After years of barrenness and longing, Hannah's prayer is finally answered. She embraces a son, giving him a name that serves as a living witness to the miracle of his birth. The timeline of her pregnancy and the exact moment of delivery are described through the natural cycle of time. Commentators offer various perspectives on this timeframe. The most straightforward approach suggests she simply completed a standard, natural pregnancy [מצודת דוד], having conceived earlier and giving birth when her term was full [רד״ק]. Others suggest a full year had passed since her initial prayer [ביאור שטיינזלץ], or that the narrative marks the passage of a thirty-day lunar cycle [אברבנאל].
A precise rabbinic tradition calculates the duration of her pregnancy based on the plural terms used to describe the passing cycles and days. Since the minimum plural is two, this tradition concludes that her pregnancy lasted exactly two seasons—meaning six months—and two days. This demonstrates that a baby born early in the seventh month of pregnancy can survive and thrive [רש״י, רד״ק]. Furthermore, this specific timeline places the child's birth precisely during the Ten Days of Repentance. Years later, he would pass away during this very same time of year, reflecting the belief that God perfectly completes the lifespans of the righteous, aligning the day of their death with the day of their birth [אהבת יהונתן].
When naming her son, Hannah declares that she requested him from God. However, this raises a question among commentators. If the name is meant to reflect the act of asking, it would have been more fitting to call him Shaul, which directly translates to "asked" [צוארי שלל, חומת אנך, אברבנאל, אהבת יהונתן]. The primary answer is that his chosen name is a phonetic blend of words meaning "asked from God" [רש״י, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד]. By giving him this combined name, Hannah emphasized that she directed her prayers exclusively to God, entirely without the use of intermediaries [מלבי״ם].
Other scholars find deeper, alternative meanings embedded in the child's name. It can be understood to mean that God placed him in the world, that he originated directly from God, or that he carries a divine name, much like certain righteous individuals who are associated with the name of God [אברבנאל, אהבת יהונתן]. Additionally, a rich tradition relates that a heavenly voice used to declare the future birth of a great, righteous leader bearing this exact name. Hearing this, many mothers gave the name to their own sons, hoping their child was the promised one. The moment Hannah's son was born, the heavenly voice ceased. By giving him this specific name, Hannah confidently announced that her son was indeed the anticipated righteous leader proclaimed from the heavens, the very child she had asked of God [צוארי שלל, חומת אנך].