ELCANA (Heb. 'Elqāhāh, "God Has Possessed"). -
Father of the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 1-2; 1 Chron. 6:27).
Of Levitical descent, but not priestly, he lived at Ramathaim, in the tribe of Ephraim, where Suph, one of his ancestors, had settled. According to the custom of the time he had two wives: Hannah (v.), barren, whom he loved preferentially, almost to compensate her for her lot, and Peninnah, fruitful. A most pious Yahwist, he went annually to the Tabernacle at Shiloh to offer sacrifices; he brought there, to give him to the Lord, his son Samuel, born to him, by divine grace, from Hannah, who later bore him five other children. The example of his father's faith certainly contributed to making Samuel a saint.

Seven other E.s are mentioned in the Old Testament: 1) the second son of Korah (Ex. 6:24); 2) the son of Assir, son of Korah (1 Chron. 6:23); 3) the father of Zuph or Zophai (ibid., 6:25-35); 4) an ancestor of Beraiah, son of Asa, "who dwelt in the villages of the Netophathites" (ibid., 9:16); 5) a descendant of Korah, among the warriors of David (ibid., 12:6); 6) one of the two gatekeepers for the ark (ibid., 15:23), perhaps identical with the preceding; 7) the chief minister of Ahaz killed by Zichri (2 Chron. 28:7).

Gino Bresson

@incollection{ec5_elcana_ebr_elqahah_dio_ha_poss, author = {Bressan, Gino}, title = {Elcana (Ebr. 'ElqĀHĀH, « dio ha posseduto »)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {V}, pages = {193--194}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/elcana-ebr-elqahah-dio-ha-posseduto} }

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