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Commentary on 1 Samuel 2 verses 27–36
Eli reproved his sons too gently, and did not threaten them as he should, and therefore God sent a prophet to him to reprove him sharply, and to threaten him, because, by his indulgence of them, he had strengthened their hands in their wickedness. If good men be wanting in their duty, and by their carelessness and remissness contribute any thing to the sin of sinners, they must expect both to hear of it and to smart for it. Eli's family was now nearer to God than all the families of the earth, and therefore he will punish them, Amo 3:2. The message is sent to Eli himself, because God would bring him to repentance and save him; not to his sons, whom he had determined to destroy. And it might have been a means of awakening him to do his duty at last, and so to have prevented the judgment, but we do not find it had any great effect upon him. The message this prophet delivers from God is very close.
I. He reminds him of the great things God had done for the house of his fathers and for his family. He appeared to Aaron in Egypt (Exo 4:27), in the house of bondage, as a token of further favour which he designed for him, Sa1 2:27. He advanced him to the priesthood, entailed it upon his family, and thereby dignified it above any of the families of Israel. He entrusted him with honourable work, to offer on God's altar, to burn incense, and to wear that ephod in which was the breast-plate of judgment. He settled upon him an honourable maintenance, a share out of all the offerings made by fire, Sa1 2:28. What could he have done more for them, to engage them to be faithful to him? Note, The distinguishing favours we have received from God, especially those of the spiritual priesthood, are great aggravations of sin, and will be remembered against us in the day of account, if we profane our crown and betray our trusts, Deu 32:6; Sa2 12:7, Sa2 12:8.
II. He exhibits a high charge against him and his family. His children did wickedly, and he connived at it, and thereby involved himself in the guilt; the indictment therefore runs against them all, Sa1 2:29. 1. His sons had impiously profaned the holy things of God: "You kick at my sacrifice which I have commanded; not only trample upon the institution as a mean thing, but spurn at it as a thing you hate to be tied up to." They did the utmost despite imaginable to the offerings of the Lord when they committed all that outrage and rapine about them that we read of, and violently plundered the pots on which, in effect, Holiness to the Lord was written (Zac 14:20), and took that fat to themselves which God had appointed to be burnt on his altar. 2. Eli had bolstered them up in it, by not punishing their insolence and impiety: "Thou for thy part honourest thy sons above me," that is, "thou hadst rather see my offerings disgraced by their profanation of them than see thy sons disgraced by a legal censure upon them for so doing, which ought to have been inflicted, even to suspension and deprivation ab officio et beneficio - of their office and its emoluments." Those that allow and countenance their children in any evil way, and do not use their authority to restrain and punish them, do in effect honour them more than God, being more tender of their reputation than of his glory and more desirous to humour them than to honour him. 3. They had all shared in the gains of the sacrilege. It is to be feared that Eli himself, though he disliked and reproved the abuses they committed, yet did not forbear to eat of the roast meat they sacrilegiously got, Sa1 2:15. He was a fat heavy man (Sa1 4:18), and therefore it is charged upon the whole family (though Hophni and Phinehas were principally guilty), You make yourselves fat with the chief of all the offerings. God gave them sufficient to feed them, but that would not suffice; they made themselves fat, and served their lusts with that which God was to be served with. See Hos 4:8.
III. He declares the cutting off of the entail of the high priesthood from his family (Sa1 2:30): "The Lord God of Israel, who is jealous for his own honour and Israel's, says, and lets thee know it, that thy commission is revoked and superseded." I said, indeed, that thy house, and the house of thy father Ithamar (for from that younger son of Aaron Eli descended), should walk before me for ever. Upon what occasion the dignity of the high priesthood was transferred from the family of Eleazar to that of Ithamar does not appear; but it seems this had been done, and Eli stood fair to have that honour perpetuated to his posterity. But observe, the promise carried its own condition along with it: They shall walk before me forever, that is, "they shall have the honour, provided they faithfully do the service." Walking before God is the great condition of the covenant, Gen 17:1. Let them set me before their face, and I will set them before my face continually (Psa 41:12), otherwise not. But now the Lord says, Be it far from me. "Now that you cast me off you can expect no other than that I should cast you off; you will not walk before me as you should, and therefore you shall not." Such wicked and abusive servants God will discard, and turn out of his service. Some think there is a further reach in this recall of the grant, and that it was not only to be fulfilled shortly in the deposing of the posterity of Eli, when Zadok, who descended from Eleazar, was put in Abiathar's room, but it was to have its complete accomplishment at length in the total abolition of the Levitical priesthood by the priesthood of Christ.
