Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they slept with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting. He said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear! You make Yahweh’s people disobey. If one man sins against another, God will judge him; but if a man sins against Yahweh, who will intercede for him?” Notwithstanding, they didn’t listen to the voice of their father, because Yahweh intended to kill them.
Parallel Translations
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Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they slept with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
He said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people.
No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear! You make Yahweh’s people disobey.
If one man sins against another, God will judge him; but if a man sins against Yahweh, who will intercede for him?” Notwithstanding, they didn’t listen to the voice of their father, because Yahweh intended to kill them.
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Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’s people to transgress.
If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.
Show all 3 translations
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Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did unto all Israel, and how that they lay with the women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting.
And he said unto them: 'Why do ye such things? for I hear evil reports concerning you from all this people.
Nay, my sons; for it is no good report which I hear the LORD'S people do spread abroad.
If one man sin against another, God shall judge him; but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall entreat for him?' But they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.
Cross-references (42)
- 1 Samuel 3:14 (v25) Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be removed with sacrifice or offering forever.”
- Hebrews 10:26 (v25) For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins,
- Joshua 11:20 (v25) For it was of Yahweh to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no…
- Numbers 15:30 (v25) “ ‘But the soul who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, blasphemes Yahweh. That soul shall be cut off…
- Proverbs 15:10 (v25) There is stern discipline for one who forsakes the way: whoever hates reproof shall die.
Show all 42 cross-references
- 1 Timothy 2:5 (v25) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
- Hebrews 7:25 (v25) Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make…
- Exodus 38:8 (v22) He made the basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, out of the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered at the door of the Tent of…
- Deuteronomy 1:17 (v25) You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for…
- 1 Samuel 2:13-17 (v22) The custom of the priests with the people was that when anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant came while the meat was boiling,…
- 2 Chronicles 25:16 (v25) As he talked with him, the king said to him, “Have we made you one of the king’s counselors? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the…
- Psalms 51:4 (v25) Against you, and you only, I have sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight, so you may be proved right when you speak, and…
- John 12:39-40 (v25) For this cause they couldn’t believe, for Isaiah said again, “He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see…
- Exodus 32:21 (v24) Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great sin on them?”
- Deuteronomy 2:30 (v25) But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for Yahweh your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might…
- Deuteronomy 17:8-12 (v25) If there arises a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being…
- Deuteronomy 25:1-3 (v25) If there is a controversy between men, and they come to judgment and the judges judge them, then they shall justify the righteous and…
- 1 Samuel 2:17 (v24) The sin of the young men was very great before Yahweh; for the men despised Yahweh’s offering.
- 1 Samuel 2:22 (v24) Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they slept with the women who served at the door of…
- 1 Samuel 8:1 (v22) When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
- 1 Kings 1:6 (v23) His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, “Why have you done so?” and he was also a very handsome man; and he was born after…
- 1 Kings 13:18-21 (v24) He said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are; and an angel spoke to me by Yahweh’s word, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your…
- 1 Kings 15:30 (v24) for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and with which he made Israel to sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked Yahweh,…
- 2 Kings 10:31 (v24) But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He didn’t depart from the sins of Jeroboam, with…
- Psalms 51:16 (v25) For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering.
- Isaiah 3:9 (v23) The look of their faces testify against them. They parade their sin like Sodom. They don’t hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have…
- Jeremiah 3:3 (v23) Therefore the showers have been withheld and there has been no latter rain; yet you have had a prostitute’s forehead and you refused to be…
- Jeremiah 7:9-10 (v22) Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come…
- Jeremiah 8:12 (v23) Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed. They couldn’t blush. Therefore they will fall…
- Ezekiel 22:26 (v22) Her priests have done violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common,…
- Hosea 4:9-11 (v22) It will be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will repay them for their deeds. They will eat, and not…
- Malachi 2:8 (v24) But you have turned away from the path. You have caused many to stumble in the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says Yahweh…
- Matthew 18:7 (v24) “Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the…
- Acts 6:3 (v24) Therefore select from among you, brothers, seven men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this…
- Acts 9:4 (v23) He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
- Acts 14:15 (v23) “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these…
- 2 Corinthians 6:8 (v24) by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;
- Philippians 3:19 (v23) whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things.
- 1 Timothy 3:7 (v24) Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.
- 2 Peter 2:18 (v24) For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed escaping…
- 3 John 1:12 (v24) Demetrius has the testimony of all, and of the truth itself; yes, we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true.
- Revelation 2:20 (v24) But I have this against you, that you tolerate your woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (18 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv22, 24, 25 Which was (as the Hebrews write) after their travail,…
Which was (as the Hebrews write) after their travail, when they came to be purified, read Exod. 38:8; Lev. 12:6.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv22–25 1Sa 2:22 Now Eli was very old, and heard…
1Sa 2:22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Ver. 22. Now Eli was very old.] And with it dim sighted, and so could not see so well into the evil manners of his sons; who also haply therefore slighted him the more, because old, and overworn.
