The name Hannah comes from the Hebrew חַנָּה‎ (ḥ-n-h, Ḥannah, pronounced with a guttural "het" as the first letter), meaning "favor" or "grace." This Hebrew root is closely related to the verb חנן (ḥ-n-n, ḥannan), which means the same thing: "to have sympathy, show favor/grace." In 1 Samuel 1:2, Hannah is described as the favorite of Elkanah's two wives, and later became the mother of the prophet Samuel.