1 Samuel 2:12--3:21

Eli’s Sons Misuse Their Sacred Office

2:12 The sons of Eli were wicked men. ¹  They did not recognize the Lord’s authority. ²  2:13 Now the priests would always treat the people in the following way: ³  Whenever anyone was making a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest’s attendant would come with a three-pronged fork ⁴  in his hand. 2:14 He would jab it into the basin, kettle, caldron, or pot, and everything that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they used to do to all the Israelites ⁵  when they came there to Shiloh.

2:15 Even before they burned the fat, the priest’s attendant would come and say to the person who was making the sacrifice, “Hand over some meat for the priest to roast! He won’t take boiled meat from you, but only raw.” ⁶  2:16 If the individual said to him, “First let the fat be burned away, and then take for yourself whatever you wish,” he would say, “No! ⁷  Hand it over right now! If you don’t, I will take it forcibly!”

2:17 The sin of these young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they ⁸  treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.

2:18 Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord. The boy was dressed in a linen ephod. 2:19 His mother used to make him a small robe and bring it up to him at regular intervals when she would go up with her husband to make the annual sacrifice. 2:20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife saying, “May the Lord raise up for you descendants ⁹  from this woman to replace the one that she ¹⁰  dedicated to the Lord.” Then they would go to their ¹¹  home. 2:21 So the Lord graciously attended to Hannah, and she was able to conceive and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up at the Lord’s sanctuary. ¹² 

2:22 Now Eli was very old when he heard about everything that his sons used to do to all the people of Israel ¹³  and how they used to have sex with ¹⁴  the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 2:23 He said to them, “Why do you behave in this way? For I hear about these evil things from all these ¹⁵  people. 2:24 This ought not to be, ¹⁶  my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the Lord’s people is not good. 2:25 If a man sins against a man, one may appeal to God on his behalf. But if a man sins against the Lord, who then will intercede for him?” But Eli’s sons ¹⁷  would not listen to their father, for the Lord had decided ¹⁸  to kill them.

2:26 Now the boy Samuel was growing up and finding favor both with the Lord and with people.

The Lord Judges the House of Eli

2:27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not plainly ¹⁹  reveal myself to your ancestor’s ²⁰  house when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh? 2:28 I chose your ancestor ²¹  from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifice on my altar, to burn incense, and to bear the ephod before me. I gave to your ancestor’s house all the fire offerings made by the Israelites. 2:29 Why are you ²²  scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling place? ²³  You have honored your sons more than you have me by having made yourselves fat from the best parts of all the offerings of my people Israel.’

2:30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I really did say ²⁴  that your house and your ancestor’s house would serve ²⁵  me forever.’ But now the Lord says, ‘May it never be! ²⁶  For I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be cursed! 2:31 In fact, days are coming when I will remove your strength ²⁷  and the strength ²⁸  of your father’s house. There will not be an old man in your house! 2:32 You will see trouble in my dwelling place! ²⁹  Israel will experience blessings, ³⁰  but there will not be an old man in your ³¹  house for all time. ³²  2:33 Any one of you that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause your ³³  eyes to fail ³⁴  and will cause you grief. ³⁵  All of those born to your family ³⁶  will die in the prime of life. ³⁷  2:34 This will be a confirming sign for you that will be fulfilled through your two sons, ³⁸  Hophni and Phinehas: in a single day they both will die! 2:35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do what is in my heart and soul. I will build for him a secure dynasty ³⁹  and he will serve my chosen one for all time. ⁴⁰  2:36 Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little money ⁴¹  and for a scrap of bread. Each will say, ‘Assign me to a priestly task so I can eat a scrap of bread.’”

The Call of Samuel

3:1 Now the boy Samuel continued serving the Lord under Eli’s supervision. ⁴²  Word from the Lord was rare in those days; revelatory visions were infrequent.

3:2 Eli’s eyes had begun to fail, so that he was unable to see well. At that time he was lying down in his place, 3:3 and the lamp of God had not yet been extinguished. Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord as well; the ark of God was also there. 3:4 The Lord called to Samuel, and he replied, “Here I am!” 3:5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli ⁴³  said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went back and lay down. 3:6 The Lord again called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli ⁴⁴  said, “I didn’t call you, my son. Go back and lie down.”

3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord; the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 3:8 Then the Lord called Samuel a third time. So he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me!” Eli then realized that it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 3:9 So Eli said to Samuel, “Go back and lie down. When he calls you, say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” So Samuel went back and lay down in his place.

