1Sam 1:1

“Is not this very thing a reason for praising the just person, that one can say of him: "There was one man"? We who are still sinners cannot acquire that title of praise because each of us is not one but many. For looking at me is the face of one who is now angry, and then sad, a little later happy, and then disturbed and then gentle, at times concerned with the things of God and actions leading to eternal life, but shortly after doing things based on greed or the glory of this world. You can see, then, that he who was thought to be one is not one at all; but there seem to be as many persons in him as there are customs.… But as for the just, not only is each said to be one but they are, all together, said to be one. And why shouldn't they all be called one, who were described as being of "one heart and soul"? They constantly contemplate one wisdom, are of one affection and disposition, reverence one God, confess one Jesus Christ as Lord, are filled with one Spirit of God. They are rightly called not just one [thing] but "one person," as the apostle indicated when he said, "All the runners compete, but only one receives the prize."”

“1. Whom then does this man represent to us, if not our Lord and Redeemer, who both appeared in the weakness of our flesh, and yet did not subdue that same weakness of His assumed nature with the enticements of a more indulgent life? For "man" (vir) is named from "virtue" (virtus): But man, created in paradise, had war with the apostate angel, whom nevertheless he did not take care to resist through his conditional virtue. Therefore, created strong but weakly subjugated to the enemy, he was not a man by combat, who was one by gift. Thus he was made strong in such a way that, with human nature condemned, he could not prevail over the victorious enemy, unless He who existed above men should assume it. Therefore our Creator became our warrior. But whether He was a man is known if it is considered from the virtue He displayed. He assumed our nature, so that while it conquered in Him, it might restore its created nobility, and what had been made strong but weak in Adam might become weak but strong in the Redeemer (Matt. 4). To Him indeed, while He fasted in the wilderness, the tempter came, renewed the weapons of his ancient victory, and hurled the darts of gluttony, pride, and arrogance; but he found Him resisting in all things. Therefore He shone forth as a man through victory, who, overcoming the apostate angel—already a strong conqueror—did not display to him the power of His divinity but the weakness of His humanity. Considering this man, the prophet Jeremiah says: "A woman shall encompass a man" (Jer. 31:22). Zechariah points to Him, saying: "Behold, a man, the Rising is His name" (Zech. 6:12). The blessed apostle Peter, preaching to the Jews, says of Him: "Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God among you by powers, wonders, and signs: Him, delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you killed by fastening Him through the hands of wicked men" (Acts 2:22-23). Hence Cleopas, conversing with the same Redeemer on the road, said: "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word" (Luke 24:19). For He was a man who both expelled the ancient enemy from the Church in this world and, dying, bound him in hell. And because He who, dying, shattered the powers of hell, rising again, opened for us the entrance to eternity, He showed us the greatness of His virtue not only by living but also by dying and rising. Therefore, because our Redeemer is known to have done works of great virtue through the humanity He assumed, rightly is he who signifies Him in type declared to have been a man. 2. But we must ask why he is called "one man." For if this "oneness" refers to number, it seems superfluous: for everyone is one, and not two. And Saint Samuel, by whom these things are written, must in no way be believed to have begun in vain contrary to the custom of the writers of Holy Church. For the writer of that volume, when he was presenting the life of blessed Job as an example for the faithful, began thus: "There was a man in the land of Uz, named Job" (Job 1:1). The evangelist Luke also, when at the beginning of his Gospel he was speaking the praises of a just priest, said: "There was in the days of Herod the king a priest named Zechariah" (Luke 1:5). For neither did the former say "one man," nor the evangelist "there was one priest." What then is the reason that the chosen prophet, contrary to the custom of writers, began with such an opening? But because he was not only a writer, but also a prophet, he knew of whom the history spoke; and he knew whom the one spoken of in the history signified. Therefore, what he narrates from history beyond the custom of history, this he speaks for the use of the catholic faith, in the understanding of allegory. Hence also by this new custom, the whole Church together confesses that God and man is one Christ. Therefore he says: "There was one man"; because he was speaking of the God-man, so that he might assert his divinity and humanity, and might more openly demonstrate that the person of the Word receiving and of the man received is not different, but that of God and man is one and the same: which unity, nevertheless, can fittingly be referred to the excellence of his dignity. For even if Holy Church has not had another Redeemer, through the display of virtue she has had many men. Therefore, when he is called "one," he is shown to be incomparable. 