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And how they lay with the women.] {a} That came thither for better purpose: either to be purified, as Lev 12:6, or to fast and pray, as Luk 2:37, to perform service to God in an orderly way. The Hebrew hath it, which warfared, or came together by troops, {b} as Exo 38:8, where in the LXX render the sense by the verb νηστευειν, to fast. The sin of these priests, therefore, was "exceeding sinful": for that being of a sacred calling, and wearing white ephods, they should in so sacred a place commit such villany with religious women, such as came in freely and frequently to serve God in the tabernacle: this also they did, though they had wives of their own, as being sick of a pleurisy, {Now rare or Obs.; formerly almost always in sense ‘superabundance, excess’} and like the devil, delighting to sow other men’s grounds. {Mat 13:25}
{a} Hebraei intelligunt puerperas.
{b} Turmatim conveniebant. - Jun.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv22–25 He was very old; and therefore unfit either to…
He was very old; and therefore unfit either to manage his office himself, or to make a diligent inspection into the carriage of his sons in holy administrations; which gave them opportunity for their wickedness.
All that his sons did unto all Israel; whom they injured in their offerings, and alienated from the service of God.
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Assembled, or warred; which expression is used of them, either because they came to the service and worship of God in the tabernacle, which is often called a warfare; or because they came in considerable numbers, and due order, like to an army.
At the door; the place where all the people, both men and women, waited when they came up to the service of God, 1Sa 1:9,12; Lu 1:10, because they could not have admittance into the tabernacle, and because the altar on which their sacrifices were offered was by the door. Hence it seems probable that these women were not such as devoted themselves to the service of God and of his tabernacle, either by fasting and prayer, &c., or by sewing, spinning, &c., which, if then there were any such, had their stations not at the door, but in divers places allotted to them round about the tabernacle; but of such as came up to worship God at his tabernacle; as women ofttimes did, with their husbands, as here Hannah did, and the blessed Virgin Mary, Luk 2:41, or with their parents. And this exposition may receive strength from Exo 38:8, where the very same phrase is used, and that when the great tabernacle was not yet built: and so there was no occasion for any women to come to the other less tabernacle then used, save only to pray or offer sacrifices.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv22–25 And he said unto them, why do ye such…
And he said unto them, why do ye such things?.... As to impose upon the people that bring their offerings, by taking more than is due, and in a very indecent and imperious manner; and especially to defile the women when they came to worship: these were very scandalous sins, and deserved a more severe reprimand, and indeed a greater chastisement than by mere words; Eli should have rebuked them more sharply, and laid open the evil of their doings, and as a judge punished them for them:
for I hear of your evil doings by all this people; the inhabitants of Shiloh, or who came thither to worship, who were continually making their complaints to Eli; which still shows his backwardness to reprove them in the manner he did until he was obliged to it by the continual remonstrances of the people against the practices of his sons; he did not attend to the information he had from a few persons, until it became general.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv22, 23, 25 Very old - And therefore unfit either to manage…
Very old - And therefore unfit either to manage his office himself, or to make a diligent inspection into the carriage of his sons, which gave them opportunity for their wickedness. To Israel - Whom they injured in their offerings, and alienated from the service of God. The door - The place where all the people both men and women waited when they came up to the service of God, because the altar on which their sacrifices was offered, was by the door.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv22, 23, 25 Verse 22. They lay with the women that assembled]…
Verse 22. They lay with the women that assembled] It is probable that these were persons who had some employment about the tabernacle. See Clarke on Ex 38:8, where the Hebrew text is similar to that in this place.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv22, 23, 25 1Sa 2:22. Now Eli was very old — And…
1Sa 2:22. Now Eli was very old — And therefore unfit either to manage his office himself, or to make a diligent inspection into the carriage of his sons, which gave them opportunity for their wickedness. All that his sons did to Israel — Whom they injured in their offerings, and alienated from the service of God. At the door of the tabernacle — The place where all the people, both men and women, waited when they came up to the service of God, because the altar on which their sacrifices were offered was by the door.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv22, 25 Women that assembled - Or, “Served.” See the marginal…
Women that assembled - Or, “Served.” See the marginal reference and note. Probably such service as consisted in doing certain work for the fabric of the tabernacle as women are accustomed to do, spinning, knitting, embroidering, mending, washing, and such like.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv22, 23, 25 Waited, like an army of guards, Exodus xxxvii. 8.…
