SAMUEL'S FAMILY AND ANCESTORS.

The name Samuel means "name of God." The story says: "There was a certain man of Ramatha'im-zo'phim of the hill country (mountainous region) of Ephraim, whose name was Elka'nah the son of Jero'ham, son of Eli'hu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an E'phraimite. He had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Penin'nah. And Penin'nah had children, but Hannah had no children. Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phin'ehas, were priests of the Lord."
Elka'nah was a resident of Ramah in Ephraim, hence he is called an Ephraimite, athough genealogically he was a descendant of the Levite Kohath (meaning "assembly"). Kohath was the second named of the three sons of Levi and father of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uziel. Kohath was the progenitor of the Kohathites, one of the three main divisions of the Levites. He was born in the land of Canaan, and is listed among the 66 souls who came to Jacob into Egypt. Kohath's descendants included Moses, Aaron, Miriam and rebellious Korah. Kohath lived 133 years.
The name Hannah means "favor, graciousness." In spite of Hannah's long barrenness, contrasted with Peninnah's bearing several children, Hannah was still Elka'nah's more beloved wife. Peninnah taunted Hannah because of her barrenness, notably when Elka'nah took his family for their yearly appearance at the Tabernacle in Shiloh.
On one visit to Shiloh, Hannah vowed to God that, if she could bear a son, she would give him to God, for His service. Seeing her lips move as she prayed inaudibly, High priest Eli at first suspected that she was overindulged in wine and was drunk. But on learning of her sober Fervor and Sincerity, he expressed the wish that God would grant her petition. Indeed, she soon became pregnant. After giving birth to Samuel, she did not go to Shiloh again until Samuel was weaned. Then she presented him to God as she had promised, bringing an offering consisting of a 3-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a large jar of wine. The thoughts expressed in her song of thankfulness, when she and Elka'nah presented Samuel for temple services, are quite similar to the sentiments voiced by Mary shortly after learning she was to mother the Messiah.
Each year thereafter, when she came to Shiloh, Hannah brought along a new sleeveless coat for her son. Eli again blessed her, and God again opened her womb so that in time she gave birth to three sons and two daughters.