3. For He had no equal, who while He looked after the human race with His excellent life and word, was able by a singular gift to give the gifts of Redemption. Hence Paul also says: "Receiving abundance of grace, and of the gift, and of justice, they shall reign in life through one Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17). Reproaching the Jews for this dignity of His excellence through Himself, He says: "If I had not done among them the works that no other man has done, they would not have sin" (John 15:24). The Psalmist also, considering the excellence of His beauty, said: "Beautiful in form above the sons of men, grace is poured forth on your lips" (Ps. 45:3). Isaiah, testifying to the singular good of Redemption in Him, says: "Truly He has borne our infirmities, and He has carried our iniquities" (Isa. 53:4). The eternal Father also, showing His singular dignity, cried out from the magnificent glory, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; 2 Pet. 1:17). He was the one man whom Peter, confessing, said: "There is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Paul asserts this greatness of His excellence, saying: "The Lord exalted Him, and gave Him a name which is above every name" (Phil. 2:9). And because the excellence of His virtue surpasses not only the elect among men, but also all the blessed angels, Paul, preaching this to the Hebrews, says: "Who being the brightness of glory, and the figure of His substance, and upholding all things by the word of His power, making purgation of sins, sits at the right hand of the majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say: 'You are my Son, this day have I begotten you'? And again: 'I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son'" (Heb. 1:3-5). Rightly therefore He is called the one man, to whom no one is compared. But now that we have recognized how great He is, let us hear from where He was. 4. From Ramatha Sophim, from the mountain of Ephraim. Ramatha, Sophim, and Ephraim are Hebrew names, of which the first in our language means "Completed Vision," the second "Watchtower," and the third is interpreted as "Fruitful" or "Fruit-bearing." And what is the completed vision, if not the perfect knowledge of almighty God? Indeed, the teacher of the Gentiles indicates this completed vision, saying: "We see now through a mirror in an enigma, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know, just as I also have been known" (1 Cor. 13:12). And what is understood by watchtowers, if not that sublimity of the angels? For a watchtower is chosen on high for a clearer view. Ramatha is rightly called Sophim: because that perfect knowledge of our Creator can only be possessed by those blessed citizens who stand in that supernal height. For the radiance of eternal light in its fullness is beheld not in the depths of this present exile, but from the state of eternal sublimity. Hence Ramatha Sophim is rightly said to be situated on the mountain of Ephraim. For what is the mountain of Ephraim, if not heaven? For the fruitful mountain is that which always brings forth the flowers of eternal beauty and the fruits of unfailing joy. Rightly both Ramatha and Sophim are said to be situated on Mount Ephraim, because that eternal vision of almighty God, and that height of the blessed citizens, is not held on earth, but in heaven. Indicating that he was from Ramatha, he says: "As the Father knows me, I also know the Father" (John 10:15). Hence again he says: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal him" (Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22). He was from the watchtower, that is, from on high, who also rebuking the Jews says: "You are from below, I am from above: you are of this world, I am not of this world" (John 8:23). He was from Mount Ephraim, who says: "I am the living bread who came down from heaven" (John 6:51). John the Baptist, affirming that he was from Mount Ephraim, says: "He who comes from heaven is above all" (John 3:31). Hence the Psalmist says: "His going forth is from the highest heaven" (Ps. 18:7). Hence the teacher of the Gentiles says: "The second man is from heaven, heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:47). Therefore the man, who is declared to have been one, is said to have come from Ramatha Sophim, from Mount Ephraim: because he who was born among all shone forth above all, and appeared so great on earth because he came from heaven. He was from Ramatha Sophim, because even though he shone here incomparably, nevertheless the greatness of his excellence is not grasped except where the perfect knowledge of him is displayed to the eternal citizens. For one who had beheld him in the excellence of his power here said: "What we have seen and heard, and our hands have handled concerning the word of life" (1 John 1:1). But because he had not seen the greatness of his excellence, he promises it to us in Ramatha, saying: "When he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). 