Waited, like an army of guards, Exodus xxxvii. 8. The Rabbins pretend that these priests only sent away these women who came to be purified, and allowed them to return to their husbands before the appointed time, and thus caused the latter to offend. These authors are generally very fertile in discoveries. (Calmet) --- The virgins or widows gave themselves up to work for the tabernacle. (Menochius) --- The sons of Heli found an opportunity in the sacred practices of religion to gratify their passions. Perhaps some false pastors in the Church of Christ may have imitated their perversity. A man of the character of Mr. Crowley, a late deserter of the Catholic faith, judging of others by the corruption of his own heart, would hence insinuate that they all take these liberties, or at least that it is "a miracle," if they can admit females to confession, without yielding to such base temptations. If this be a miracle, we may confidently hope that wonders have not ceased, otherwise among his other malicious remarks, he would surely have adduced some proofs of his assertion, from the records of past ages. But in reality he seems to be little acquainted (though he pretends to have been converted by it, &c., and falsely asserts it is kept from laymen) either with history or with the Bible, having read perhaps little more than what his Catechism set before him; and this he boldly contradicts, as if he supposed that this "Thoughts" would have more weight than the decisions of the Fathers and of the whole Church. If he can find a professor of Maynooth, and another or two Irish priests, disposed to follow his example, (which we need not believe on his assertion) what would this prove? Yet Mr. Slack lays great stress on this man’s authority, in his late defence of Wesley. (Letters to R. Campion, Esq. Whitby, 1811.) So ready are the enemies of the Catholic faith to scrape together every idle remark that may tend to defame the mother Church! So eager are infidels to reject the faith, on account of the misconduct of some of its degenerate professors! (Haydock) --- The best of fathers have often very profligate children, as the latter take pride in the honours of their family, and expect to obtain the same without trouble. (Grotius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv22, 25 the women that assembled at the door of the…
the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle--This was an institution of holy women of a strictly ascetic order, who had relinquished worldly cares and devoted themselves to the Lord; an institution which continued down to the time of Christ (Luk 2:37). Eli was, on the whole, a good man, but lacking in the moral and religious training of his family. He erred on the side of parental indulgence; and though he reprimanded them (see on Deu 21:18), yet, from fear or indolence, he shrank from laying on them the restraints, or subjecting them to the discipline, their gross delinquencies called for. In his judicial capacity, he winked at their flagrant acts of maladministration and suffered them to make reckless encroachments on the constitution, by which the most serious injuries were inflicted both on the rights of the people and the laws of God.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv22, 23, 25 22. The women that assembled at the door —…
22. The women that assembled at the door — All classes of women, young and old, assembled at Shiloh for the purpose of worship, as Hannah did, and some were probably there employed in some kind of service for the tabernacle; but neither this passage nor Exo_38:8, sustains the notion of some, that there was a regularly constituted order of female ministers or deaconesses that served at the tabernacle. Women may, indeed, have done some things to aid the sanctuary worship, but they certainly never constituted a sacred order of ministers in ancient Israel. “When we find the sons of Eli corrupting the women that assembled by troops at the door of the tabernacle, it seems very probable that they were imitating the conduct of the priests of Ashtoreth or of Baal-peor, with whom such license was a part of religious service.” — Wilkins’s Essay on Phenicia and Israel.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv22, 23, 25 22–26. Eli’s fruitless expostulations with his sons
22–26. Eli’s fruitless expostulations with his sons
22. heard] “Used to hear all that his sons were doing,” constantly and habitually.
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the women that assembled] Rather, that served. The word is applied to (a) military service: (b) Levitical service (Num_4:13; Num_8:24): and it seems probable that the women mentioned here and in Exo_38:8, where the same words are used, had regular duties in connexion with the tabernacle service. The example of the abominations connected with the Phoenician worship of Ashtaroth may have helped to corrupt the priests of Shiloh.
the tabernacle of the congregation] Rather, the tent of meeting, where Jehovah would meet and hold communication with the priests, and the people. See Exo_29:42-43.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv22, 24, 25 (22) Now Eli was very old.—The compiler of these…
(22) Now Eli was very old.—The compiler of these Books of Samuel was evidently wishful to speak as kindly as possible of Eli. He had, no doubt, deserved well of Israel in past days; and though it was clear that through his weak indulgence for his wicked sons, and his own lack of energy and foresight, he had brought discredit on the national sanctuary, and, in the end, defeat and shame on the people, yet the compiler evidently loved to dwell on the brightest side of the old high priest’s character—his piety, his generous love for Samuel, his patriotism, &c.; and here, where the shameful conduct of Hophni and Phinehas is dwelt on, an excuse is made for their father, Eli. “He was,” says the writer, “very old.”
The women that assembled.—These women were evidently in some way connected with the service of the Tabernacle; possibly they assisted in the liturgical portion of the sanctuary worship. (Compare Psa_68:11 : “The Lord gave the word, great was the company of female singers.”) Here, as so often in the world’s story, immorality follows on unbelief.
