Zuph
Zuph, also called Zophai, was an Ephraimite Levite, an ancestor of Samuel the prophet.
Biography
Zuph, also known as Zophai, was a Levite of the Kohathite branch who served as an ancestor of the prophet Samuel. He is identified in 1 Chronicles 6:26 (Hebrew 6:11) as an ancestor in Samuel's paternal lineage, positioned several generations before Elkanah, Samuel's father. The district of Zuph, named in 1 Samuel 9:5, is likely associated with the area where Zuph's descendants settled, and it was in this region that Saul encountered Samuel while searching for his father's lost donkeys. Zuph thus gave his name to a geographical district in the territory of Ephraim, a rare distinction for a Levite whose family became so established in a particular region that the land itself bore his name long after his death.
Significance
Zuph occupies a quiet but meaningful position in redemptive history as a forebear of Samuel, one of the most pivotal figures in the Old Testament. Samuel stood at the hinge point between the era of the judges and the monarchy, anointing both Saul and David as Israel's first kings. That this transformative prophet had roots in a Levitical lineage going back to Zuph underscores the continuity between Israel's priestly and prophetic vocations. Furthermore, the preservation of Zuph's name in a geographical district (1 Samuel 9:5) illustrates how ordinary covenant faithfulness can leave lasting marks on the landscape of sacred history, both literally and theologically.
Verse Appearances (3)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]