Why isn’t Samuel mentioned as being the son of Elkanah in I Chronicles 6:28?

Answer:

I should mention that there is a minor textual problem in I Chronicles 6:27: the name of Samuel's first son is actually missing from the text, though it appears in the Septuagint translation. It is generally believed that a scribe missed the word. It is remotely possible that another word or two was missed in this verse, but I don't think that is the answer to your question.

If you look back through the genealogies in I Chronicles, significant figures in history begin a new line of people. Since Samuel was the last judge and a notable prophet who appointed the first kings of Israel, he leads a new chain. However, it is a short one that only names his two sons.

Samuel was wholly given to God. Elkanah was his physical father, but Elkanah didn't raise him. Thus, Samuel is not listed as Elkanah's son. However, in another list (I Chronicles 6:33-38) giving the ancestry of the Kohathite singers, they are traced back to Samuel's grandson, and Elkanah is mentioned as Samuel's father to trace their lineage to Levi.

Therefore, I think the odd wording is more due to Samuel's unusual circumstances and his special place in Israel's history.