Jeroham

Jeroham (meaning high, merciful, or beloved) is the name of several individuals in the Old Testament, most of them minor figures in genealogical lists. The most significant is Jeroham of Ramathaim-zophim, the father of Elkanah and grandfather of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1) — placing this Jeroham in the direct ancestral line of Israel's great judge-prophet. A Jeroham of Dan was father of Azarel, the tribal leader of Dan under David (1 Chronicles 27:22), and a Jeroham was among the military officers who assisted Jehoiada in placing Joash on the throne (2 Chronicles 23:1).

Samuel's connection to Jeroham anchors the prophet's lineage in the period of the judges. Samuel is identified as an Ephraimite through his father's residence but elsewhere appears as a Levite (1 Chronicles 6:27-28, 33-34), suggesting either a Levitical family resident in Ephraim or overlapping genealogical traditions.