Peninnah
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Peninnah (occasionally transliterated as Penina) was one of Elkanah's two wives, briefly mentioned in the first Book of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:2). Her name means "pearl"; its Hebrew root is possibly contr "precious stone".
Peninnah was less favored than Elkanah's other wife, Hannah; although she bore him more children, Peninnah also brought grief and disharmony to the household by her insolent mocking of infertile Hannah. “And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.” I Samuel 1:5,6.
Many commentators explain that Peninnah's actions were in fact noble. They explain Peninnah "mocked" the barren Hannah in order to further drive Hannah to pray even harder to God to give her children.
Gifts from Elkanah could not compensate Hannah for her barrenness, but these gifts further incited the jealousy of Peninnah. Peninnah seemed to give no consideration to what the Word of God revealed - “the Lord who closed her [Hannah’s] womb” (I Samuel 1:5). When in answer to her desperate, weeping prayer Hannah’s womb was opened, she bore three sons and two daughters (I Samuel 2:21). The petty Peninnah faded from Scripture. Her name presented her as a treasure, a pearl, but it was in name only.