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In Psa_78:60-64, the punishment of the guilty priests and the forsaking of the defiled sanctuary is recorded. The psalmist Asaph relates how, in His anger at the people’s sin, God greatly abhorred Israel, so that He “forsook the Tabernacle at Shiloh—even the tent that He had pitched among men. He delivered their power into captivity, and their beauty into the enemy’s hand. The fire consumed their young men, and their maidens were not given to marriage. Their priests were slain with the sword, and there were no widows to make lamentation.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv22, 24 ELI"S COMPLICITY IN THE SINS OF HIS SONS (vers.…
ELI"S COMPLICITY IN THE SINS OF HIS SONS (vers. 22-26).
Eli heard all that his sons did. To the profanity and greed described in vers. 12-17 the sons of Eli added unchastity; and their sin was the greater because the women whom they corrupted were those dedicated to religious service. (see Exo_38:8) The order of ministering women instituted by Moses probably lasted down to the destruction of the temple, and Anna may have belonged to it; (Luk_2:37) afterwards it appeared again in a more spiritual form in the widows and deaconesses of the Christian Church. The word rendered assembled means "arranged in bands," and shows not merely that they were numerous, but that they had regular duties assigned them, and each one her proper place and office. The frequent sacrifices, with the feasts which followed, must have provided occupation for a large number of hands in the cleaning of the utensils and the cooking of the food. But though Eli heard of the depraved conduct of his sons in thus defiling those who ministered in the tabernacle, he gives them but the faintest rebuke, and that apparently only because their misdeeds were in everybody"s mouth; for the last clause of ver. 23 really is, "For I hear of your evil doings from all this people." Eli"s old age may have increased his indifference, but his religious character could never have had much depth or earnestness, to allow him to regard such heinous sins so lightly. It seems even as if he chiefly felt the annoyance occasioned to himself by the expostulations urged upon him "from all this people." Still all that he says is wise and thoughtful. The sins of men in high station do not end with themselves; they make others also to transgress. And as Eli"s sons were Jehovah"s ministers, and they had led into wickedness those who also were bound to holy service, their misconduct was a sin against Jehovah himself.
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Vers. 22-26.
Abandoned.
The facts are
1. Eli in advancing years hears of the abominable deeds of his sons.
2. He remonstrates with them, pointing out the con sequences of theirconduct.
3. Heedless of the warning, they persist in sin, being abandoned by God.The narrative of the sacred historian seems to take in two extremes two elements working on in moral antagonism till the one passes away and the other becomes ascendant. The abominations and profanations of Eli"s sons, and Samuel"s purity and entire devotion to God, are placed in striking contrast. The history of the former is sketched as explaining the course of Providence in the deliverance wrought by Samuel"s subsequent conduct. The stage in the course of the dissolute priests here indicated brings into view
I FEARFUL PROGRESSION IN SIN. The iniquity of years culminates in the most abominable crimes men could commit. The descent to shamelessness and utter corruption becomes very rapid. One can hardly imagine these vile sons of Belial as once having been gentle youths taught to revere Jehovah"s name, and to tread his courts with awe. The momentum gained by evil desires when once let loose is among the most fearful features of human experience. It is the same sad story as often told now to the hearts of wailing parents: disobedience,. aversion to holy things, formal observances, secret associations of evil, seared conscience, loss of self-respect, profanation of sacred places, contempt for religion, self-abandonment to lust, defiance of God. What tears fall to earth nightly over erring ones! What blasted hopes lie on life"s pathway! What cruel triumphs of sin over all that is fair and strong in human nature! Holy Saviour, many of thy followers share in thy tears once shed over sin finished in righteous doom!. (Jam_1:15) When, when shall the mighty power come in answer to the cry of try Church to turn back the tide of woe, and drive the curse from the heart and home of man? "How long, O Lord, how long?