3:10 Then the Lord came and stood nearby, calling as he had previously done, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel replied, “Speak, for your servant is listening!” 3:11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Look! I am about to do something in Israel; ⁴⁵  when anyone hears about it, both of his ears will tingle. 3:12 On that day I will carry out ⁴⁶  against Eli everything that I spoke about his house – from start to finish! 3:13 You ⁴⁷  should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of ⁴⁸  the sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God, ⁴⁹  and he did not rebuke them. 3:14 Therefore I swore an oath to the house of Eli, ‘The sin of the house of Eli can never be forgiven by sacrifice or by grain offering.’”

3:15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. 3:16 However, Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” He replied, “Here I am.” 3:17 Eli ⁵⁰  said, “What message did he speak to you? Don’t conceal it from me. God will judge you severely ⁵¹  if you conceal from me anything that he said to you!”

3:18 So Samuel told him everything. He did not hold back anything from him. Eli ⁵²  said, “The Lord will do what he pleases.” ⁵³  3:19 Samuel continued to grow, and the Lord was with him. None of his prophecies fell to the ground unfulfilled. ⁵⁴  3:20 All Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba realized that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 3:21 Then the Lord again appeared in Shiloh, for it was in Shiloh that the Lord had revealed himself to Samuel ⁵⁵  through the word of the Lord. ⁵⁶ 

[2:12]  ¹ tn Heb “sons of worthlessness.”

[2:12]  ² tn Heb “they did not know the Lord.” The verb here has the semantic nuance “recognize the authority of.” Eli’s sons obviously knew who the Lord was; they served in his sanctuary. But they did not recognize his moral authority.

[2:13]  ³ tn Heb “the habit of the priests with the people [was this].”

[2:13]  ⁴ sn The Hebrew word occurs only twice in the OT, here and again in v. 14. Its exact meaning is not entirely clear, although from the context it appears to be a sacrificial tool used for retrieving things from boiling water.

[2:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “to all Israel.”

[2:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “living.”

[2:16]  ⁷ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss (“no”) rather than the Kethib and MT, which read “to him.”

[2:17]  ⁸ tc Heb “the men,” which is absent from one medieval Hebrew ms, a Qumran ms, and the LXX.

[2:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “seed.”

[2:20]  ¹⁰ tn The MT has a masculine verb here, but in light of the context the reference must be to Hannah. It is possible that the text of the MT is incorrect here (cf. the ancient versions), in which case the text should be changed to read either a passive participle or better, the third feminine singular of the verb. If the MT is correct here, perhaps the masculine is to be understood in a nonspecific and impersonal way, allowing for a feminine antecedent. In any case, the syntax of the MT is unusual here.

[2:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his.”

[2:21]  ¹² tn Heb “with the Lord.” Cf. NAB, TEV “in the service of the Lord”; NIV, NRSV, NLT “in the presence of the Lord”; CEV “at the Lord’s house in Shiloh.”

[2:22]  ¹³ tn Heb “to all Israel.”

[2:22]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “lie with.”

[2:23]  ¹⁵ tc For “these” the LXX has “of the Lord” (κυρίου, kuriou), perhaps through the influence of the final phrase of v. 24 (“the people of the Lord”). Somewhat less likely is the view that the MT reading is due to a distorted dittography of the first word of v. 24. The Vulgate lacks the word.

[2:24]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “no.”

[2:25]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Eli’s sons) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:25]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “desired.”

[2:27]  ¹⁹ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[2:27]  ²⁰ tn Heb “to your father’s” (also in vv. 28, 30).

[2:28]  ²¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Eli’s ancestor, i.e., Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:29]  ²² tc The MT has a plural “you” here, but the LXX and a Qumran ms have the singular. The singular may be the correct reading; the verb “you have honored” later in the verse is singular even in the MT. However, it is more probable that the Lord here refers to Eli and his sons. Note the plural in the second half of the verse (“you have made yourselves fat”).

[2:29]  ²³ tn Heb “which I commanded, dwelling place.” The noun is functioning as an adverbial accusative in relation to the verb. Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun “my” is supplied in the translation.

[2:30]  ²⁴ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[2:30]  ²⁵ tn Heb “walk about before.”

[2:30]  ²⁶ tn Heb “may it be far removed from me.”

[2:31]  ²⁷ tn Heb “chop off your arm.” The arm here symbolizes strength and activity.

[2:31]  ²⁸ tn Heb “arm.”