IV. He gives a good reason for this revocation, taken from a settled and standing rule of God's government, according to which all must expect to be dealt with (like that by which Cain was tried, Gen 4:7): Those that honour me I will honour, and those that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
1.Observe in general, (1.) That God is the fountain of honour and dishonour; he can exalt the meanest and put contempt upon the greatest. (2.) As we deal with God we must expect to be dealt with by him, and yet more favourably than we deserve. See Psa 18:25, Psa 18:26.
2.Particularly, (1.) Be it spoken, to the everlasting reputation of religion or of serious godliness, that it gives honour to God and puts honour upon men. By it we seek and serve the glory of God, and he will be behind-hand with none that do so, but here and hereafter will secure their glory. The way to be truly great is to be truly good. If we humble and deny ourselves in any thing to honour God, and have a single eye to him in it, we may depend upon this promise, he will put the best honour upon us. See Joh 12:26. (2.) Be it spoken, to the everlasting reproach of impiety or profaneness, that this does dishonour to God (despises the greatest and best of beings, whom angels adore) and will bring dishonour upon men, for those that do so shall be lightly esteemed; not only God will lightly esteem them (that perhaps they will not regard, as those that honour him value his honour, of whom therefore it is said, I will honour them), but they shall be lightly esteemed by all the world; the very honour they are proud of shall be laid in the dust; they shall see themselves despised by all mankind, their names a reproach; when they are gone, their memory shall rot, and, when they rise again, it shall be to everlasting shame and contempt. The dishonour which their impotent malice puts upon God and his omnipotent justice will return upon their own heads, Psa 79:12.
V. He foretels the particular judgments which should come upon his family, to its perpetual ignominy. A curse should be entailed upon his posterity, and a terrible curse it is, and shows how jealous God is in the matters of his worship and how ill he takes it when those who are bound by their character and profession to preserve and advance the interests of his glory are false to their trust, and betray them. If God's ministers be vicious and profane, of how much sorer punishment will they be thought worthy, here and for ever, than other sinners! Let such read the doom here passed on Eli's house, and tremble. It is threatened,
1.That their power should be broken (Sa1 2:31): I will cut off thy arm, and the arm of thy father's house. They should be stripped of all their authority, should be deposed, and have no influence upon the people as they had had. God would make them contemptible and base. See Mal 2:8, Mal 2:9. The sons had abused their power to oppress the people and encroach upon their rights, and the father had not used his power, as he ought to have done, to restrain and punish them, and therefore it was justly threatened that the arm should be cut off which was not stretched out as it should have been.
2.That their lives should be shortened. He was himself an old man; but instead of using the wisdom, gravity, experience, and authority of his age, for the service of God and the support of religion, he had suffered the infirmities of age to make him more cool and remiss in his duty, and therefore it is here threatened that none of his posterity should live to be old, Sa1 2:31, Sa1 2:32. It is twice spoken: "There shall not be an old man in thy house for ever;" and again (Sa1 2:33), "All the increase of thy house, from generation to generation, shall die in the flower of their age, when they are in the midst of the years of their service," so that though the family should not be extinct, yet it should never be considerable, nor should any member of it come to be eminent in his day. Bishop Patrick relates, out of some of the Jewish writers, that long after this, there being a family in Jerusalem none of which commonly lived above eighteen years, upon search it was found that they descended from the house of Eli, on which this sentence was passed.
3.That all their comforts should be embittered. (1.) The comfort they had in the sanctuary, in its wealth and prosperity: Thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation. This was fulfilled in the Philistines' invasions and the mischiefs they did to Israel, by which the country was impoverished (Sa1 13:19), and no doubt the priests' incomes were thereby very much impaired. The captivity of the ark was such an act of hostility committed upon God's habitation as broke Eli's heart. As it is a blessing to a family to see peace upon Israel (Psa 128:5, Psa 128:6), so the contrary is a sore judgment upon a family, especially a family of priests. (2.) The comfort of their children: "The man of thine whom I shall not cut off by an untimely death shall live to be a blot and burden to the family, a scandal and vexation to his relations; he shall be to consume thy eyes and grieve thy heart, for his foolishness or his sickliness, his wickedness or his poverty." Grief for a dead child is great, but for a bad child often greater.
