1 Samuel 2
DOYLY—they knew not the Lord.] They did not acknowledge the Lord by a dutiful regard to His service: they were not careful to do Him honour. Locke.
Chap. III. ver. 1. — the word of the Lord was precious] Meaning, that God very rarely, in those days, revealed His mind to any person. “There was no open vision:” here noises includes all the ways, by which God revealed Himself to men; which he did then so seldom, that whatsoever revelation there might be privately to some pious persons, there was no one publicly acknowledged to be a Prophet, unto whom the people might resort to know the mind of God. Bp. Patrick. Or no open vision may mean, No manifestation of His presence, since that recorded to Manoah and his wife, seventy years before. Dr. Hales.
1 Samuel 2:13
13—16. And the priest’s custom &c.] Whereas the law had particularly stated the parts and portions of all the peace offerings which belonged to the priests and to the offerers; these profane wretches introduced many new and arbitrary claims and customs, such as are here mentioned, to the great scandal of God’s religion. Bp. Patrick.
1 Samuel 2:17
17.—men abhorred the offering] That is, the worship of God was brought into discouragement and contempt by these practices. Pyle.
1 Samuel 2:18
18.—girded with a linen ephod.] We do not read of any peculiar garments for the Levites in their ministration, but only for the priests. The ephod here mentioned was probably an honorary vestment, resembling in some sort that of the high priest, and worn by the other priests, in order to make them more respected; and Eli perhaps directed the child Samuel to wear it, as a peculiar privilege, because he saw in him so great an appearance of the grace of God. Bp. Patrick.
1 Samuel 2:21
21.—grew before the Lord.] Not in stature only, but Vol. I.
1 Samuel 2:23
23.—Why do ye such things?] Their notorious wickedness should have moved him to greater severity than merely to reprove them with such gentleness and lenity, as these and the following words import: this proceeded, probably, partly from the coldness of old age, and partly from his too great indulgence to his children. Bp. Patrick. Nothing but age can plead for Eli, that he was not the first secuser of his sons. Now, when their enormities came to be the voice of the multitude, he must hear it perforce; and doubtless he heard it with grief enough, but not with anger enough: he, that was the judge of Israel, should have judged impartially his own flesh and blood. Indulgent parents are cruel to themselves and their posterity. Eli could not have devised any way to have plagued himself and his house so much, as by his kindness to his children’s sins. Bp. Hall.
It is a great fault in a parent to use mildness towards his children, in the case of a wilful and heinous sin; especially if it be of extensive example and publick influence. To rebuke gently on such an occasion, is rather to countenance the fault; and seems to argue a want of sufficient detestation of it. Such cold reproof, as that which Eli gave his sons, where the crime was so great and notorious, was in some measure a participation of it. It was so interpreted by God, who calls it, verse 29, “a kicking at His sacrifice;” and on this very account threatens Eli with most terrible judgments. Abp. Tillotson.
1 Samuel 2:25
- — because the Lord would slay them.] The Hebrew words may be rendered, “Therefore the Lord would slay them:” that is, on account of their hardness, He determined to deliver them up to an untimely death. Pyle, Dr. Waterland. But according to our translation, the sense is right enough: for when men have long sinned grievously against many admonitions, whereby they become incurable, God deprives them of that prudent consideration and discretion, which would save them from destruction. Bp. Patrick. The reason here assigned, “because the Lord would slay them,” answers exactly to that expression in modern language, Because they were abandoned, gracieless, or profligate. In which manner of speaking, nobody understands want of grace to be a charging of any defect on God’s part, but a describing of the persons themselves to be worthy of destruction. Dr. S. Clarke.
1 Samuel 2:27
- — a man of God] A prophet, who was divinely inspired to deliver the following message to him.
— Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father.] The passage should rather be translated, “Did not I plainly appear &c.” According to the manner in which the same expression is rendered in 2 Sam. xxiii. 17, “Is not this the blood of the men?” W. Lowth.
1 Samuel 2:29
- Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice] An expression signifying the highest irreverence and contempt of God’s authority: it is taken from refractory oxen, which are wont to kick, when pricked with the goad.
1 Samuel 2:30
- — I said indeed that thy house, &c.] God here revokes the decree He had made in favour of him and his family, of being high priests throughout all generations. This office was first settled upon Eleazar, the eldest son of Aaron; thence came to Phinehas, the eldest son of Eleazar: was transferred from him, probably for some sin or other, to Eli, a descendant of Aaron’s youngest son Ithamar, as it is now transferred back to the family of Eleazar, on account of the horrid sins of the sons of Eli. Bp. Patrick.
— them that honour me I will honour.] I will distinguish with suitable marks of favour them that honour
1 Samuel 2:32
- — thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation.] The marginal translation seems most literal, “Thou shalt see
Or, the affliction of the tabernacle, for all the wealth which God would have given Israel.
How the word of the Lord was first revealed to Samuel. Before CHRIST about 1165. sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
1 Samuel 2:35
- — a faithful priest.] This seems to be meant of Zadok, anointed in the place of Abiathar, 1 Chron. xxix. 22, in whose line the high priesthood continued till the Babylonish captivity. Procopius here notes, that though this according to the history is meant of Zadok, yet it belongs to none in the highest sense but unto our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered Himself to the Father for us, and is our great High Priest for evermore. Bp. Patrick.
1 Samuel 2:36
- — Put me, I pray thee, &c.] This seems to have been fulfilled in the days of Abiathar, who for treason was not only put out of his office, but deprived of the portion given to the priests in the temple, 1 Kings ii. 25, 27. By this means, his posterity fell into extreme want; in which the just judgment of God may be observed, that the children of those, who were so wanton that they could not be content unless they had the choicest part of the sacrifice, should fall into so low a condition as to beg their bread. Bp. Patrick.
We see here another instance among the many we meet with in Scripture of God’s punishing in kind the notorious crimes of men. The offence of Eli was prostituting the authority of his age and office, his paternal and sacerdotal power, to the profane licentiousness of his two wicked sons; his not punishing, at least not restraining, their scandalous practices. For this reason, the just judgment of God threatens, that none of his family should ever after live long enough to arrive at the venerable authority of old age, which he had misused: nor be invested with the highest order of priesthood, which he had profaned. Again, as his sons, by their profligate lives, and he by his inexcusable lenity, had brought a scandal on religion, and abused the plenty and affluence, as well as the honour, of their high station, to the vices of lust and intemperance, not only they are doomed to untimely ends, but their family and posterity are con-