1 Samuel 1:6

Provoked her sore. Peninnah’s attitude was due, in part, to Elkanah’s well-intentioned generosity. Even as in the case of Satan in heaven, jealousy over attentions offered another, whether in the home or elsewhere, breeds a taunting, exasperating malice that finds expression in the icicle drippings of ridicule. Such tauntings not only deprived Hannah of appetite but also caused her to refrain from partaking of the feast. Was it because she felt unworthy, as Aaron did after the death of his sons, Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:19)? Did she not need the spiritual blessings of the feast all the more, under the circumstances? It might also be asked, How much of the blessing of the feast had Peninnah received, seeing she permitted herself to taunt her fellow? Such a situation was comparable to that mentioned by Christ in the story of the Pharisee and the publican (Luke 18:10-14). However, like the publican, Hannah did not render railing for railing, but kept the trouble wholly to herself and gave way to quiet tears.