with a dilemma: he is described as an ‘Ephrathite’ (= Ephraimite, I Sam. 1.1) and yet, as ‘ministering to the Lord under Eli’ (I Sam. 3.1), a task which was by definition considered levitical. Here, then, an effort is being made to present Samuel as a Levite, a descendant of Kohath. Since, however, Samuel is not a very significant figure in Chronicles, this effort is hardly a product of the Chronicler’s own genealogical goals; it must have answered some contemporary need. And indeed, in the following section, the founder-singer ‘Heman’ is introduced as Samuel’s grandson. It is for his
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