Hannah’s Forceful Prayer for a Child in Rabbinic Literature

b. Berakhot 31b

220–600

About This Entry

Talmudic literature depicts Hannah’s prayer as an argument with God that Hannah wins. Hannah warns that if God does not grant her request, she will take extreme measures, secluding herself with another man so that she will be forced to undergo the trial for a suspected adulteress prescribed in Numbers 5:11–31. Since the biblical text says that a woman cleared of the charge of adultery will become pregnant, God will have no choice but to grant her a child. For other forceful prayers in rabbinic literature, see Rabbinic Depictions of Individual Prayers.

Hannah said before the Holy One, “Master of the universe, if You will look upon [ra’oh] [me now,] fine, and if not, [in any case] You will see [tir’eh] (1 Samuel 1:11). I will go and seclude myself [with another man] before Elkanah, my husband. Since I secluded myself, they will force me to drink the sotah water [to determine whether or not I have committed adultery. I will be found innocent,] and [since] You will not make Your Torah false, [I will bear children as the Torah] says: [And if the woman was not defiled, but was pure, then] she shall be acquitted and she shall conceive (Numbers 5:28).”

Translation adapted from the Noé Edition of the Koren TalmudBavli.
We’re sorry. The Posen Library’s licensing agreements prevent this text from being printed or downloaded.

Notes

Words in brackets appear in the original translation.

Credits

From Koren Talmud Bavli, Noé Edition, trans. Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz (Jerusalem: Koren Publishers Jerusalem, 2019). Accessed via the William Davidson digital edition, sefaria.org. Adapted with permission of Koren Publishers Ltd.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.

Engage with this Source

Talmudic literature depicts Hannah’s prayer as an argument with God that Hannah wins. Hannah warns that if God does not grant her request, she will take extreme measures, secluding herself with another man so that she will be forced to undergo the trial for a suspected adulteress prescribed in Numbers 5:11–31. Since the biblical text says that a woman cleared of the charge of adultery will become pregnant, God will have no choice but to grant her a child. For other forceful prayers in rabbinic literature, see Rabbinic Depictions of Individual Prayers.

Read more
Restricted
Some content is unavailable to non-members, please log in or sign up for free for full access.

Related Guide

Prayers of and about Women in Early Jewish Literature

2nd Century BCE–6th Century CE
Restricted
Some content is unavailable to non-members, please log in or sign up for free for full access.

Related Guide

Prayers of Biblical Characters in Postbiblical Literature

4th Century BCE–6th Century CE
Restricted
Some content is unavailable to non-members, please log in or sign up for free for full access.

Related Guide

Ancient Jewish Literature

4th Century BCE–6th Century CE

You may also like

Hannah’s Prayer for a Child

Biblical Antiquities 50.4–5

And Hannah prayed and said, “Did you not, Lord, search out the heart of all generations before you formed the world? Now what womb is born opened or dies closed unless you wish it? And now let my…
View Source

Tamar’s Prayer for Justification

Targum Neofiti on Genesis 38:25
And Tamar went out to be burned by fire and she asked for the three witnesses, but did not find them. She lifted up her eyes on high and said: “I beseech by the mercies from before you, O Lord, you…
View Source

Rebekah Blesses Jacob

Jubilees 25:11–22
Then she lifted her face to heaven, extended her fingers, and opened her mouth. She blessed the Most High God who had created the heavens and the earth and gave him thanks and praise. She said,…
View Source