannah prays again.

While Hannah is the only woman mentioned by name to pray in the Hebrew Bible, there is nothing to assume this was an extraordinary experience. Even her interaction with Eli the priest suggests that it was not uncommon for women to pray to the Lord. In the passage, Eli admonishes Hannah because he thinks she is drunk, but when he learns that Hannah is not drunk—just praying silently while her lips move—he tells her to “go in peace” (1 Samuel 1:17).

There are other instances in the Hebrew Bible that might be inferred as prayers by women. For example, in Genesis 25:22, Rebekah inquires (Hebrew daras) of the Lord, and in Judges 17:2–3, Micah’s mother says a blessing and makes an oath, but in neither of these cases does it say that the women prayed. Additionally, a woman might have said the prayer in Psalm 131, but this is not certain.