II DEFECTIVE DISCIPLINE. No doubt Eli, as a good man, deplored the vices of the age, and above all the crimes of his sons, and he performed a father"s part in remonstrating with them on account of their deeds, warning them of the dangers to which they were exposed at the hand of the invisible Judge. But the day for warning and remonstrance was past, and the day for swift, unsparing punishment had come. As judge in civil capacity, and as high priest in spiritual capacity, the course of Eli was clearimmediate banishment from office and capital punishment. (Lev_18:6, Lev_18:20, 29 20:10 21:6, 7, 17, 23) We see how a man good in many respects, may recognise duty and not perform it. Eli knew that the sin of contempt for the ordinance of sacrifice, utter disregard of the honour due to God, prostitution of the holiest office to the vilest uses, was past condoning, past covering even by sacrifice. For God, as Eli puts it, makes no provision to pardon and save those who wantonly scorn the means of pardon and salvation. No sacrifice l no intercessor! Yet the appointed judge in Israel is content with a bare declaration of truth, refraining from an exercise of the powers wherewith he is invested for the vindication of justice and the maintenance of order. Moral weakness was the sin of Eli. The imperious claims of God, of public welfare, of religious purity, appealed to the sense of duty in vain, because of some personal sentiment or lack of resolution. Cases often arise in national affairs, Church discipline, home life, where duty comes into collision with private sentiments and personal affection. Sometimes, as with Nathan in accusing David, and Ambrose in placing Theodosius under the ban, moral strength is conspicuous. Often, as with Eli, Jonah, and David in one instance, sense of duty yields to inferior impulses. True moral courage is a quality of high order. It confers great honour on those in whom it appears, and is a most important element in securing the welfare of the individual, the home, and the public. Its presence in most perfect Christian form may be ascribed to the combination of various elements.
(a) A natural sense of justice a psychological condition in which moral perceptions have more prompt influence than transitory emotions.
(b) A careful culture of the conscience through early years, and in relation to the minutiae of life.
(c) Intelligent faith in the inviolability of moral law.
(d) Formation of the habit of immediate submission to moral dictates, on the general principle that in morals first thoughts are truest.
(e) Strength of will to endure present suffering, as not being the worst of evils.
(f) A nature brought fully under the quickening influence of practical Christianity, as consisting in radical renewal, obedience to the precepts of Christ, fellowship with a holy God, and perpetual aspiration after holiness. There are instances still in which failure in moral courage is the one great blot on an otherwise excellent life. Where such occur sin flourishes, and the righteous mourn. The severe hand of justice is frequently the hand of true kindness. Favouritism and subordination of righteousness to personal ends, in public and domestic life, cause iniquity to abound, and sooner or later these will be visited by the judgment of God.
III DIVINE ABANDONMENT. The sons of Eli were given up by God to their deserved doom. They heeded not remonstrance, for they had gone so far into sin as to be left destitute of that gracious influence from God, without which the soul is held fast in the cords of its iniquity. The outward fact of despising the father"s warning was evidence to the historian that God had judicially abandoned them. "They hearkened not, because the Lord would slay. them. The solemn truth is clear that men may persist in sin so utterly as to be given up by God without mercy to all its consequences.
1. The evidence of this is full.
(a) Men are sometimes smitten with death as a consequence of persistent sin, as in case of Sodom, and the rebellion of Korah, all means of repentance being judicially cut off.
(b) The New Testament references to the sin against the Holy Ghost, and the apostasy of counting the blood of Christ an "unclean thing.
(c) The fact that at the end of life the impenitent are given over to look for "tribulation and anguish.
2. The rationale of this is partly discoverable. It is not mere arbitrariness, nor is it the effect of imperfect benevolence.
(a) It is consonant with the working of natural law. Physiology and psychology prove that there is a tendency to permanence of character in all. This is especially true of those who persist in strong unhallowed desires.
(b) There are transgressions even in society which admit of no restoration to society.
(c) In a wise and endlessly ramified moral government which rests on an eternal right, there can be no proof that a moral Ruler, whose existence is bound up with right and order, is obliged to cover the past of free beings who have deliberately persisted in evil, by giving them a new power which shall make them different from what they prefer to be.
(d) The judicial abandonment of the intensely sinful acts as a wholesome deterrent on the moral universe, by vindicating the holiness of God, and the claim of universal society on the pure, loving life of each of its constituents, and this too while giving to free beings only what they prefer.
Practical lessons:
1. The importance of guarding against first tendencies to deviate from the path of purity and truth.
2. The value of early habits of devotion, regard for right and purity, as a preventive of habits of a reverse character.
3. The extreme danger to the Church of a professional religion in alliance with a tendency to sensual indulgence, and the need of watching closely against such a possible combination.
4. The value of an early training of. the moral sense, and its constant culture, as against the inferior elements of our life.
5. The use of the lessons of history, as illustrating the terrible power of sin,and the damage done to society and the Church by defective discipline.
Vers. 22-25. (SHILOH.)
Ineffective reproof.