5. Moreover, by the name of this mountain, the most blessed ever-virgin Mary, Mother of God, can be designated: for she was indeed a mountain, who by the dignity of her election transcended all the height of every chosen creature. Was not Mary a sublime mountain, who, in order to attain to the conception of the eternal Word, raised the summit of her merits above all the choirs of angels, even to the throne of the Godhead? Indeed, Isaiah prophesying of the most excellent dignity of this mountain, said: "In the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of the mountains" (Isaiah 2:2). For she was indeed a mountain on the top of mountains, because the height of Mary shone forth above all the saints. For just as a mountain designates height, so a house designates a dwelling. Indeed, she is fittingly called both mountain and house, because while she was illuminated by incomparable merits, she prepared her sacred womb for the only-begotten Son of God to rest in. For Mary would not have become a mountain on the top of mountains, if divine fruitfulness had not raised her above the height of the angels. And she would not have become the house of the Lord, if the divinity of the Word had not lain in her womb through the humanity he assumed. But she is rightly called a fruitful mountain, from whom the best fruit, that is, the new man, is born; and certainly the prophet, beholding her beautiful and adorned in the glory of her fruitfulness, said: "A shoot shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise from his root" (Isaiah 11:1). For concerning the fruit of this mountain, David exulting in God said: "Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you; the earth has yielded its fruit" (Psalm 67:6). For the earth yielded its fruit, because what the Virgin bore, she conceived not by material work, but by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). Hence it is said to that same king and prophet by the Lord: "Of the fruit of your womb I will set upon your throne" (Psalm 132:11). Hence Isaiah says: "The fruit of the earth shall be sublime" (Isaiah 4:2). For he whom the Virgin bore was not only a holy man, but also mighty God. Concerning this fruit, to the same blessed Virgin, when Elizabeth greeted her, it is said: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Luke 1:42). Rightly therefore she is called the mountain of Ephraim, because while she is raised up by the ineffable dignity of divine generation, in her fruit the barren shoots of the human condition grow green again. Therefore a man from Ramathaim-zophim was made from the mountain of Ephraim: because he who by the power of his divinity created the angels, from the flesh of the most exalted Virgin, took on the form of humanity. And because through the humanity which he assumed, he wished to be born not from unbelievers, but from believers, there follows: "The son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph." 6. Indeed, four names of the fathers are assigned: because when the Lord took flesh from the faithful people, He had them as fathers through His humanity, whom He illuminated with the glory of just as many principal virtues. Hence it is said by divine promise not to some unfaithful person, but to faithful Abraham: "In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 22:18). Hence the evangelist Matthew, weaving the order of His genealogy, says: "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1). Hence He speaks to the Samaritan woman through Himself, saying: "Salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22). Hence Paul says: "Whose is the adoption of sons, and the glory, and the covenant, and the giving of the law, and the service, and the promises: whose are the fathers, from whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is over all things God blessed forever" (Rom. 9:4-5). Because indeed prudence was present in them for the knowledge of things; justice, by which they desired to arrange rightly what they knew; fortitude, by which they were able to carry out the good things they wished; temperance, through which they would accomplish all things with discretion—they are fittingly designated by the number four. 7. There follows: An Ephrathite. But why is he who is said to be from Mount Ephraim called an Ephrathite? Yet this is clear according to the letter, because evidently someone could be from Mount Ephraim who was not born from the tribe of Ephraim. He is therefore called an Ephrathite, so that he who is shown to be from that place might also be recognized as being from that lineage of descent. But since Ephrathite means "fruitful," this is rightly ascribed to the person of the Redeemer, who is proclaimed by the prophecy of the prophet: He shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, which shall give its fruit in its season (Ps. 1:4). For appearing in the preordained fullness of times, he turned the flowers of heavenly teaching into the fruits of the elect; and as many as he joined to himself from the human race, he brought forth as so many fruits unto eternity. In this passage, while the life of the Redeemer is described, the perdition of the devil is also secretly shown. For he was from Mount Ephraim, and yet was not an Ephrathite: because indeed he fell from heaven, but the bad tree did not bear good fruit. (Verse 2.) He had two wives; the name of one was Anna, and the name of the second was Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Anna had no offspring.”