[2:32]  ²⁹ tn Heb “you will see [the] trouble of [the] dwelling place.” Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun is supplied in the translation (see v. 29).

[2:32]  ³⁰ tn Heb “in all which he does good with Israel.”

[2:32]  ³¹ tc The LXX and a Qumran manuscript have the first person pronoun “my” here.

[2:32]  ³² tn Heb “all the days.”

[2:33]  ³³ tc The LXX, a Qumran ms, and a few old Latin mss have the third person pronominal suffix “his” here.

[2:33]  ³⁴ tn Heb “to cause your eyes to fail.” Elsewhere this verb, when used of eyes, refers to bloodshot eyes resulting from weeping, prolonged staring, or illness (see Lev 26:16; Pss 69:3; 119:82; Lam 2:11; 4:17).

[2:33]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and to cause your soul grief.”

[2:33]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and all the increase of your house.”

[2:33]  ³⁷ tc The text is difficult. The MT literally says “they will die [as] men.” Apparently the meaning is that they will be cut off in the prime of their life without reaching old age. The LXX and a Qumran ms, however, have the additional word “sword” (“they will die by the sword of men”). This is an easier reading (cf. NAB, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT), but that fact is not in favor of its originality.

[2:34]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and this to you [is] the sign which will come to both of your sons.”

[2:35]  ³⁹ tn Heb “house.”

[2:35]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and he will walk about before my anointed one all the days.”

[2:36]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “a piece of silver” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[3:1]  ⁴² tn Heb “before Eli.”

[3:5]  ⁴³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:11]  ⁴⁵ tn The Hebrew text adds “so that” here, formally connecting this clause with the next.

[3:12]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “fulfill.”

[3:13]  ⁴⁷ tc The MT has וְהִגַּדְתִּי לוֹ (vÿhiggadti lo). The verb is Hiphil perfect 1st person common singular, and apparently the conjunction should be understood as vav consecutive (“I will say to him”). But the future reference makes more sense if Samuel is the subject. This would require dropping the final י (yod) and reading the 2nd person masculine singular וְהִגַּדְתָּ (vÿhiggadta). Although there is no external evidence to support it, this reading has been adopted in the present translation. The alternative is to understand the MT to mean “I said to him,” but for this we would expect the preterite with vav consecutive.

[3:13]  ⁴⁸ tn The translation understands the preposition to have a causal sense. However, the preposition could also be understood as the beth pretii, indicating in a broad sense the price attached to this action. So GKC 380 §119.p.

[3:13]  ⁴⁹ tc The translation follows the LXX θεόν (qeon, “God”) rather than the MT לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”). The MT seems to mean “they were bringing a curse on themselves” (cf. ASV, NASB). But this meaning is problematic in part because the verb qll means “to curse,” not “to bring a curse on,” and in part because it takes an accusative object rather than the equivalent of a dative. This is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.” Why would the ancient copyists alter the original statement about Eli’s sons cursing God to the less objectionable statement that they brought a curse on themselves? Some argue that the scribes were concerned that such a direct and blasphemous affront against God could occur without an immediate response of judgment from God. Therefore they changed the text by deleting two letters א and י (alef and yod) from the word for “God,” with the result that the text then read “to them.” If this ancient scribal claim is accepted as accurate, it implies that the MT here is secondary. The present translation follows the LXX (κακολογοῦντες θεόν, kakologounte" qeon) and a few mss of the Old Latin in reading “God” rather than the MT “to them.” Cf. also NAB, NRSV, NLT.

[3:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:17]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “So God will do to you and thus he will add.” The verbal forms in this pronouncement are imperfects, not jussives, but the statement has the force of a curse or warning. One could translate, “May God do to you and thus may he add.”

[3:18]  ⁵² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:18]  ⁵³ tn Heb “what is good in his eyes.”

[3:19]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and he did not cause to fall from all his words to the ground.”

[3:21]  ⁵⁵ tc The LXX has a lengthy addition here: “And Samuel was acknowledged to be a prophet of the Lord in all Israel, from one end to the other. Eli was very old and, as for his sons, their way kept getting worse and worse before the Lord.” The Hebraic nature of the Greek syntax used here suggests that the LXX translator was accurately rendering a Hebrew variant and not simply expanding the text on his own initiative.

[3:21]  ⁵⁶ tn The chapter division at this point is inappropriate. 1 Sam 4:1a is best understood as the conclusion to chap. 3 rather than the beginning of chap. 4.