It happened, as she continued praying before Yahweh, that Eli marked her mouth.
The record of Eli’s observations of and dialogue with Hannah (1 Samuel 1:12-17) confirms the sincerity and appropriateness of her petition. Eli did not rebuke Hannah but commended her. [Note: This is the only Old Testament passage that shows a priest blessing an individual worshipper.] However, Eli’s response to Hannah reveals his instability. He misunderstood Hannah because he did not perceive her correctly. This weakness surfaces again later and accounts in part for his demise.