A man may possess many amiable qualities, and be, on the whole, a good man, and yet be marked by some defect which mars his character, prevents his usefulness, and makes him the unintentional cause of much mischief. Such a man was Eli. Of his early life nothing is recorded. He was a descendant of Ithamar, the youngest son of Aaron, and held the office of high priest, which formerly belonged to the elder branch of the Aaronic family, that of Eleazar, (Num_20:26) but which was now transferred to the younger, from some unknown cause, and which continued therein until the time of Solomon. At the age of fiftyeight he became judge, and "judged Israel forty years". (1Sa_4:18) When first mentioned he must have been at least seventy years old. His sons were children of his old age; for some time afterwards they were spoken of as young men, (1Sa_2:17) and, as is not uncommon in such cases, he treated them with undue indulgence. He was hasty and severe in reproving Hannah, but slow and mild in reproving them. The inefficiency of his REPROOF appears in that
I IT WAS NOT ADMINISTERED IN PROPER TIME. The tendency to go wrong generally appears at an early age; and it must have been seen by him in his sons long before the rumour of their flagrant transgressions reached him, if he had not been blind to their faults. But he had no adequate sense of his parental responsibility, was old and weak, of a gentle and easy going temperament, and omitted to reprove them (1Ki_1:6) until they had become too strongly devoted to their evil ways to be amenable to expostulation. A little plant may be easily rooted up, but when it has grown into a tree it can only be removed by extraordinary efforts. If some children are "discouraged" (Col_3:21) by too much strictness, far more are spoiled by too much indulgence. "Indulgence never produces gratitude or love in the heart of a child.
II IT WAS NOT GIVEN WITH SUFFICIENT EARNESTNESS (vers. 23, 24). Gentle reproof may sometimes be most effective, but here it was out of place.
1. It was not sufficiently pointed in its application; being given to them collectively rather than individually, in indefinite terms, by way of question, and concerning things which he had heard, but into the certainty of which he had not troubled himself to inquire.
2. It exhibited no sufficient sense of the evil of sin (ver. 25). He spoke of the consequences rather than of the nature, the "exceeding sinfulness" of sin, and spoke of them in a way which indicated little deep personal conviction.
3. It showed no sufficient determination to correct it. He did not say that he would judge them for their injustice toward men; and with reference to their sin against the Lord, which was their chief offence, he simply confessed that he could do nothing but leave them to the judgment of a higher tribunal. "In the case where the rebuke should have descended like a bolt from heaven we hear nothing but low and feeble murmurings, coming, as it were, out of the dust. Cruel indeed are the tenderest mercies of parental weakness and indulgence. And the fate of Eli shows that by such tender mercies the father may become the minister of vengeance unto his whole house" (Le Bas).
III IT WAS NOT FOLLOWED BY ADEQUATE CHASTISEMENT. The law of Moses in the case of disobedient children was very severe. (Deu_21:18-21) But Eli neither observed this law "when they hearkened not to his voice" (ver. 25), nor took any further steps to prevent the continuance of the evil which he reproved. He had none of the zeal for which Phinehas the son of Eleazar was approved; (Num_25:11-13) but as a father, a high priest, and a judge he was guilty of culpable infirmity and wilful disobedience. (1Sa_3:13) "Osiers," says an old writer, "can never be pillars in the State or in the Church.
IV IT DID NOT RESULT IN ANY IMPROVEMENT (ver. 25). Their contempt of reproof showed that they were already infatuated, hardened, and abandoned to destruction; or (reading for therefore), it filled up the measure of their iniquities, and exposed them to inevitable judgment. "He that hateth reproof shall die". (Pro_15:10)
1. Reproof is often a solemn obligation.
2. It should be given in an effective manner.
3. When not so given it does more harm than good.
4. When justly given it should be humbly and obediently received.
D.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv23, 25 Nay, my sons: for it is no good report…
1Sa_2:23-24
Nay, my sons: for it is no good report that I hear.
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Weakness is wickedness
It does not often occur to us what shame and guilt belong to mortal vacillation and weakness. Too often a mans weakness is accepted as a sufficient excuse for his sin. Outbursts of evil passion are excused because a man has a passionate nature. Vacillation is condoned, because a man by nature is pliant and indecisive. Inconsiderateness is held to be blameless, because a man is impulsive by natural disposition. That all this is wrong in judgment and false in principle, could not be more sternly taught than in the experience of Eli. Blameless and pure, humble and devout, there is no more beautiful character, in many of its aspects, to be found in Scripture than his; yet how stern the rebuke which is passed upon him, and how terrible the retribution! Plain it is that in Gods sight moral weakness is sin. At the Bar of Judgment I cannot finds no acceptance as a plea against You must. To say that you have not the strength, the courage, the resoluteness to do right is a confession which is itself a shameful wrong. It is the plea of a weakling, and weakness in Gods sight is wickedness. It is the plea of a coward, and moral cowardice is sin. (J. Bainton.)
Paternal leniency
I. Elis fatal leniency.
1. He saith over softly to them, Why do ye such things? (v. 23). This was to reprove them, saith Jerome, with the lenity of a father, not with the authority of a magistrate: Tis an old saying, Pity spoils a city; sure I am it did so here, for it spoiled his family, causing the priesthood to be removed from it.