“(Moral Exposition) In this one man, what is more fittingly designated than each new despiser of the world? For he is called a man because he is strong in purpose; but one, because he is singular in love; for he is a man because from great virtue he despises all present things; but one, because he desires to enjoy the vision of almighty God alone. For whoever perfectly despises earthly things is a man from fortitude, but if he does not ardently desire to see his Creator, he is not one from intention. Therefore the perfection of the man is placed in the praise of unity, so that he who powerfully despises the world may not divide his mind, may yearn only for heavenly things, may sigh only for those eternal joys which come from the vision of the Creator. Such indeed was he who confessing to God said: What remains for me in heaven, and what have I desired from you upon earth (Ps. 72:25)? Hence he also says: Your face, O Lord, I will seek (Ps. 26:8). For he who desired nothing on earth was indeed a man; but he who desired nothing either in heaven or on earth except Him alone, who, spurning all things, sought only His face, was not only a man but also one. Concerning this unity the Lord speaks to Martha in the Gospel, saying: Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; but one thing is necessary (Luke 10:41-42). Hence Luke, speaking of the perfect number of believers, says: They had one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32). For they had one heart because through the intention of reason they had looked upon the Creator alone; they had one soul because through the affection of love they desired to see His face alone. Hence it is that the devoted Prophet considers within himself, saying: My soul has thirsted for God, the living fountain; when shall I come and appear before the face of God (Ps. 41:2)? For obtaining this unity, Truth teaching says: Whoever does not renounce all that he possesses cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:33). These things also belong to us, because we who, renouncing the world, have sought the seclusion of a more remote life, are called monks. 'Monos' indeed is Greek, but in Latin it means "one." We are inscribed with this title of appellation so that the word of our name may intimate to us the height of our dignity, and our soul may raise itself the more ardently toward the vision of the Creator, inasmuch as it bears, as it were displayed on its forehead, the sublimity of that brightness in which it must always abide. But the sublimity of divine love is granted only within the catholic Church to the truly elect. Rightly therefore is the man who is called "one" said to have been from Ramathaim-zophim, from Mount Ephraim. For Ramathaim, as I have already said, is a Hebrew name, but in Latin it means "Consummated vision." This appellation indeed befits the holy Church, which was foreseen long ago by the prophets, but was established at the end of the ages in faith in the Redeemer. Therefore the holy Church is called "consummated vision" because it was raised up to the summit of religion through the Redeemer of the human race, whereas formerly it was only foreseen through the spirit of prophecy. Moreover, it is described as being built at Zophim on Mount Ephraim, because it is most lofty in the contemplation of God and fruitful in spiritual virtues. For Zophim means "watchtower," and Ephraim "fruitful." These words indeed rightly intimate the position of the holy Church, which is exalted not only in the intention of its vision but also in the excellence of its way of life. By these words also both the madness of heretics and the barrenness of other wicked people are condemned. For those who deviate from the rectitude of faith do not have the speculation of sublimity; while those who see rightly what they should do but always pretend not to do it indeed have a watchtower, but do not attain the mountain of virtues through an excellent life. But the holy Church, because it is sublime in Zophim, that is, in speculation, glories, saying: "Our conversation is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20). Because it is also established on the mountain of virtues through the fruit of good work, condemning the crushed faith of the reprobate, it says: "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20, 26). Hence also in preaching it says: "While we have time, let us do good to all, but especially to those of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). Therefore the man who is called "one" is said to be from Mount Ephraim, because both to despise earthly things and to desire heavenly things profits only him who through the catholic faith keeps himself within the holy Church. There follows: "And