And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
And this happened every year when they went up to the LORD's house, Peninnah would provoke Hannah, so Hannah would cry and refuse to eat.
This verse shows how Hannah suffered emotional abuse from her husband's other wife every year during their religious pilgrimage, causing her deep pain.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of 1 Samuel, Hannah was one of Elkanah's wives who struggled with infertility, a condition that brought great shame and sorrow in ancient Israelite society where bearing children was seen as a key blessing from God. Every year, Elkanah's family made a pilgrimage to Shiloh to worship at the tabernacle, the mobile sanctuary that served as Israel's central place of sacrifice before the temple was built. During these trips, Hannah's rival wife, Peninnah, who had children, repeatedly provoked her, intensifying Hannah's emotional distress and leading her to weep and refuse food.
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