2. I hear of your evil doings. This was too gentle, to mention them in the general only, and not to particularise them with their detestable aggravations, he should have rebuked them, cuttingly, or sharply (Tit_2:15) with all authority.
3. By all the people: As if it were their report only, and that he was put on by the people to say what he said.
4. Nay, my sons. He should have set on his reproof, by saying Ye act more like sons of Belial than my sons, the sons of the high priests of the Most High God.
5. Tis no good report: He should have called it, the most dismal and diabolical, if he had had a right zeal for Gods glory, etc.
6. He was not willing to reprove them, but the clamours of others forced him to do it.
7. He did not rebuke them publicly (1Ti_5:20) for the public sins to make the plaster as broad as the wound.
8. It was only a verbal reproof, whereas he should have put them out of their priesthood and punished them for their adultery according to the law, without respect of persons as a judge, etc.
9. He did not rebuke them in time, but let them live long in sin. 10. He soon ceased chiding them, so tis said, He restrained them not, (ch. 3:18.)
II. Apology for Eli in this case is--That he now was very old, some suppose him to be now come to his ninetieth year, even in his dotage, so could not himself converse with his sons, so as to observe their maladministrations, and withal, he was dim-sighted, so could not so well see their sinful practices: his superannuation caused his frequent absence from the Tabernacle, which gave a greater opportunity for his sons wickedness, to whom the management of Gods worship was (in their fathers retirement) be trusted, and tis not improbable, his sons did not much regard his reproofs, because he was old and over-worn, but themselves, being in their vigour, had married wives, and were fathers of children. And tis commonly known that old ago doth incline men to mercy, so that it is no wonder if Eli seem rather to flatter than to chastise his sons.
III. Judgement pronounced on Eli. The promise for the perpetuation of the priesthood to Aarons family (Exo_28:43; Exo_29:9) was conditional only so long as they did honour God therein, which condition the elder line of Aaron kept not in the case of Jephtahs vow, therefore was the high priesthood transferred to the younger line, which now upon the like failure in the condition, made a new forfeiture thereof, by dishonouring God so notoriously in Elis sons.
1. This may be called breach of promise, as that is (Num_14:34) when the old generation were wasted in the wilderness, and yet the new one was brought into Canaan as God had promised.
2. This Man of God threatens the extirpation of Elis family (1Sa_2:31-32). His arm shall be cut off.
3. This Man of God threatens him with a rival in the place of the priesthood, which he or his posterity should behold with their eyes, to their great grief and regret (1Sa_2:32-33).
4. This Man of God threatens him with the violent, death of his sons before their fathers death (1Sa_2:34-35).
5. He threatens him with the poverty of his posterity (1Sa_2:36). They shall come crouching as Abiathar did (1Ki_2:26) when banished to Anathoth. (C. Ness.)
Elis imbecility
Ells are out of place in this world; they are only fit for the society of angels. Place one of them over a business. Oh, he is such a good man! Trusts everybody, dismisses nobody, lets every knave and idle fellow about the premises play tricks with him. By-and-bye the end comes, and you spell it with ruin. Such a dear, well-meaning man, and so unfortunate; you all pity him. Yes, such men are to be pitied, but mainly because they are so weak and easygoing. Good men, but not fit to be at the head of anything. Not fit to rule a kingdom or a lunatic asylum, or even a church, and perhaps, least of all, a home. It is a pity when domestic government gets into their hands. Such nice meal such angelic women! But, alas! they make a pitiable business of it if they become fathers and mothers. (J. G. Greenough.)
Necessity of parental severity
When George III wished his two sons, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, to be instructed, he sent for one of the most rigid disciplinarians of the day; and when the king and the teacher stood together, one would have been at a loss to know whether to admire more the majesty of royalty or the majesty of learning. The king gave a side glance at the two boys who stood at, his feet, and said to the stern doctor who stood before him, Sir, I wish you to teach these, my two sons. And, please your majesty, replied the teacher, how do you wish these princes to be treated? Just treat them, returned the king, as you would treat the sons of a private gentleman; if they require it, flog them; just do with them as you do at Westminster School. And so the doctor did; he let them know by hard experience that the rod was made for the fools back. And when Louis XIV of France, one of the proudest kings that ever sat on the French throne, began to feel his inferiority in knowledge after he had arrived at the years of maturity, he complained to his courtiers that he was ignorant of many things which they knew. Upon which a nobleman near him ventured to hint that when a child he was wilful and wayward, and refused listen to the voice of instruction. What! he exclaimed, was there not birch enough, in the forest of Fontainebleau? (J. Hutchinson.)