his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph." We have also shown above that this name, translated from the Hebrew language into our own, means "fervor of God." This name of the man indeed fits well with the order of spiritual exposition. For he who is called one man must necessarily be regarded as proceeding from the fervor of God. For who could either despise temporal things or love heavenly things without divine grace? It is indeed necessary that divine grace precede him, so that, kindled by the fire of the Holy Spirit, the more ardently he loves the highest things, the more strongly he may despise the lowest. For him also, in the order of genealogy, the names of four fathers are recorded, because he was begotten in the faith of the Redeemer through their preaching—those who believed in the same Redeemer of the human race through the writings of the four Evangelists from every part of the world. He is also called an Ephrathite. From Mount Ephraim, and an Ephrathite is one who is not barren in fertile land. For many within the holy Church are counted by the name of faith, yet produce no fruits of action. These indeed, when they come forth from the Church, are perceived to be as if from a fruitful mountain; but because they themselves do not have the fruit of good works, they are not Ephrathites. Therefore, he is from Mount Ephraim and is not an Ephrathite who learned the catholic faith in the Church but does not perform works worthy of faith. To such as these, Truth threatens in the Gospel, saying: "The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation producing its fruit" (Matthew 21:34). Hence, under the image of the fig tree, commanding the farmer of the holy Church to reject the unfruitful soul, he says: "Cut it down; why should it occupy the land?" (Luke 13:7). Hence John the Baptist, threatening, says: "Already the axe is laid to the root of the tree. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10; Luke 3:9). He had also shown that they were from Mount Ephraim but not Ephrathites, about whom Truth says in the Gospel through a parable: "He will miserably destroy those wicked men and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will render him the fruit in their seasons" (Matthew 21:41). Therefore, the man from Mount Ephraim is called an Ephrathite, because all of us who hold the catholic faith within the holy Church, while we cast away earthly things through the ardor of affection and love heavenly things, must also be separated from the earthly things we despise through the labor of good work and be prepared for the heavenly things we love. Therefore, to be in the Church and not to do good works, because it does not profit for acquiring the good of eternal salvation, the man who is declared to be from Mount Ephraim is also remembered to have been an Ephrathite.”

“There was a man from Ramathaim Zophim ... Elkanah, etc. The first reading of Blessed Samuel typically designates one and the same Lord Christ, to be believed always as the Redeemer and Ruler of both the Synagogue and the Church; of one, boasting of herself from the justice of the law and the abundance of her believing progeny; of the other, lamenting the injustices of her long desolation with humble devotion at the mercy of her same Redeemer, and therefore, breathing again with the sublime consolation of that Redeemer. Ramathaim, as we find in the books of locations, is a city in the region of Thannitica, near Diospolis, from which was Joseph, who in the Gospels is written of as from Arimathea. Moreover, Zophim is a mountain of Ephraim in the place of Ramathaim, which the old edition called Armathem. Ramathaim, however, is interpreted as "their heights"; Zophim as "watchtower"; Ephraim as "fruitful" or "increasing"; and Elkanah as "God's possession." Therefore, there was a man from their heights, that is, a watchtower of men, from the fruitful and increasing mountain, and his name is "God's possession." One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God (Eph. IV), who always has a beloved possession, and consecrates a dwelling in the spiritual hearts of the faithful. These, having transcended the earthly conversation, with all the effort of the mind, desire to observe the heavenly light of wisdom, possessing that mountain, which, with the pomp of worldly empire destroyed, grew with the fruit of believing peoples, and filled the whole earth. Of which the Psalmist says: "And He heard me from His holy mountain" (Psalm III), that is, He redeemed me through the man whom He singularly accepted as holy. This one man, namely, man Christ, explaining His own name says: "The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His ways" (Proverbs VIII). But this must also be noted according to the letter, because