He had two wives. the pronoun He refers to Elkanah. Since Elkanah is not the only man mentioned in verse 1, translators need to be sure that the referent of the pronoun He is clear. The text does not indicate which wife was Elkanah’s first wife, and Hannah is perhaps mentioned first because she plays a more important role than Peninnah in the story that follows. In languages that have different words for “a wife who has children” and “a wife who does not have children,” it will not be possible to