4.That their substance should be wasted and they should be reduced to extreme poverty (Sa1 2:36): "He that is left alive in thy house shall have little joy of his life, for want of a livelihood; he shall come and crouch to the succeeding family for a subsistence." (1.) He shall beg for the smallest alms - a piece of silver (and the word signifies the least piece) and a morsel of bread. See how this answered the sin. Eli's sons must have the best pieces of flesh, but their sons will be glad of a morsel of bread. Note, Want is the just punishment of wantonness. Those who could not be content without dainties and varieties are brought, they or theirs, to want necessaries, and the Lord is righteous in thus visiting them. (2.) He shall beg for the meanest office: Put me into somewhat belonging to the priesthood (as it is in the original); make me as one of the hired servants, the fittest place for a prodigal. Plenty and power are forfeited when they are abused. They should not be able to pretend to any good preferment, not to any place at the altar, but should petition for some poor employment, be the work ever so hard and the wages ever so small, so they might but get bread. This, it is probable, was fully accomplished when Abiathar, who was of Eli's race, was deposed by Solomon for treason, and he and his turned out of office in the temple (Kg1 2:26, Kg1 2:27), by which it is easy to think his posterity were reduced to the extremities here described.
5.That God would shortly begin to execute these judgments in the death of Hophni and Phinehas, the sad tidings of which Eli himself should live to hear: This shall be a sign to thee, Sa1 2:34. When thou hearest it, say, "Now the word of God begins to operate; here is one threatening fulfilled, from which I infer that all the rest will be fulfilled in their order." Hophni and Phinehas had many a time sinned together, and it is here foretold that they should die together both in one day. Bind these tares in a bundle for the fire. This was fulfilled, Sa1 4:11.
VI. In the midst of all these threatenings against the house of Eli, here is mercy promised to Israel (v. 35): I will raise me up a faithful priest. 1. This was fulfilled in Zadoc, of the family of Eleazar, who came into Abiathar's place in the beginning of Solomon's reign, and was faithful to his trust; and the high priests were of his posterity as long as the Levitical priesthood continued. Note, The wickedness of ministers, though it destroy themselves, yet it shall not destroy the ministry. How bad soever the officers are, the office shall continue always to the end of the world. If some betray their trust, yet others shall be raised up that will be true to it. God's work shall never fall to the ground for want of hands to carry it on. The high priest is here said to walk before God's anointed (that is, David and his seed) because he wore the breast-plate of judgment, which he was to consult, not in common cases, but for the king, in the affairs of state. Note, Notwithstanding the degeneracy we see and lament in many families, God will secure to himself a succession. If some grow worse than their ancestors, others, to balance that, shall grow better. 2. It has its full accomplishment in the priesthood of Christ, that merciful and faithful high priest whom God raised up when the Levitical priesthood was thrown off, who in all things did his father's mind, and for whom God will build a sure house, build it on a rock, so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.
This will be the sign for you, etc. These words pertain to Eli and Samuel, because the death of Eli's sons and Samuel's election as priest not from the lineage of Aaron signifies the death not of men, but of the old priesthood, and the substitution of the new, in which Christ is the priest in the church forever according to the order of Melchizedek. But when the Lord says, "Who acts according to my heart and my soul;" do not think that God has a soul, since he is the creator of the soul; but this is said of God figuratively, not literally, as are hands and feet and other parts of the body. And lest it be believed that man is made in the image of God in the likeness of his flesh, other things are added which man does not have, and he might say to God: "Protect me under the shadow of your wings" (Psalm 16); so that men understand these things about that ineffable nature not to be said with proper but with metaphorical terms.