Laxity of parental authority
Eli surely has his parallel in many a moral household which presents the spectacle of a father of exemplary life and character surrounded by children who, as they phrase it, take their own line in whatever form of dissipation or extravagance, or at best of aimless and frivolous living. The fault may be altogether with the child, but generally in this world when sons go wrong there are at least faults on both sides. And may it not be that in the critical years, when character was taking shape, and temptations were pressing hard with eager importunity, nothing was done, perhaps nothing was said to check, to rebuke, to guide, to encourage? The boys character was allowed to drift; it was allowed to drift by the man whose sense of responsibility as his father should have saved him from a mistake so ruinous. Authority need not be despotism; it may be tender and considerate to any extent, provided only that it is authority, and that its voice is not silent, nor its arm paralysed by a misplaced affection or by a want of moral courage, or by secret indifference, to the greatest issues which He before every human being. (Canon Liddon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v22 The Prophecy Against Eli
The Prophecy Against Eli
v. 22. Now Eli was very old and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel, as described above, and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, women who performed certain services in the court of the Tabernacle, Exo 38:8, so that the Sanctuary was desecrated by the sensual lusts of these men, by their seduction of the serving women.
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v. 23. And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? For I hear of your evil dealings by all this people, the report of the wickedness having been brought to him.
v. 24. Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear; ye make the Lord’s people to transgress, for many took offense and followed the evil example set before them.
v. 25. If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him, in case of transgressions between men, God, as the chief Judge, adjudicates the matter through the government instituted by Him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him, in that case no man can act as intercessor. Notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, to his mild reproaches, because the Lord would slay them, they had gone so far in willful sinning that they had become obdurate, they were on their way to perdition.
v. 26. And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favor both with the Lord and also with men, this being noted here once more by way of effective contrast.
v. 27. And there came a man of God, a prophet, unto Eli and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear, reveal Myself, unto the house of thy father, Aaron, through his direct ancestor Ithamar, the son of Aaron, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?
v. 28. And did I choose him, rather, affirmatively, "I did choose him," Aaron, out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon Mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me, Exo 28:1-4; Num 16:5; Num 18:1-7. And did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? Lev 2:3-10; Lev 6:16.
v. 29. Wherefore kick ye at My sacrifice and at Mine offering, treading them under foot, which I have commanded in My habitation, in the Tabernacle (this was done by the contemptuous, blasphemous behavior of the priests), and honorest thy sons above Me, by not taking an energetic stand against them, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel, My people, by taking all the choicest parts of the sacrificial animals?
v. 30. Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before Me forever, in performing the service of priests; for the; fact that Eli, of the family of Ithamar, was high priest at this time, was only a temporary arrangement, the descendants of Phinehas probably lacking the energy needed for the office at that time. But now the Lord saith, Be it far from Me; for them that honor Me I will honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed, covered with contempt and shame.
v. 31. Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, the word here standing for might, power, influence, authority, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house, as long as the family existed, none of its members would reach a ripe old age.
v. 32. And thou shalt see an enemy in My habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel, he would, so far as his own family was concerned, see distress and affliction for the inhabitants of the Tabernacle in all the blessings which the Lord would show His people, since they would not share in the national prosperity and the consequent rejoicing; and there shall not be an old man in thine house forever.
v. 33. And the man, the descendant, of thine whom I shall not cut off from Mine altar shall be to consume thine eyes and to grieve thine heart; and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. So there would always be a descendant of the house of Eli serving at the Tabernacle, to be a witness of the decay of the true worship, thus being consumed with anxiety and worry over the fate of the Tabernacle.
v. 34. And this shall be a sign unto thee, an earnest of the fulfilment of His threat, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. That is the invariable consequence, when parents hold their peace at the sins of their children or venture only a faint objection, omit reproof and correction, love or fear their children more than God.
v. 35. And I will raise Me up a faithful priest that shall do according to that which is in Mine heart and in My mind, one upon whom He could rely absolutely, and who would perform all his work exactly in the manner most pleasing to the Lord. And I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before Mine Anointed forever. This is a prophecy of Christ, who is Priest and King in one person.
v. 36. And it shall come to pass that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him, in the position of a suppliant, with bended knee, for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests’ offices that I may eat a piece of bread. He who takes his refuge to Messiah, the great Priest-king, confessing the need brought upon him by reason of his sinfulness, will find in Him grace and mercy and peace without end.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv22, 25 Why do you such things?
Why do you such things?
This rhetorical question can be translated as a statement. AT: "It is terrible that you do such things!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
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translationWords
son
Israel
had relations with
tent of meeting
evil
report
people of God
disobey
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv22, 25 2:22-25 Eli’s weak attempts to change his sons’ behavior…
2:22-25 Eli’s weak attempts to change his sons’ behavior (cp. 2:29) indicate that he had raised them without discipline (3:13).
2:22 seducing . . . women: Eli’s sons had probably been influenced by Canaanite religious practices, which included sex as part of the ritual. • who assisted at the entrance: See Exod 38:8.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.