it is not written in vain, nor superfluously, "There was one man"; since it might seem sufficient to say, "There was a man from Ramathaim," or it could more fittingly have been said, "There was a certain man"; as some have even dared to translate against the faith of Hebrew truth. But this addition of "one" refers to the laudable title of Elkanah who, according to the Apostle's admonitions (Eph. IV), being stable and immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord, was never carried about by every wind of doctrine. For the wise man remains like the sun. For the fool changes like the moon (Eccles. XXVII). And this most fittingly applies to men of this kind, that, placed in the high watchtower of the mind and rejoicing in the fruitful summit of virtues, they are called "God's possession." Not only is any one of the perfect in Christ rightly called "one man"; but the heart and soul of the multitude of believers were one (Acts IV), imitating after their measure Him to whom it is said: "But You are the same" (Psalm CI). On the contrary, the reprobate are many, not only in different persons or in committing errors in various ways; but each one of them, due to the various movements of his changing mind, is many. For the heart of fools will be different, and a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (Proverbs XI; James I). Hence, the very cities in which they serve are "one confusion"; and this is of the Chaldeans, that is, the fierce, or as it were of demons; the other is called the "vision of peace," whose creator and founder is that one man, of whom it is said, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord" (Deut. VI). Indeed, that chorus of like-mindedness in the house, which sings: "One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life" (Psalm XXVI).”

“And (he said) his name was Elkanah, etc. The names of the fathers of Elkanah unveil their lives, faith, virtues, and the sublimity of those in whom and through whom the Lord is accustomed to be spiritually born; that is, in whose acts or inspirations, faith and love of Him are infused into hearts where they were not before. Hieroam, indeed, means merciful: Heliu, my God is his: Thau signifies a sign, Suph a watcher: Ephratite is said to mean fruitful or dusty. And the life of the saints is taught to be greatly strengthened by mercy, who said: Give alms, and behold all things are clean for you (Luke XI). Those who believe in the redemption through the incarnation of Christ rightly confess Him as their God, because the Eternal Father of Him, Lord of heaven and earth, from the time of assumed humanity, began to also be His God; whence He says, From the womb of my mother, you are my God (Psalm XXI). The virtues and works of saints are also a sign of the coming, the teaching, and the acts fitting for the flesh of Christ, when He Himself says: And in the hands of the prophets I have been assimilated (John V). And speaking of Moses in the Gospel: For concerning me, he says, he wrote. If it is read as sons of Thau, that is, of the testament, or of the wandering, this name also fits their virtues, who know how to say; whether we are out of our mind, it is for God; or if we are sober, it is for you; and we are fools for Christ. But the foolishness of God is wiser than men (2 Cor. V: 1 Cor. I). Finally, Paul, standing in chains before the judges of this world, because having received the faculty of speaking, he did not plead about the chains that burdened him externally, but about the confidence in the virtues he gloried in inwardly, heard: You are mad, Paul; much learning is driving you mad (Acts XXVI). And the Savior Himself speaks to the Father: God, you know my foolishness (Psalm LXVIII). Whom, in the Gospel, even His relatives wanted to bind as if He were out of His mind, and the adversaries reproached Him for having a demon (John XVII). But the watcher of heavenly joys, which is the soul of the elect alone, unaware of the joy of that life, has learned to speculate on nothing. Therefore, in the heart and mouth or work of such people, the Savior is always generated by faith, hope, and charity, and was pleased to be called and appear dusty and fruitful at the same time, while taking on the frailty of the flesh, He bore our sins in His body on the wood. And by the unique fruitfulness of His same sacrifice, destroying the kingdom of death, He has opened for us the entrance to life forever. But according to history, it must be noted that Elkanah is called an Ephratite, not because he was of the tribe of Ephraim, but because he was born in the city of that lot. For the words of days tell us that he was a Levite, that is, from the sons of Isaac, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi (2 Chronicles VI).”