Zuph

Zuph (meaning: that beholds; watches; roof; covering) was a Kohathite Levite and an ancestor of Samuel the prophet. He is listed in 1 Samuel 1:1 in the genealogy of Elkanah: "Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite." The description "Ephraimite" here refers to his residence in the territory of Ephraim rather than tribal descent, as Levites lived among the other tribes. In the parallel genealogy of 1 Chronicles 6:26, Zuph appears as Zophai.

The district of Zuph (the "land of Zuph") was named after him or his family. It was in this region that Saul and his servant searched for his father's donkeys and found the prophet Samuel instead (1 Sam. 9:5–6).