1 Samuel 1:21-23

Amplified Bible

²¹Then the man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the Lord the ^[a]yearly sacrifice and pay his vow. ²²But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child is ^[b]weaned; and then I will bring him, so that he may appear before the Lord and remain there as long as he lives.” ²³Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you. Wait until you have weaned him; only may the Lord establish and confirm His word.” So the woman remained [behind] and nursed her son until she weaned him.

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Footnotes

1 Samuel 1:21 Lit sacrifice of days.
1 Samuel 1:22 At this time children were nursed until about age three. But it may be fair to say that Hannah also wanted to keep the boy as long as she reasonably could; giving up her only child—even for the best of purposes—must have been terribly difficult.