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SUMMARY
1 Samuel 2:34 delivers a precise and ominous sign of divine judgment to Eli, the High Priest, foretelling the simultaneous death of his two notoriously wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas, on a single day. This specific detail serves as the irrefutable authentication of the broader prophecy against Eli's corrupt priestly house, underscoring God's unwavering commitment to holiness and His severe judgment against those who desecrate His sacred institutions and fail to honor Him, especially within spiritual leadership.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The passage powerfully employs Prophecy, as the entire message delivered by the man of God is a direct divine utterance foretelling future events. This specific verse functions as a clear Foreshadowing, explicitly predicting the simultaneous deaths of Hophni and Phinehas, which will be dramatically fulfilled in 1 Samuel 4:11. There is also a strong element of Irony present: the very priests who desecrated God's sacrifices and temple would themselves become a "sacrifice" to divine justice, dying in a manner that publicly vindicated God's holiness. The stark Contrast between Eli's passive inaction and God's swift, decisive judgment on his sons serves to highlight God's absolute Sovereignty and the seriousness with which He regards holiness and obedience. The specificity of the "sign" also functions as a Divine Guarantee, ensuring the fulfillment of the entire prophecy.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Samuel 2:34 profoundly illustrates God's unwavering justice and the absolute reliability of His word. It teaches that God does not tolerate unrepentant sin, especially when it involves the desecration of His holy name and institutions by those in positions of spiritual leadership. The precision of the prophecy, down to the exact timing and individuals involved, underscores God's meticulous oversight of human affairs and His commitment to upholding His own righteousness and covenantal standards. This passage serves as a stark reminder that privilege does not exempt one from divine judgment; indeed, greater responsibility often entails greater accountability. The sign was not merely a prediction but a confirmation of God's active involvement in history, ensuring that His purposes and standards would ultimately prevail, demonstrating His holiness to all Israel.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The stark reality of 1 Samuel 2:34 compels us to reflect deeply on the seriousness of sin, particularly the sin of spiritual neglect and dishonoring God. It reminds us that God is sovereign, just, and utterly holy, and His word is unfailingly true. For leaders, whether in the church, home, or community, this verse serves as a potent warning about the profound responsibility that accompanies authority; passive acceptance of sin, especially within one's sphere of influence, incurs severe consequences. For every believer, it underscores the importance of honoring God above all else, diligently pursuing holiness, and taking His warnings seriously. We are called to live lives that reflect His glory, understanding that our actions, especially those related to our worship and service, have eternal implications. The certainty of God's judgment for sin should drive us to repentance, a deeper reverence for His character, and a commitment to living in obedience, knowing that God sees and holds all accountable.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who was the "man of God" who delivered this prophecy to Eli?
Answer: The Bible does not explicitly name the "man of God" who delivered this severe prophecy to Eli. He is an unnamed prophet, acting solely as God's messenger and mouthpiece. His anonymity emphasizes that the message's authority came not from his personal status or reputation but directly from God Himself, making the divine origin and certainty of the judgment undeniable.
Why was Eli's family judged so severely for the sins of his sons?
Answer: Eli's family was judged severely not only because of the egregious sins of Hophni and Phinehas—who despised the Lord's sacrifices and engaged in immorality at the tabernacle (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 1 Samuel 2:22)—but also because of Eli's profound failure to restrain them. God explicitly states that Eli "honored your sons more than me" (1 Samuel 2:29). As High Priest and a judge, Eli bore the solemn responsibility to uphold God's law and maintain the sanctity of His worship. His passive, ineffective rebuke was insufficient, making him complicit in their dishonor of God. The judgment was a demonstration of God's absolute holiness and His demand for righteousness, especially from those who represent Him and are entrusted with His sacred institutions.
What is the significance of Hophni and Phinehas dying "in one day"?
Answer: The phrase "in one day" is crucial because it highlights the divine orchestration and simultaneity of their deaths. This specific detail ensures that their demise would not be perceived as a mere coincidence or a tragic accident, but as a direct, undeniable act of God's judgment. It served as the precise "sign" that authenticated the entire prophecy given to Eli, confirming that every word spoken by the man of God was true and from the Lord. This precision underscores God's sovereignty and His ability to execute His word with perfect timing and accuracy, leaving no doubt about His hand at work and the certainty of His pronouncements.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
1 Samuel 2:34, with its grim prophecy of judgment on Eli's corrupt priestly line, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not in a similar judgment upon Jesus, but in His perfect and redemptive work that stands in stark contrast to the failure of Hophni and Phinehas. While Eli's sons desecrated the priesthood and brought God's wrath upon themselves, Jesus is the perfect, sinless High Priest who offered Himself as the ultimate, once-for-all sacrifice for the sins of the world. The judgment for sin, which fell so decisively upon Eli's house and indeed upon all humanity, was fully absorbed by Christ on the cross, where He became sin for us, though He knew no sin. His death was not a sign of His own condemnation but a victorious sign of His triumph over sin and death, providing eternal life to all who believe in Him. Furthermore, the prophecy of a "faithful priest" who would be raised up after Eli's house (1 Samuel 2:35) ultimately points to Jesus, whose priesthood is eternal and after the order of Melchizedek, establishing a new covenant not based on lineage or flawed human performance, but on His perfect and enduring righteousness.