Others might include Eli in a listing of priesthood men because he clearly held the priesthood and was obedient himself but his failure to curb his sons from gross wickedness or remove them from office means that he is rejected from this list.
Samuel, on the other hand is a nearly flawless example of a priesthood man. In the Bible Dictionary Samuel is described as “a signal example of faith, patience, integrity, and self-sacrifice.”
It is true that the sons of Samuel took bribes and perverted judgement as judges but while the story focuses on the people demanding a king there is no indication that Samuel would allow them to continue as judges once he knew of their wickedness.
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