What role does Elkanah play in the lineage of biblical figures?

Tracing the Family Line

• Levi → Kohath (Exodus 6:18)

• Kohath → Amminadab → Korah → Assir → Elkanah (1 Chronicles 6:22–23)

• Elkanah → Amasai → Ahimoth → Eliab → Jeroham → Elkanah (1 Chronicles 6:26–27: “Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son.”)

• This later Elkanah becomes the father of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1, 19–20).

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Elkanah’s Immediate Role

• Head of a Levite household settled in the hill country of Ephraim (1 Samuel 1:1).

• Faithful worshiper who made annual pilgrimages to Shiloh, underscoring Levitical devotion (1 Samuel 1:3).

• Husband of Hannah, whose answered prayer brings Samuel into the world (1 Samuel 1:19–20).

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Why His Lineage Matters

• Links the priestly tribe of Levi to the prophetic ministry of Samuel.

• Positions Samuel to anoint Israel’s first two kings—Saul (1 Samuel 10:1) and David (1 Samuel 16:13)—paving the way for the messianic line (Matthew 1:1).

• Through Samuel’s descendant Heman, Elkanah’s line also supplies temple musicians (1 Chronicles 6:33–38).

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A Legacy of Worship and Leadership

• Levitical service: Elkanah’s family responsibilities revolved around tabernacle worship.

• Prophetic influence: His son Samuel ushers Israel from the era of judges to the monarchy.

• Messianic thread: By anointing David, Samuel helps establish the royal line culminating in Christ (Luke 3:31–32).

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Key Takeaways

• Elkanah stands as a crucial bridge—priestly by birth, worshipful in practice, and father to a prophet who shapes Israel’s future.

• His appearance in 1 Chronicles 6:27 assures readers that God preserves faithful lineages to accomplish redemptive purposes.