Hannah’s children are connected with Eli’s priestly blessing. Eli himself is not the one who enables Hannah to have children, but he is used by God to deliver God’s blessing through his spoken words. Eli’s blessing is thus effective because the Lord himself took note of Hannah.1 This is also the last time that Hannah and Elkanah are mentioned.2
20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the LORD give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the LORD.” So then they would return to their home.