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1 Chronicles 6 · a question people ask

Was Samuel's family from Levi, or from Ephraim?

In the text

This chapter lists Samuel among Levi's descendants. "Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel" (6:33), and the line runs on, "the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah" (6:34), "the son of Zuph" (6:35), back to "the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel" (6:38). Earlier, among "The sons of Kohath" (6:22), a line runs "Zophai his son, Nahath his son" (6:26), "Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son" (6:27), and then comes "The sons of Samuel" (6:28). 1 Samuel opens, "Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite" (1 Samuel 1:1), and Hannah "bore a son; and she named him Samuel" (1 Samuel 1:20). Neither book comments on the other, and the verses are set side by side here as they stand.

The verses

“The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. The sons of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth. As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son, Nahath his son, Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. The sons of Samuel: the firstborn, Joel, and the second, Abijah.”
1 Chronicles 6:22-28 · World English Bible
“These are those who served, and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.”
1 Chronicles 6:33-38 · World English Bible
“Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.”
1 Samuel 1:1 · World English Bible
“When the time had come, Hannah conceived, and bore a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of the LORD.””
1 Samuel 1:20 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of 1 Chronicles 6

1 Chronicles 6: The singers and the altar

1 Chronicles 6 gives the singers their places: Heman, Asaph on his right hand, Ethan's family on the left (6:33, 6:39, 6:44), and Heman's line runs back through Samuel and Korah to Levi (6:33-38). But at the altars, "Aaron and his sons offered", "to make atonement for Israel" (6:49).

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions