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1 Samuel
Chapter Two
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 2
In
this chapter the song of Hannah is recorded, 1 Samuel 2:1, and
an account is given of the return of Elkanah and Hannah to their own home, and
of the care she took yearly to provide a coat for Samuel, and of her being
blessed with many other children, and of the growth and ministry of Samuel
before the Lord, 1 Samuel 2:11, and
of the wickedness of the sons of Eli, 1 Samuel 2:12, and
of Eli's too gentle treatment of them when he reproved them for it, 1 Samuel 2:22 and
of a sharp message sent him from the Lord on that account, threatening
destruction to his house, of which the death of his two sons would be a sign, 1 Samuel 2:27.
1 Samuel 2:1 And Hannah
prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn[a] is exalted
in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your
salvation.
YLT
1And Hannah prayeth, and
saith: `My heart hath exulted in Jehovah, My horn hath been high in Jehovah, My
mouth hath been large over mine enemies, For I have rejoiced in Thy salvation.
And Hannah prayed and said,.... She had prayed
before, but that was mental, this vocal; she had prayed and was answered, and
had what she prayed for, and now she gives thanks for it; and thanksgiving is
one kind of prayer, or a part of it; see 1 Timothy 2:1,
wherefore though what follows is a song, it was expressed in prayer; and
therefore it is said she prayed, and that by a spirit of prophecy, as the
Targum; hence she is by the JewsF8T. Megillah, fol. 14. 1. reckoned
one of the seven prophetesses; and indeed in this song she not only relates the
gracious experiences of divine goodness she had been favoured with, and
celebrates the divine perfections, and treats of the dealings of God with men,
both in a way of providence and grace; but prophesies of things that should be
done hereafter in Israel, and particularly of the Messiah and of his kingdom.
There is a great likeness in this song to the song of the Virgin Mary; compare 1 Samuel 2:1 with Luke 1:46 and 1 Samuel 2:2 with Luke 1:49 and 1 Samuel 2:4 with Luke 1:51,
my heart rejoiceth in the Lord: not in her son the Lord
had given her, but in the goodness and kindness of the Lord in bestowing him on
her, as an answer of prayer; which showed great condescension to her, the
notice he took of her, the love he had to her, and his well pleasedness in her,
and his acceptance of her prayer through Christ; she rejoiced not in her
husband, nor in the wealth and riches they were possessed of, nor in any
creature enjoyments, but in the Lord, the giver of all; nor in her religious
services and sacrifices, but in the Lord Christ, through whom her duties were
acceptable to God, and who was the antitype of the sacrifices offered; and it
is in the person, offices, and grace of Christ, that we should alone rejoice:
see Philemon 4:4 this
joy of Hannah's was not worldly, but spiritual; not outward, but inward; not hypocritical,
but real and hearty:
mine horn is exalted in the Lord: which supposes that she
had been in a low estate, was crest fallen, and her horn was defiled in the
dust, as Job says was his case, Job 16:15, when God
had shut up her womb, and her adversary upbraided her with it, and provoked and
fretted her; and when she was so full of grief, that she could not eat her
food, and prayed in the bitterness of her soul; but now she could lift up her
horn and her head, as horned creatures, to whom the allusion is, do, when they
are lively and strong; now she could look pleasant and cheerful, and even
triumph, being raised to an high estate, and greatly favoured of the Lord, to
whom she ascribes this change of her state and circumstances: it was owing to
his power and grace that she was thus strengthened and exalted; as it is owing
to the same, that the people of God, who are in a low estate by nature, are
raised out of it in conversion, and brought into an open state of grace and
favour with God, and put into the possession of rich blessings and mercies, and
have hope of eternal glory, on account of which they can exult and triumph:
my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; meaning
Peninnah, and those that provoked her, and upbraided her with her barrenness,
to whom she was not able to make any reply; but now her mouth was opened, and
she could speak largely, and did; not in a way of reproach and reviling, in
retaliation for what she had met with from others; but in prayer to God, to
whom she could come with open mouth, and use freedom and boldness, and plead
with importunity, fervency, and in faith, and in praise and thanksgiving to him
for the great and good things he had done for her, and would now freely and
largely speak of them to others; to some, her friends, to their joy and
pleasure; and to others, her enemies, to their grief and confusion:
because I rejoice in thy salvation; not only in temporal
salvation wrought by the Lord for her, whereby she was delivered from the
reproach of barrenness, through a son being given unto her; but in spiritual
and eternal salvation, through the Messiah, she had knowledge of, and faith in,
as appears from 1 Samuel 2:10, as
all believers in him do, as it is contrived by the wisdom of God, wrought out
by Christ, and applied by his Spirit; it being so great, so suitable, so
perfect and complete, entirely free, and of an everlasting duration; see Psalm 20:5.
1 Samuel 2:2 2 “No
one is holy like the Lord, For there is none
besides You, Nor
is there any rock like our God.
YLT
2There is none holy like
Jehovah, For there is none save Thee, And there is no rock like our God.
There is none holy as the Lord,.... From the
consideration of what the Lord had done for her, which had filled her heart and
mouth with joy and praise, she is led to celebrate the perfections of God, and
begins with his holiness, in which he is glorious, and which appears in all his
ways and works; he is essentially, originally, independently, perfectly, and
immutably holy, as others are not. Angels are holy, but not of themselves;
their holiness is from the Lord; nor is it perfect in comparison of his, and
therefore they cover their faces while they celebrate that perfection of his;
nor immutable, at least not naturally so, as the loss of it in those that fell
demonstrates. Of men, some under the legal dispensation were holy, not truly,
but in a typical and ceremonial sense; some are only outwardly and
hypocritically holy, and only so in the sight of men, not in the sight of God;
and those that are truly holy, being called to holiness, and have the principle
of it implanted in them, and live holy lives and conversations; yet though
there is a likeness of the holiness of God in them, being made partakers of the
divine nature; it is far from an equality to it; for the holiness of the best
of men is imperfect; they are not without sin in them, nor without sin
committed by them, and perfection is disclaimed by them all; but the Lord is
without iniquity, just and true is he; none in his nature, nor in any of his
works, not the least shadow thereof:
for there is none besides thee; there is no
God besides him; no being but what is of him, and none is holy but by him; the
holiness of angels is from him; the holiness of Adam in innocence was of him;
and all the holiness of his chosen ones comes from him, to which they are
chosen by him, and which is secured in that choice unto them, and are
sanctified by God the Father, in Christ, and through the Spirit:
neither is there any rock like our God; the word rock
is used for Deity, and sometimes for a false one, Deuteronomy 32:31
and so it may here, and the sense be, there is no god like to our God; there is
indeed none besides him; there are fictitious gods, and nominal ones, as the
idols of the Gentiles, and who are so in an improper and figurative sense, as
magistrates; but there is but one true and living God; nor is there any like
him for the perfections of his nature, and the blessings of his goodness,
whether in providence or grace. Under this metaphor of a rock, our Lord Jesus
Christ is often signified; he is the rock of Israel, the rock of refuge, and of
salvation; and there is no rock can do what he does, hide and shelter from the
justice of God; there is no rock like him for strength and duration; none like
him for a foundation to build upon, or for safety and protection from the wrath
of God, and the rage of men, see Psalm 18:31.
1 Samuel 2:3 3 “Talk
no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the
God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.
YLT
3Ye multiply not -- ye speak
haughtily -- The old saying goeth out from your mouth, For a God of knowledge
[is] Jehovah, And by Him actions are weighed.
Talk no more so exceeding proudly,.... At such an high
rate, in such an overbearing manner, as if above everyone; this may have
respect to Peninnah, and all that joined with her to provoke Hannah to anger,
and make her fret, insulting and triumphing over her, because she had not
children, as they had; but now their mouths would be stopped, and their talk
over, and not give themselves the haughty airs they had done, at least there
would be no occasion for them:
let not arrogancy come out of your mouth; arrogating to
themselves, and to their merits, what they enjoyed, as children, riches,
&c. when all come from the Lord; or what is "hard"F9עתק "durum", Vatablus, Drusius, Piscator; so R.
Isaiah. , intolerable, which bears so hard on those to whom it is said, that it
cannot be bore with; or what is "old"F11"Vetera",
V. L. "vetus", Pagninus, Montanus. , and trite, old sayings
concerning barren women, as if of no use in the world, and disagreeable to God,
and as having no share in his favour. The Targum renders the word by
reproaches, or blasphemies:
for the Lord is a God of knowledge; or knowledgesF12אל דעות "Deus
scientiarum", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Drusius. : of
perfect knowledge; he knows all persons and things; he knows himself, his
perfections, purposes, thoughts, words and works; he knows all his creatures,
animate and inanimate, rational and irrational, angels and men; the hearts of
all men; all that they say, all their hard sayings, all their proud, haughty,
overbearing expressions, calumnies, and reproaches, as well as all they think
and all they do, good or bad; and God will sooner or later convince them of and
punish them for their hard speeches against his people: and he is the author of
all knowledge, natural, civil, spiritual, and evangelical:
and by him actions are weighed: his own actions; his
works "ad intra"; his purposes and decrees, the counsels of his will,
and the thoughts of his heart, the things his mind is set upon; all his
appointments and designs, his whole will and pleasure; all are pondered by him,
and are formed with the utmost wisdom, and for the best ends and purposes: and
all, his actions and works without, whether of creation, providence, and grace,
all are weighed and done according to infinite wisdom, unerring justice and
truth; all respecting things temporal or spiritual, what relate to the outward
estate of men, or to their everlasting happiness: all the actions of men, as
they are known unto him, they are weighed and examined by him, whether they
proceed from a right principle to a right end or not; upon which, many actions,
thought to be good, are not found to be so, and others, though good, yet not
found perfect before God; so that there is no justification nor salvation by
the best: or the sense is, such actions as are done well, they are
"directed to him"F13ולא נתכנו "ipsi directa sunt", Pagninus. ; as they
are ordained by him that men should walk in them, they are for his use, and are
done with a view to his glory. There is a double reading of these words; the
marginal, which we follow, is "to" or "by him" actions are
directed or weighed; but the textual reading is a negative, "actions are
not weighed"F14"Non disponuntur", Junius &
Tremellius; "non numerantur", so some in Vatablus; "non
perficiuntur", so some in Munster. , or numbered; the works of God cannot
be comprehended, or the actions of men are not disposed and ordered without his
will and pleasure, or cannot be performed unless he wills or permits; and all
are disposed of, overruled, and directed, to answer his own ends and purposes.
1 Samuel 2:4 4 “The bows of the mighty
men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
YLT
4Bows of the mighty are
broken, And the stumbling have girded on strength.
The bows of the mighty men are broken,.... Hannah,
from relating gracious experiences, and celebrating, the divine perfections of
holiness, omniscience, and sovereignty, passes on to take notice of the
dealings of God with men in providence and grace; bows are here put for all
military arms, which men of might and war make use of, and which God can easily
break in pieces, and so make war to cease in the earth, and hinder warlike men
from doing what they design and attempt; they are enfeebled and weakened by
him, and their hands cannot perform their enterprises: so the bows of Satan,
and his principalities and powers, are broken, and his fiery darts are
quenched, and the people of the Lord enabled to stand against him, and wrestle
with him and them, being strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, as
it follows:
and they that stumbled are girt with strength; who, through
weakness, are ready to stumble at everything they meet with in the way; yet,
being girded with strength by the Lord, are able to do great exploits, as David
did, that being his case, Psalm 18:29, so
such as are weak in grace, in faith, in knowledge, and ready to stumble at
every trial and exercise, let it come from what quarter it will; yet being
girded by the Lord with strength, are able to exercise grace, perform duty, go
through every service they are called to, whether in a way of doing or
suffering, to bear the yoke and cross of Christ, to oppose every enemy, to walk
on in the ways of God, and to persevere in faith and holiness to the end.
1 Samuel 2:5 5 Those who were full have hired
themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren
has borne seven, And she who has many children has become
feeble.
YLT
5The satiated for bread
hired themselves, And the hungry have ceased. While the barren hath borne
seven, And she abounding with sons hath languished.
They that are full have hired out themselves for bread,.... Such as
have been full of the good things of this life have been stripped of all, and
reduced to such circumstances as to be obliged to hire themselves out to persons
to labour under them for their bread. Hannah has either respect to some
instances she had known, or prophesies of what would be hereafter, and was
fulfilled in the Israelites, when in the hands of the Egyptians and Assyrians, Lamentations 4:6
and may be exemplified in the case of the prodigal son, Luke 15:13 and is true
of such who have larger gifts, but not grace, and which they exercise for lucre
sake, and are mere hirelings; and of self-righteous persons who are full of
themselves, of their goodness and righteousness, purity, and power; are quite
mercenary do all they do for gain, work for life, and labour for perishing
meat, and for that which is not bread, and is unsatisfying:
and they that were hungry ceased; that is, from being
hungry, being filled with good things, having a large and sufficient supply to
satisfy their craving desires, Luke 1:53. Such are
the changes sometimes in Providence, that those who have lived in great plenty
and fulness are obliged to work for their bread; and, on the other hand, such
as have been starving, and in furnishing circumstances, have been brought into
very plentiful and affluent ones. The "hungry", in a spiritual sense,
are such who hunger an thirst after Christ, and his righteousness, for
justification before God; after him and his blood for the remission of their
sins, and the cleansing of their souls; after him, and salvation by him, in
whom alone it is to be had; after a view of interest in him, and a greater
degree of knowledge of him; and after more communion with him in his word and
ordinances; and after the enjoyment of them for that purpose: now when they
enjoy what they are craving after, they cease to hire out themselves for bread,
as others do; they do not cease from working, but from dependence on their
works, on which they cannot feed and live, having found and got other and
better bread to feed upon; they cease to be hungry, for they are filled and
satisfied with the love of God, with the righteousness of Christ, with the blessings
of grace, and salvation by him, with the goodness of his house, and with all
the fulness of God and Christ; and so having what satisfies them, they desire
no other food, shall have no more want, or be in a starving condition any more,
especially this will be the case hereafter:
so that the barren hath born seven; meaning herself, who had
born many, even five children besides Samuel, 1 Samuel 2:20 which
either was the case before this song was delivered; or rather what she believed
would be the case after Eli had blessed her, and prayed for the children by
her; seven being a number put for many, Proverbs 24:16.
and she that hath many children is waxed feeble; and incapable
of bearing more; and stripped of what she had; this may be understood of
Peninnah, concerning whom the Jews have this traditionF15Vid. Hieron,
Trad. Heb. in. lib. Reg. fol. 34. K. , which Jarchi relates, that when Hannah
bore one child, Peninnah buried two; and whereas Hannah had five, Peninnah lost
all her ten children. This may be applied to the case of the Gentile and Jewish
churches, under the Gospel dispensation, when more were the children of the
desolate or barren, the Gentiles, than of the married wife, the Jews, Isaiah 54:1.
1 Samuel 2:6 6 “The Lord kills and
makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.
YLT
6Jehovah putteth to death,
and keepeth alive, He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up.
The Lord killeth, and maketh alive,.... Which is true of
different persons; some he takes away by death, and others he preserves and
continues in life; and of the same persons, whom God removes by death, and
restores them to life again, of which there are instances both in the Old and
New Testament; and be they which they will, both are of God, he is the great
Disposer of life and death. Death is of him; it is by his appointment; it is
sent by his order; and when it has a commission from him, there is no resisting
it; and let it be brought about by what means it will, still it is of God: and
life is of him; it is first given by him, and it is preserved by him; and
though taken away, it shall be restored at the resurrection of the dead; of
which some interpret this clause, as Kimchi and Ben Gersom observe: and what is
here said is true, in a spiritual sense; the Lord kills by the law, or shows
men that they are dead in sin, and in a legal sense; and he makes alive by his
Spirit, through the Gospel, quickening such who were dead in trespasses and
sins; which is his own work, and the effect of divine power and grace; See Gill
on Deuteronomy 32:39.
he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up; he bringeth
some very near to the grave, to the very brink of it; so that in their own
apprehensions, and in the opinion of their friends, they are just dropping into
it, and no hope of recovery left; when he says to them "Return", and
brings them back from the pit, and delivers them from going into it, Job 33:22 and even
when they are laid in it, he brings up out of it again, as in the case of
Lazarus, and which will be the case in the resurrection, John 5:28.
1 Samuel 2:7 7 The Lord makes poor and
makes rich; He brings low and lifts up.
YLT
7Jehovah dispossesseth, and
He maketh rich, He maketh low, yea, He maketh high.
The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich,.... Which is
true in a natural sense of the same persons, as might be exemplified in the
case of Job; and of different persons, as in the parable of the rich man and
Lazarus; for both poverty and riches are of God, see Proverbs 22:2.
Poverty is of God; for though it is sometimes owing to a man's own conduct, yet
that there is such a difference among men in general, that some should be poor,
and others rich, is owing to the wise providence of God, that men may be
dependent on one another. Riches are of God, and are the gifts of his bountiful
providence; for though they are oftentimes the fruits of industry and
diligence, as means, yet not always; and whenever they are, they are to be
ascribed to the blessing of God attending the diligent hand. This is also true
in a spiritual sense; for though spiritual poverty is owing to the fall of
Adam, and to the actual sins and transgressions of men, whereby they become
poor and miserable, yet all this is not without the knowledge and will of God:
and it is he that makes men sensible of their poverty, and then makes them rich
in spiritual things, with his own grace, and the blessings of it, with the
riches of grace here, and of glory hereafter; all which flow from the good will
of God, who has laid up much for his people, bestowed much on them, and
entitles them to more; and which come to them through the poverty of Christ,
who, though he was rich, became poor, that they through his poverty might be
made rich, 2 Corinthians 8:9
he bringeth low, and lifteth up; which has been verified in the same persons,
as in Job, Nebuchadnezzar, &c. and in different persons, for he puts down
one, and raises up another; so he rejected Saul from being king, and took David
from the sheepfold, debased Haman, and raised Mordecai to great dignity: and,
in a spiritual sense, the Lord shows men the low estate and condition they are
brought into by sin, humbles them under a sense of it, brings down their proud
spirits to sit at the feet of Jesus, and to submit to him, and to his
righteousness; and he lifts them up by his son out of their fallen, captive,
and miserable estate, and by his Spirit and grace brings them out of the
horrible pit of nature into the state of grace; sets them upon the rock Christ,
and makes their mountain to stand strong by the discoveries of his love, and
will at last lift them up to glory, and place them on the same throne with
Christ.
1 Samuel 2:8 8 He raises the poor from
the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them
among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of
the earth are the Lord’s,
And He has set the world upon them.
YLT
8He raiseth from the dust
the poor, From a dunghill He lifteth up the needy, To cause [them] to sit with
nobles, Yea, a throne of honour He doth cause them to inherit, For to Jehovah
[are] the fixtures of earth, And He setteth on them the habitable world.
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar
from the dunghill,.... This is but a further illustration of what is before
expressed. Literally; such poor as are beggars, are those that are extremely
poor, that sit in the dust and beg, and have nothing but a dunghill to lie on;
yet God is able to raise and lift up persons in such an extremely low condition
to a very high one: spiritually; such are the poor, who are poor in spirit, and
spiritually poor, and are sensible of it, and they, and they only, are beggars.
For all that are poor, as they are not sensible of their poverty, so they beg
not; but some are and beg; they knock at the door of grace and mercy; their
language is petitionary, they entreat the grace and mercy of God; their posture
is standing, and waiting till they have an answer; they are importunate, and
will not easily take a denial; and they observe all opportunities to get
relief, and are thankful for everything that is given then. Their conditions,
in which they are, is represented by the "dust" and
"dunghill"; which in general denotes that they are in a mean estate,
in a sinful one, and in a very polluted and loathsome one; in this condition
the Lord finds them, when he calls them by his grace; and from this he raises
and lifts them up by his Spirit and grace, out of which they could never have
raised themselves; and in which estate of sin and misery they must have lain,
had he not exerted his powerful efficacious grace, in bringing them into a
glorious one, next described:
to set them among princes the people of God called
by grace, who are the sons of the King of kings by adoption, manifested in
their regeneration and faith; have a princely spirit, the spirit of adoption, a
free, generous, and bountiful one; live and look like princes, are well fed and
clothed, and attended; have the riches of princes, and are heirs of a kingdom:
and to be set among them, is to be made one, and ranked as such; to have a
place and a name in the church, and among the people of God; to sit down with
them at the table of the Lord, and have communion with them: and to make them
inherit the throne of glory; eternal glory and happiness, which as it is
signified by a kingdom and crown, so by a throne, and is the same with
Christ's, Revelation 3:21 and
therefore must be a glorious one: and this is had by way of inheritance; not
obtained by industry, nor purchased with money; but comes by adoption grace,
and belongs only to children, is a bequest of our heavenly Father, and comes
through the death of Christ the testator; and this phrase denotes not barely
the right unto, but the possession of his happiness and glory:
for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the
world upon them; the earth has its foundations on which it is laid, and its
pillars by which it is supported; but these are no other than the power and
providence of God; otherwise the earth is hung upon nothing, in the open
circumambient air: and that God can and does do this may well be thought, and
to do all the above things in providence and grace, related in the preceding
verses; in the support, and for the proof of which, this is observed.
Figuratively, the pillars of the earth may design the princes of the world, the
supreme rulers of it, and civil magistrates, who are sometimes called
cornerstones, and the shields of the earth, Zechariah 10:4, and
so pillars, because they are the means of cementing, supporting, and protecting
the people of the earth, and of preserving their peace and property. Likewise
good men may be meant in a figurative sense, who, as they are the salt of the
earth, are the pillars of it, for whose sake it was made, and is supported, and
continued in being; the church is the pillar and ground of truth; and every
good man is a pillar in the house of God, and especially ministers of the
Gospel; see Revelation 3:12.
1 Samuel 2:9 9 He will guard the feet of
His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. “For by strength no man
shall prevail.
YLT
9The feet of His saints He
keepeth, And the wicked in darkness are silent, For not by power doth man
become mighty.
He will keep the feet of his saints,.... Now follow promises
and prophecies of future things respecting the Israel of God, either in a
literal or spiritual sense. By "his saints" are meant not angels,
though they are his Holy Ones, but men, and a body of them; who though unholy
in themselves, nor can they make themselves holy, yet are made so by the grace
of God, in consequence of electing grace, by which they are chosen to be holy,
from Christ the source and spring of all holiness, by the Holy Spirit of God,
as the efficient cause, and which is done in the effectual calling; hence they
live holy lives and conversations, though not altogether without sin in the
present state. The word also signifies such to whom God has been kind and
gracious, and on whom he has bestowed blessings of goodness, and who are
bountiful and beneficent to others. These are the Lord's, whom he has set apart
for himself, and has sanctified in Christ, and by his Spirit; and of these he
is keeper, not angels, nor ministers of the word, nor themselves, but the Lord
himself is the keeper of them; and who is an able, faithful, tender and
compassionate, constant and everlasting keeper of them; and particularly he
keeps their "feet"; he indeed keeps their whole persons, their bodies
and souls; the members of their bodies, and the powers of their souls, their
head, their heart, their affections, from turning aside from him; he guides,
directs, and orders all their actions and goings; he keeps their feet in his
own ways, where he has guided them; he keeps them in Christ the way, and in all
the paths of faith, truth, righteousness, and holiness, and in the way
everlasting: he keeps them from falling; for though they are liable to fall
into sin, and by temptation, and from a lively exercise of grace, yet not
totally and finally; they are secured from it by his love to them; the promises
he has made them; his power exerted on their behalf; their being in the hands
of Christ, and the glory of all the three Persons concerned herein:
and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; sin has
spread darkness over all human nature; every man is born and brought up in
darkness, and walks in it: a state of unregeneracy is a state of darkness, in
which wicked men continue; and they are in the dark about God, the perfections
of his nature, his mind and will, word and worship; about Christ, and the way
of life, peace, and salvation by him; about their own state and condition by
nature, and the danger they are in; about the nature and necessity of
regeneration; and about the Scriptures, and the doctrines of the Gospel; and
living and dying; in such a state, darkness, blackness of darkness, is their
portion forever: so the Targum,"the wicked in hell in darkness shall be
judged:'and it is said they shall be "silent" in it; they are quiet,
easy, and content in the state of natural darkness in which they are; they
neither do nor will understand; they do not care to come to the light, but shun
the means of light and knowledge; they have nothing to say of God, of Christ,
of the Spirit of God, or of divine things; they can talk enough of evil things,
and pour them out in great plenty, but not of any good; and when their evils
are charged upon them by the law, their mouths are stopped, and they pronounced
guilty, and have nothing to say why justice and judgment should not take place;
and so they will be silent and speechless at the great day of judgment. Some
interpret it, they shall be "cut off in darkness"; so Kimchi and Ben
Melech; that is, by death, by the hand of God, by the sword of justice:
for by strength shall no man prevail; which is a
reason both why God will keep his saints, and why the wicked shall be silent,
or cut off and perish: with respect to good men, they are not saved, kept, and
preserved by their own strength; they are not saved without a righteousness,
without regeneration, without repentance towards God, and faith in Christ;
neither of which they can perform in their own strength: nor can a saint keep
himself from, or prevail over his spiritual enemies of himself, not over sin,
nor Satan, nor the world; but it is by the power of God that he is kept through
faith unto salvation: and with respect to wicked men, these shall not prevail
by their strength over good men, or the church, who are built upon a rock,
against which the gates of hell cannot prevail; nor can the wicked so prevail
by their strength as to hinder their being cut off, and cast into outer
darkness; they have no power over the spirit to retain it in the day of death;
and whether they will or not, they shall be cast into hell, and go into
everlasting punishment.
1 Samuel 2:10 10 The
adversaries of the Lord
shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the
ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His
anointed.”
YLT
10Jehovah -- broken down are
His adversaries, Against them in the heavens He thundereth: Jehovah judgeth the
ends of earth, And giveth strength to His king, And exalteth the horn of His
anointed.'
The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces,.... Or
Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, "shall break in pieces those that
contend with him"; with the Lord, or with his people, or with Samuel
particularly; for this may be considered as a prophecy of Hannah concerning her
son, what God would do for him against his enemies, that should rise up,
contend, and fight with him, as the Philistines; of whom Ben Gersom interprets
it, whom the Lord discomfited and broke to pieces; see the literal fulfilment
of this prophecy in 1 Samuel 7:1 in a
spiritual sense all wicked men are the enemies of God, and of his people, and
sooner or later shall be broken to pieces. Some, in a good sense; when they are
smitten with the words of his mouth, cut to the heart, and made contrite; are
humbled and brought into subjection to him, and their enmity slain and
abolished, and they filled with love to him; and are so broken to pieces, that
they have nothing to depend upon, or trust in for life or salvation, but apply
to Christ alone for it. Others, in an ill sense; and the meaning is, that the
wicked shall be utterly destroyed by the Lord, with an everlasting destruction,
with an incurable and irreparable one; shall be broken in pieces like a
potter's vessel, which can never be put together again, see Psalm 2:9.
out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: as the Lord
did upon the Philistines in the times of Samuel, when Israel were engaged in
war with them, 1 Samuel 7:10. And
the last vial of the wrath of God, poured out upon his adversaries the
antichristian states, will be attended with thunders and lightnings, Revelation 16:17,
it denotes the terrible manner in which God will destroy his adversaries; the
Septuagint version is, "the Lord ascended to heaven and thundered";
hence Procopius Gazaeus, following this version, says, Hannah prophesied of the
taking up of the Saviour, and of the mission of the Holy Ghost, and of the
preaching of the apostles, and of the second coming of Christ, as follows: the
Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; not of the land of Israel by Samuel, as
some interpret it, see 1 Samuel 7:15 but
of the whole world, and may refer to the government of it in general by the
Lord, or to the judgment of it by his Son; for he judges none, but has
committed all judgment to him; who at his first coming judged the world, by the
ministry of the word in Judea and in the Gentile world, by setting up
ordinances, and by qualifying and constituting persons to act in the government
of his church under him; and at his spiritual coming he will take to himself
his great power and reign, and judge the whore of Babylon; and at his last or
second coming he will judge the whole world, quick and dead, righteous and
wicked:
and he shall give strength unto his king: either who
was made king in the times of Samuel, Saul, who was the first of the kings of
Israel, or David, whom Samuel anointed; and it is true of them both, that the
Lord gave them strength to fight with and conquer their enemies; or rather the
King Messiah, who in the next clause is called the Lord's anointed, or Messiah:
and exalt the horn of his anointed; and so the Targum
paraphrases the words,"he shall give strength to his king and enlarge the
kingdom of his Messiah.'with which Kimchi agrees, and says, the thing is
doubled or repeated, for the King is the Messiah; and to him the words are
applied by other Jewish writersF16Zohar in Gen. fol. 58. 4. Midrash
Echa Rabbati, fol. 53. 3. R. Saadiah Gaon, Comment. in Dan. vii. 13. , ancient
and modern. Christ is King over all, angels and men, particularly he is King of
saints; he is Jehovah's King, set up and anointed by him from everlasting; was
in time promised as such, and in the fulness of time came in that character,
and at his ascension to heaven was made and declared Lord and Christ; and
through the success of his Gospel in the world has appeared yet more so, and
will be still more manifest in the latter day, when he shall be King over all
the earth, and especially in his personal reign. Now when "strength"
is said to be given him, this must be understood either of strength given to
him in human nature, to perform the great work of our redemption and salvation,
which required great strength; as a divine Person he needed none, as man he
did; or of that strength communicated to him as Mediator, to give unto his
people, in whom they have both righteousness and strength; or rather of that
power and dominion given him as King particularly; all power in heaven and in
earth were given him at his resurrection, and will appear more fully hereafter,
when his kingdom will be from sea to sea, and his dominion from the river to
the ends of the earth, see Daniel 7:13. And
the same thing is meant by "horn", which is an emblem of strength,
power, dominion, and glory; hence he himself is called the horn of David, and
the horn of salvation; it is a name and title given to kings, Daniel 7:24 in
allusion to the horns of beasts, in which their strength lies to defend
themselves, and annoy their enemies; and the exaltation of him prophesied of
may respect and include his resurrection from the dead, ascension to heaven,
session at the right hand of God, the judgment of all committed to him, and the
glorious exercise of his kingly office in the spiritual and personal reigns.
This is the first time we meet with the word Messiah, or anointed, as ascribed
to a divine Person, the Son of God; who has this name or title from his being
anointed, not with material oil, but with the oil of gladness, with the Holy
Ghost, and his gifts and graces without measure; and who is called the Lord's
anointed, because he was anointed by his Father to be prophet, priest, and
King, or invested by him with those offices even from eternity, see Psalm 2:6 and which
was more manifestly declared at his birth, his baptism, and ascension to
heaven; see Luke 2:40.
1 Samuel 2:11 11 Then
Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the
priest.
YLT
11And Elkanah goeth to
Ramath, unto his house, and the youth hath been serving Jehovah, [in] the
presence of Eli the priest;
And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house,.... Of which
see 1 Samuel 1:19. This
was after he had offered the sacrifices at the feast, worshipped the Lord, and
Hannah had delivered her prayer or song of praise, and both had committed
Samuel to the care of Eli, and left him with him:
and the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest; he not only
read in the book of the law, but learned to sing the praises of God vocally,
and to play upon an instrument of music used in the service of God in those
times, and to light the lamps in the tabernacle, and open and shut the doors of
it, and the like; which were suitable to his age, and which might not be quite
so tender as some have thought; or this may respect some small beginnings in
the ministry of the sanctuary, in which he gradually increased under the
inspection, guidance, and instruction of Eli, which is meant by ministering
before him; the Targum is,"in the life of Eli the priest;'he began his
ministration before his death.
1 Samuel 2:12 12 Now the sons of Eli were
corrupt;[b] they did
not know the Lord.
YLT
12and the sons of Eli [are]
sons of worthlessness, they have not known Jehovah.
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial,.... Not that
Eli their father was Belial, a wicked man; but though they had so good a
father, they were very wicked men, unprofitable abandoned wretches, that cast
off the yoke of the law of God, and gave themselves up to all manner of
wickedness:
they knew not the Lord; not that they had no
knowledge of God in theory, or were real atheists, but they were so
practically; they denied him in works, they had no love to him, nor fear of
him, and departed from his ways and worship, as much as if they were entirely
ignorant of him; so the Targum,"they did not know to fear before the
Lord,'or serve him; or, as Kimchi,"they did not know the way of the
Lord,'that is, practically.
1 Samuel 2:13 13 And the priests’ custom
with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s
servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat
was boiling.
YLT
13And the custom of the
priests with the people [is]: any man sacrificing a sacrifice -- then hath the
servant of the priest come in when the flesh is boiling, and the hook of three
teeth in his hand,
And the priest's custom with the people was,.... Not what
was according to the will and law of God, but which the sons of Eli had
introduced; and in which they were followed by the rest of the priests, and so
it became an established custom, and had the force of a law, statute, or
judgment, as the word signifies:
that when any man
offered sacrifice; not any sort of sacrifice, for if it was a burnt offering, it
was wholly consumed by fire, and in that the following custom could not take
place; and if it was a sin offering, that was eaten by the priests, and so
there was no need of taking such a method as after related; but a peace
offering, part of which belonged to the Lord, the fat that was burnt, and the
breast and shoulder to the priest, and the rest to the owner, who made a feast
of it for his family and friends:
the priest's servant came while the flesh was in seething; that is,
while those parts were boiling for the owner and his family; which was done in
some part of the tabernacle, as afterwards in the temple:
with a flesh hook of three teeth in his hand; with a three
forked instrument, with which he was sent by order of the priest that slew the
sacrifice, and offered it, to whom belonged the parts before mentioned, allowed
him by the law; but not content with these, he sent his servant, while the rest
were boiling, with such an instrument as here described, to draw up more out of
the boiling pot.
1 Samuel 2:14 14 Then he would thrust it
into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for
himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the
Israelites who came there.
YLT
14and hath struck [it] into
the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the hook bringeth up doth the
priest take for himself; thus they do to all Israel who are coming in, there,
in Shiloh.
And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot,.... Whatever
vessel was made use of, larger or lesser, according to the quantity of flesh
the owner boiled for himself and friends, the trident the priest's servants
brought with him, he struck into the boiler to the bottom; of it:
all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself; as his own
property; whereas no part of it at all belonged to him, he having had the
breast and shoulder delivered to him in the first place; and yet, by this
method, all that he could drag up with this three forked instrument he claimed
as his own; which might be much, that would hang upon three teeth of it, or in
which they were fastened; and, according to Abarbinel, each of them would bring
up a pound of flesh, and perhaps more:
so they did in Shiloh, unto all the Israelites that came thither; to offer
their sacrifices, which was the proper place for them, the tabernacle and altar
being there; and men of all ranks and degrees were treated alike, princes and
people, rich and poor; the custom universally obtained, and all sorts of men
met with the same usage.
1 Samuel 2:15 15 Also, before they burned
the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed,
“Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from
you, but raw.”
YLT
15Also before they make
perfume with the fat -- then hath the priest's servant come in, and said to the
man who is sacrificing, `Give flesh to roast for the priest, and he doth not
take of thee flesh boiled, but raw;'
Also before they burnt the fat,.... Which belonged to
the Lord, and was to be offered to him by fire, in the first place, as it ought
to be; and the order of sacrificing required that he should have his part first
before the priest or the owner: but so impious were the priests become, that
the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed; not to the
priest that offered, but to the man that brought his sacrifice to be offered by
the priest:
give flesh to roast for the priest; meaning, not what was
his by law, as the breast and shoulder, though for these he ought to have
stayed until the fat was offered to the Lord; but other parts of the peace
offering, which he had no right unto, for roasting or boiling, and yet in an
imperious manner demanded it by his servant:
for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw though this
was not the only reason of this demand, because they liked roast meat better
than boiled; but because the three forked flesh hook did not always bring up
the best pieces out of the boiling pot; and therefore he resolved to have flesh
raw, that he might have the best, as well as dress it to his own liking.
1 Samuel 2:16 16 And if the man said
to him, “They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as
much as your heart desires,” he would then answer him, “No, but you
must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force.”
YLT
16and the man saith unto him,
`Let them surely make a perfume (as to-day) with the fat, then take to thee as
thy soul desireth;' and he hath said to him, `Surely now thou dost give; and if
not -- I have taken by strength.'
And if any man said unto him, let them not fail to burn the fat
presently,.... Or stay till they have offered the fat, as the Targum; let
that be done in the first place, which may be quickly done, in a very little
time, and let as much haste be made as can be to do it:
and then take as much as thy soul desireth; by which it
appears that the men that brought the sacrifice had more religion at heart, and
were more concerned for the honour and glory of God than the priest; being
willing to suffer in their property, but could not bear that the Lord should be
dishonoured, and so rudely treated: they were willing the priests should take
what they pleased of theirs, though they had no right to any; only they desired
the Lord might be served first, which was but reasonable:
then he would answer him, nay, but thou shall give it me now, and
if not, I will take it by force; signifying, he would not stay till the fat
was burnt, and the Lord had his portion, but he would have it directly; and if
he would not give it him freely, he would take it whether he would or not; to
such a height of insolence and impiety were the priests arrived, as to put it
in the power of their servants to make such wicked demands, and treat God, and
those that brought their sacrifices to him, in such a contemptuous manner.
1 Samuel 2:17 17 Therefore the sin of the
young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the
offering of the Lord.
YLT
17And the sin of the young
men is very great [in] the presence of Jehovah, for the men have despised the
offering of Jehovah.
Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord,.... That is,
the sons of Eli; for they were the ringleaders who set these bad examples,
which other priests followed, and therefore the sin is ascribed to them; and
which was sadly aggravated by taking what was not their own, and by taking it
in a forcible manner, and before the Lord had his part in the offering, and all
this done in the tabernacle, in the presence of God; which plainly showed that
they had not the fear of God before their eyes, nor any sense of his
omniscience and omnipresence, any more than of his holiness and justice:
for men abhorred the offering of the Lord; it was
irksome and disagreeable to them to bring their sacrifices, when they saw the
law of God was not attended to, and the rules of sacrificing were not observed;
such contempt of God, such abuse of sacrifices, such injury done to the
sacrificers, and such covetousness and sensuality in the priests, that it even
set the people against sacrifices, and made them loath them, and neglect to
bring them. And this aggravated the sin of the young men, though the
sacrificers were not excused hereby, 1 Samuel 2:24.
1 Samuel 2:18 18 But Samuel ministered
before the Lord,
even as a child, wearing a linen ephod.
YLT
18And Samuel is ministering
[in] the presence of Jehovah, a youth girt [with] an ephod of linen;
But Samuel ministered before the Lord,.... The
ministration of Samuel, though a child, is observed both before and after the
account of the ill behaviour and wickedness of Eli's sons; partly to the shame
and disgrace of them, and as serving to aggravate their sin, and make it appear
the more black and heinous; and partly to his honour and reputation, that he
was not corrupted and turned aside from God by their evil practices. The phrase
here used is different from that in 1 Samuel 2:11 there
he is said to minister before Eli, under his direction and guidance, but here
before the Lord; being now engaged in higher services, and which he could
perform without the assistance of Eli, as in the presence of God more
immediately; it seems to have respect to him when more grown in age, stature,
knowledge, and experience, though here related: yet still being "a
child"; not got out of his childhood, or arrived to manhood:
girded with a linen ephod; such as priests used to
wear, but not Levites in common, nor extraordinary persons on extraordinary
occasions, see 1 Samuel 22:18.
This seems to be a peculiar favour, and a special honour which Eli granted to
Samuel when so very young, on account of the grace of God bestowed on him in a
wonderful manner; and because brought up in the tabernacle as a holy person,
and a Nazarite; and because his birth was foretold, and he asked of God, as his
name signified, as Procopius Gazaeus observes.
1 Samuel 2:19 19 Moreover his mother used
to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she
came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
YLT
19and a small upper coat doth
his mother make to him, and she hath brought it up to him from time to time, in
her coming up with her husband to sacrifice the sacrifice of the time.
Moreover, his mother made him a little coat,.... Suitable
to his stature; this was an outer coat to wear over others, and this also was such
an one as the priests wore; it is the same word that is used for the priest's
robe, Exodus 28:4, and
this, it is very likely, was altogether of her own spinning, and weaving, and
making up; which were works women did in those times: and this Hannah did
partly out of her great love to her son Samuel, and partly to lessen the
expense that Eli, or the congregation, were at in the maintenance of him; and
the TalmudistsF17T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 25. 1. observe, that a priest
might wear a garment, and minister in it, if his mother made it; and they give
instances of priests, Ishmael and Eleazar, for whom their mothers made
garments:
and brought it to him from year to year; for it seems
this was only to be worn at festivals, and not on common days; and therefore
she did not leave it with him, but took it home with her, and brought it again
at the returning festival:
when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice: whether at
the passover, or at Pentecost, or at the feast of tabernacles; and it is very
probable she came with her husband at them all, yearly; for though she was not
by the law obliged thereunto, yet her religious zeal and devotion, and her
great desire to see her son as often as she could, induced her to come.
1 Samuel 2:20 20 And Eli would bless
Elkanah and his wife, and say, “The Lord give you descendants from
this woman for the loan that was given to the Lord.” Then they
would go to their own home.
YLT
20And Eli blessed Elkanah,
and his wife, and said, `Jehovah doth appoint for thee seed of this woman, for
the petition which she asked for Jehovah;' and they have gone to their place.
And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife,.... Not only
the first time they brought Samuel to him, and left him with him; but every
year they came to worship, as the Jewish commentators mostly interpret it:
and said, the Lord give thee seed of this woman; children by
her, year after year:
for the loan which is lent to the Lord; instead of
Samuel, who was asked of the Lord and given to him again; and as they were
thereby in some measure deprived of him, and could not always enjoy him, and be
delighted with him, Eli prayed for them, and gave them his benediction as a priest,
that they might be favoured with other children, who might be of delight and
service to them when in old age:
and they went unto their own home; at Ramah, as in 1 Samuel 2:11 or to
his placeF18למקומו "in locum
suum", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius, &c. , Elkanah's; hence
Kimchi concludes that Hannah was of another city originally; but the Targum
is,"to their place;'and indeed, what was now the place or home of the one,
was of the other.
1 Samuel 2:21 21 And the Lord visited
Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile
the child Samuel grew before the Lord.
YLT
21When Jehovah hath looked
after Hannah, then she conceiveth and beareth three sons and two daughters; and
the youth Samuel groweth up with Jehovah.
And the Lord visited Hannah,.... In a way of mercy,
approving and confirming the blessing of Eli; or rather granting the blessing
he prayed for, by giving her power to conceive, bear, and bring forth children,
as the following words explain it:
so that she conceived and bare three sons and two daughters; whereby the
prophecy of Hannah was fulfilled, 1 Samuel 2:5, and
was no doubt matter of great joy to her, though of these children we nowhere
else read, nor even of their names. JosephusF19Antiqu. l. 5. c. 10.
sect. 3. says, Elkanah had other sons by Hannah, and three daughters; which
agrees not with the text:
and the child Samuel grew before the Lord: in age and
stature, in grace and goodness, and improved much in the worship and service of
God, both in the theory and practice of it; or became great with him, high in
his esteem and favour, and was blessed with much of his presence, and with
large gifts of his grace.
1 Samuel 2:22 22 Now Eli was very old; and
he heard everything his sons did to all Israel,[c] and how
they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
YLT
22And Eli [is] very old, and
hath heard all that his sons do to all Israel, and how that they lie with the
women who are assembling [at] the opening of the tent of meeting,
Now Eli was very old,.... It is very probable
he was now about ninety years of age, since when he died he was ninety eight, 1 Samuel 4:15 which
is observed to show his incapacity for the discharge of his office, and
inspection into public affairs; which gave his sons opportunity of acting the
wicked part they did without reproof, and with impunity, Eli knowing nothing of
it; and accounts in some measure for the gentle reproof he gave them, when he
did know of it; for being old, he was not so full of spirit and vigour, and
more given to tenderness and mercy; besides, his sons were grown up and
married, and he had less authority over them; though he ought to have
considered himself not as a father only, but as an high priest and judge of
Israel, and performed his office as such; however, it must be a great
affliction to him in his old age, and added to the weight of it, that his sons
should behave so unworthily as they did:
and heard all that his sons had done unto Israel; who, besides
what was by the law allowed them, took flesh out of the pot as it was boiling,
and demanded raw flesh to roast before the fat was offered to the Lord; and in
this manner they used all, without distinction, that came with their
sacrifices:
and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation; not that they lay with them at the door in
a public beastly manner; but the women that came thither they decoyed into
their own apartments, or into some of the courts of the tabernacle, and there
debauched them: who these women were, and what their business at the
tabernacle, is not easy to say; some think they came about business which
belonged to women to do there, as to wash and clean the rooms, to sew and spin,
and the like; but one would think that these latter works should be done, not
at the door of the tabernacle, but in some apartment in it, or rather at their
own houses, for the use of it: the Targum is, that they there assembled to
pray, which is more likely, and that they were devout women; who came there in
large numbers, for the word used has the signification of armies; to perform
religious exercises in fasting, and praying, and bringing sacrifices to be
offered for them; though they do not seem to be such, as was Anna the
prophetess, Luke 2:37 who made
their abode in the tabernacle, and served God night and day with fastings and
prayers, since these were only at the door of the tabernacle; nor were there in
the tabernacle conveniences for such persons, as afterwards in the temple. The
Jews, for the most part, by these understand new mothers, who came with their
offerings for purification, attended with many other women, their relations,
friends, and neighbours, and which especially, when several met together on
such an occasion, made a crowd at the door of the tabernacle; and some are of
opinion that these men did not lie with them, or debauch them, according to the
literal sense of the word; but that they delayed the offering of their nests of
doves they brought, so that they were forced to stay all night, and could not
return home; and because by this means they were restrained from their
husbands, it is reckoned as if these men had lain with themF20T.
Bab. Sabbat, fol. 55. 2. Ben Gersom & Abarbinel in loc. ; and which they
think is confirmed, in that the man of God sent to Eli, after mentioned, takes
no notice of this lewdness of theirs, only of their ill behaviour as to
sacrifices, but the text is so express for their debauchery, that it cannot be
denied.
1 Samuel 2:23 23 So he said to them, “Why
do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people.
YLT
23and he saith to them, `Why
do ye things like these? for I am hearing of your evil words from all the
people -- these!
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.
1 Samuel 2:24 24 No, my sons! For it is
not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord’s people
transgress.
YLT
24Nay, my sons; for the
report which I am hearing is not good causing the people of Jehovah to
transgress. –
Nay, my sons,.... This seems to be too soft and smooth an
appellation, too kind and endearing, considering the offence they were guilty
of, and were now reproving for; rather they deserved to be called sons of
Belial, the children of the devil, than sons of Eli, or brutes and shameless
wretches, and such like hard names:
for it is no good report that I hear; a very bad
one; far from being good, scarce anything worse could have been said of them;
to rob persons of the flesh of their offerings, when there was a sufficient
allowance made for them by law, and to be so impious as to require what was not
their due, and even before the Lord had his; and to debauch the women that came
to religious worship, and that in the sacred place of worship, they also being
priests of the Lord, and married men; sins very shocking and sadly aggravated,
and yet Eli treats them in this gentle manner:
ye make the Lord's people to transgress: by causing
them to forbear to bring their sacrifices, being used in such an injurious and
overbearing way; and by decoying the women into uncleanness, and by setting
examples to others: or, "to cry out"; as in the margin of our Bibles,
to exclaim against them for their exorbitant and lewd practices; so the Targum,
"the
people of the Lord murmur because so ill used by them:'this clause may be read
in connection with the former, "it is no good report that I hear, which ye
cause to pass through the Lord's people"; ye occasion the people to speak
ill of you everywhere, in the camp of Israel, throughout the whole nation; the
report as it is bad, it is general, is in everyone's mouth; so MaimonidesF21Moreh
Nevochim, par. 1. c. 21. interprets it; with which Jarchi and others agreeF23Vid.
T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 55. 2. & praefat. Ben Chayim. ad Bib. Heb. Bomberg.
& Buxtorf. .
1 Samuel 2:25 25 If one man sins against
another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who will
intercede for him?” Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father,
because the Lord
desired to kill them.
YLT
25If a man sin against a man,
then hath God judged him; but if against Jehovah a man sin, who doth pray for
him?' and they hearken not to the voice of their father, though Jehovah hath
delighted to put them to death.
If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him, &c. When
one man does an injury to another in his person and property, the case is
brought before the judge, he hears it, examines into it, and determines upon
it, and does justice, orders that the injured person have satisfaction made
him, and so the matter is ended:
but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him? all sin is in
some sense against God, as it is contrary to his nature, and a breach of his
law, and especially bold, daring, presumptuous sins; but there are some sins
that are more immediately and particularly against God, as sins against the
first table of the law, which relate to the worship of God, and such were the
sins of Eli's sons in the affair of sacrifices; all sin against God is
aggravated by the perfections of his nature, and made tremendous, as being
against a God of strict justice, of unspotted purity and holiness, and who is
omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent; and by the relation and connection
there is between God and men, he is their Creator and Preserver, the God of
their lives and mercies, and of all the blessings they enjoy, and yet sin
against him! who will entreat the favour of God for such persons, ask pardon
for them, and beseech the Lord to be propitious and merciful to them? who on
earth will do it? such persons are scarce and rare, few care to stand up in the
gap between God and sinners; in some cases they ought not, in others they
cannot. Eli suggests by this question, that he could not, even for his own
sons; and who in heaven can or will do it? not saints departed, who know
nothing of what is done below, nor angels, only the Lord Jesus Christ; he is
the only Mediator between God and men, who has engaged his heart to approach
unto God, and interpose between him and sinful men, and has made peace and
reconciliation by his blood, and is become the propitiation for sin, and ever
lives to make intercession for transgressors, and is always prevalent and
successful in his mediation and intercession; excepting him, there is none to
entreat for those that have sinned against the Lord, see 1 John 2:1. In
answer to this question, who shall entreat for him? the Jews sayF24T.
Bab. Yoma, fol. 87. 1. repentance and good works; but these are insufficient
advocates for a sinner, without the atoning sacrifice of Christ, who is
propitiation for sin, and upon which a plea can only be founded:
notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto the voice of their father; to his
reproofs and counsels, his reasonings and expostulations; though his rebukes
were so gentle, and this last reasoning of his so close and strong, so nervous
and striking:
because the Lord would slay them; it was his purpose and
decree, his will and pleasure, to cut them off for their wickedness; wherefore
he gave them up to a judicial blindness, and hardness of heart, as he did
Pharaoh, so that they were proof against all advice, admonitions, and arguments
used with them: some choose to read the words, "therefore the Lord would
slay them"F25כי "ideo",
Noldius, p. 395. No. 1342. "idcirco vel quapropter", Quistorp, so
Patrick. , because they were disobedient to the voice of their father; but the
former sense is best; for his will to destroy them was not so much for their
disregard to the reproofs of their father in which he himself was culpable, as
for their breach of his laws.
1 Samuel 2:26 26 And the child Samuel grew
in stature, and in favor both with the Lord and men.
YLT
26And the youth Samuel is
going on and growing up, and [is] good both with Jehovah, and also with men.
And the child Samuel grew up,.... Increased in stature
and in grace, grew more and more in all respects, and better and better, while
Eli's sons grew worse and worse; the contrast between these make the one to
shine and appear illustrious, and the other to look the blacker: or "he
went on, and grew, and was good"F26הלך
וגדל וטוב "ambulans,
et grandescens et bonus", Montanus; so Vatablus & Drusius. ; as he
proceeded on in years, and grew in stature, he appeared more and more to be a
good man, a virtuous, holy, and gracious person:
and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men; the Lord was
pleased to give him some tokens of his favour, that he delighted in him, that
he was wellpleasing in his sight, and that his person and services were
acceptable to him; and the more Eli's sons disgusted the people by their ill
lives and conduct, the greater esteem among them did Samuel obtain by his
becoming life and conversation; all admired him, spoke well of him, and thanked
God that in such bad times he was raising up one among them, of whom they had
the most hopeful prospect of usefulness to them.
1 Samuel 2:27 27 Then a man of God came to
Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Did I not clearly
reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s
house?
YLT
27And there cometh a man of
God unto Eli, and saith unto him, `Thus said Jehovah, Was I really revealed
unto the house of thy father in their being in Egypt, before Pharaoh's house,
And there came a man of God unto Eli,.... A
prophet, as the Targum; he had gifts and graces bestowed on him by the Lord,
qualifying him for that office; he came from God, and spoke in his name, as
prophets used to do: who this was is not said, nor can it be known with
certainty; many conjectures are made; some think he might he Phinehas, as Ben
Gersom and AbarbinelF1Judaei apud Hieron. Trad. Heb. in lib. Reg.
fol. 75. A. , which is not at all likely; it is not probable that he was
living, for if he had been alive, Eli would not have been high priest; the more
ancient Jews sayF2Seder Olam Rabba, c. 20. p. 53. he was Elkanah,
the father of Samuel; and so Jarchi; and he is said in the Targum on 1 Samuel 1:1, to be
one of the disciples of the prophets, and was reckoned by them among the two
hundred prophets that prophesied in IsraelF3T. Bab. Megillah, fol.
14. 1. ; but of his prophecy we nowhere read in Scripture, or that he was one:
other'sF4See Weemse's Christ. Synagog. l. 2. c. 3. p. 250. think he
was Samuel himself, who through modesty conceals his name; but he was now a
child, as in the preceding verse; indeed, some are of opinion that what follows
is recorded in this chapter by way of anticipation, and properly belongs to,
and is a part of the message sent from the Lord by Samuel to Eli, in the
following chapter:
and said unto him, thus saith the Lord; using the
language prophets in later times did, who spake not of themselves, but in the
name of the Lord; and from whence it appears that this was not a divine Person,
the Son of God in human form, since he never used to speak in this manner when
he appeared:
did I plainly appear to the house of thy father, when they were in
Egypt in Pharaoh's house? he did; this was evident and certain, and a wonderful instance
of condescending goodness: the house of his father is the house of Aaron, who,
and all his sons, were born in Egypt, from whose youngest son, Ithamar, Eli
descended; and to whom the Lord appeared when in Egypt, and sent him to meet
Moses, whose spokesman he appointed him to be; and who prophesied in Egypt, and
reproved the Israelites, which is recorded in Ezekiel 20:1 as say
the JewsF5Jarchi & Ben Gersom in loc. .
1 Samuel 2:28 28 Did I not choose him out
of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to
burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And did I not give to the house
of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?
YLT
28even to choose him out of
all the tribes of Israel to Me for a priest, to go up on Mine altar, to make a
perfume, to bear an ephod before Me, and I give to the house of thy father all
the fire-offerings of the sons of Israel?
And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my
priest,.... He did; of all the tribes of Israel the Lord chose the tribe
of Levi to place the priesthood in, and of all the families of that tribe he
chose the house of Aaron, Eli's ancestor, to minister in the priest's office,
see Exodus 28:1.
to offer upon mine altar; burnt offerings, sin
offerings, and peace offerings; this is the altar of burnt offering, which
stood in the court of the tabernacle:
to burn incense; on the altar of incense, which was in the
holy place, and on which incense was burnt morning and evening:
to wear an ephod before me? in which was the
breastplate, with the Urim and Thummim, with which the high priest went into
the most holy place, where was the ark, the symbol of the divine Presence, and
where he inquired of the Lord by the above things:
and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made
by fire of the children of Israel? he did; the priests who
were of the house of Aaron had not only the sin offerings, and part of the
peace offerings, but even of the offerings made by fire, the burnt offerings;
the skin of them was the priest's, and the meat offerings that went along with
them, see Leviticus 6:25 and Leviticus 8:8 which
were given them for their maintenance. Now these instances of God's goodness to
the family of Aaron are mentioned to aggravate the sins of Eli and his sons.
1 Samuel 2:29 29 Why do you kick at My
sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place,
and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all
the offerings of Israel My people?’
YLT
29Why do ye kick at My
sacrifice, and at Mine offering which I commanded [in] My habitation, and dost
honour thy sons above Me, to make yourselves fat from the first part of every
offering of Israel, of My people?
Wherefore kick ye at my
sacrifice, and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation,.... To be
offered in the tabernacle, where the Lord had his dwelling; which they might be
said to kick and spurn at, despising them, as if there were not enough of them,
nor the best of them given to them for their maintenance; a metaphor taken from
cattle well fed and fat, which kick and spurn with their feet at even the
owners and feeders of them. The Targum is,"why do ye use force with the
holy offerings?'that is, take them away by force, when there was such a
sufficient quantity allowed them for their support. Some understand this of
their driving away such, that before used to bring their sacrifices to be
offered, but being so ill treated, refrained from bringing them:
and honourest thy sons above me; by suffering them to
take their part of the sacrifices, and even what did not belong to them, before
God had his part, or before the fat was burnt; and by continuing them in their
office, to the dishonour of God, his name and worship, when they ought to have
been turned out by him and punished; but by this he preferred the honour of his
sons before the honour of God, and chose rather that he should be dishonoured,
than that they should be censured:
to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of
Israel my people? they took the best pieces of the peace offerings from them by
force, having no right unto them; and this they did to indulge their luxury and
sensuality, which Eli connived at; and it is highly probable took part of the
roasted meat his sons provided for themselves, out of the choicest pieces of
the offerings of the people; since he himself is included in this clause,
"to make yourselves fat", as his sons might be, and it is certain he
himself was, 1 Samuel 4:18.
1 Samuel 2:30 30 Therefore the Lord God of Israel
says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would
walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me;
for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly
esteemed.
YLT
30`Therefore -- the
affirmation of Jehovah, God of Israel -- I certainly said, Thy house and the
house of thy father, do walk up and down before Me to the age; and now -- the
affirmation of Jehovah -- Far be it from Me! for he who is honouring Me, I
honour, and those despising Me, are lightly esteemed.
Wherefore the Lord God of
Israel saith,.... This being the case, so much contempt cast upon his
sacrifices, and dishonour on himself:
I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should
walk before me for ever; or minister in the priest's office before him: if the house of
Aaron in general is meant, it did continue so to do, in one branch or another
of it, as long as the Mosaic dispensation lasted, which is meant by the phrase
"for ever"; but since it is afterwards denied that it should, rather
the house of Ithamar, or of the immediate parent of Eli, is meant, and this
said when the priesthood was translated from the family of Eleazar to the
family of Ithamar; when, and on what account that was done, we nowhere read. It
is a traditionF6Midrash Samuel, apud Jarch. & Kimch. in loc. ,
that it was in the time of the Levite's concubine; and because Phinehas, and
the other priests, did not go from city to city, and reprove the Israelites for
the many sins they were fallen into, that the priesthood was taken away out of
the family of Eleazar, and translated to that of Ithamar:
but now the Lord saith, be it far from me; to continue
the priesthood in the line of Ithamar; which argues no change in the purposes
or promises of God, this being not a decree of his, but a declaration of his
will; that if the house of Ithamar behaved well in the discharge of the office
of the high priest, it should continue with them to the end of the Mosaic
dispensation, but if not, it should be taken from them, and restored to the
family of Eleazar; as it was in Solomon's time:
for them that honour me I will honour; as Phinehas
the son of Eleazar did at Shittim, where he showed his zeal for the Lord of
hosts, and had the promise of the everlasting priesthood; and which continued
in his family until the Babylonish captivity, excepting the interval in which
it was in the family of Ithamar, and for what reason is not known:
and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed; as the
posterity of Eli, whose sons despised the Lord, and his offerings, as appeared
by their conduct; and these were killed in battle in one day, and in the times
of Solomon, Abiathar, of the posterity of Eli, was thrust out of the
priesthood, and Zadok, of the line of Eleazar, was put in his room, 1 Kings 2:27.
1 Samuel 2:31 31 Behold, the days are
coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that
there will not be an old man in your house.
YLT
31`Lo, days [are] coming, and
I have cut off thine arm, and the arm of the house of thy father, that an old
man is not in thy house;
Behold, the days come,.... Or, are
comingF7באים "venientes",
Montanus. ; and will quickly come, in a very little time the things, after
threatened, began to take place, even in the days of Eli's sons, and the whole
was accomplished in about eighty years after:
that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house: that is, the
strength of him and them, as the Targum, the strength of a man for doing
business lying in his arm; meaning by it not long life, as Kimchi, who
concludes this sense from what follows; but rather power and authority, or the
exercise of the office of high priest, which gave him and his family great
esteem and power; or it may be best of all, his children, which are the
strength of a man, and the support of his family, see Genesis 49:3
that there shall not be an old man in thine house; as there were
none when he died, and his two sons, the same day; and the children they left
were very young, and Ahitub, who was one of them, could not die an old man,
since Ahimelech his son was priest in the time of Saul, who with eighty five
priests were slain by his order; and Abiathar his son was deprived of his
priesthood in the time of Solomon; though some understand this not of an elder
in years, but in office; and that the sense is, that there should be none of
his family a senator, or a member of the great sanhedrim, or court of
judicature; and so it is interpreted in the TalmudF8T. Bab.
Sanhedrin, fol. 14. 1. ; with which agree Ben Gersom and Abarbinel.
1 Samuel 2:32 32 And you will see an enemy in
My dwelling place, despite all the good which God does for Israel.
And there shall not be an old man in your house forever.
YLT
32and thou hast beheld an
adversary [in My] habitation, in all that He doth good with Israel, and there
is not an old man in thy house all the days.
And thou shalt see an
enemy in my habitation,.... Either the Philistines in the land of Israel, where God
chose to dwell, who quickly after made war against Israel, and pitched in
Aphek, 1 Samuel 4:1 or, as
in the margin of our Bibles, and other versionsF9צר
מעון θλιψιν
κατοικησεως Symmachus; "angustiam tabernaculi", Junius
& Tremellius. Piscator. , "thou shalt see the affliction of the tabernacle";
as he did when the ark of God was taken, at the news of which he died, 1 Samuel 4:17 and
so the Targum understands it of affliction and calamity, yet not of the house
of God, but of his own house; paraphrasing the words thus,"and thou shall
see the calamity that shall come upon the men of thine house, for the sins
which they have committed before me in the house of my sanctuary:'but it seems
best to interpret it of a rival, which not he in his own person should see, but
whom his posterity should see high priest in the temple; as they did in
Solomon's time, when Abiathar, of the family of Eli, was thrust out, and Zadok,
of the family of Eleazar, was put in; for, as Kimchi observes, when a man has
two wives, they are rivals or adversaries to one another, jealous and emulous
of each other, as Elkanah's two wives were, and of one of them the same word is
used as here, 1 Samuel 1:6 so
when one high priest was put out, and another taken in, the one was the rival
or adversary of the other, as in the case referred to:
in all the wealth which God shall give Israel; which points
exactly at the time when this should be, even men God did well to Israel, gave
them great prosperity, wealth and riches, quietness and safety, a famous temple
built for the worship of God, and everything in a flourishing condition, both
with respect to temporals and spirituals, as was in the days of Solomon, see 1 Kings 4:20 and
then it was amidst all that plenty and prosperity, and when the high priesthood
was most honourable and profitable, that Eli's family was turned out of it, and
another put into it:
and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever; See Gill on 1 Samuel 2:31 this
is repeated for confirmation, and with this addition, that this would be the
case for ever.
1 Samuel 2:33 33 But any of your men whom
I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart.
And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age.
YLT
33`And the man I cut not off
of thine from Mine altar, [is] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy soul;
and all the increase of thy house do die men;
And the man of thine,..... Of his
family, which should spring from him: whom I shall not cut off from mine altar:
from serving there: who though he shall not be an high priest, but a common
priest, as all the descendants of Aaron were:
shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart; that is, the
eyes and heart of his posterity; who though they should see of their family
ministering in the priest's office, yet should make so poor a figure on account
of their outward meanness and poverty, or because of their want of wisdom, and
intellectual endowments, or because of their scandalous lives, that it would
fill their hearts with grief and sorrow, and their eyes with tears, so that
their eyes would fail, and be consumed, and their hearts be broken:
and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of
their age; or "die men"F11ימותו
אנשים "morientur viri", Montanus, Tigurine
version; "morientur virile aetate", Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator; so V. L. ; grown men, not children, when it would not be so great an
affliction to part with them; but when at man's estate, in the prime of their
days, perhaps about thirty years of age, the time when the priests entered upon
their office to do all the work of it; the Targum is,"shall be killed
young men:'it is more than once said in the TalmudF12T. Bab.
Roshhashanah, fol. 18. 1. & Yebamot, fol. 105. 1. , that there was a family
in Jerusalem, the men of which died at eighteen years of age; they came and
informed Juchanan ben Zaccai of it; he said to them, perhaps of the family of
Eli are ye, as it is said, 1 Samuel 2:33.
1 Samuel 2:34 34 Now this shall be a
sign to you that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one
day they shall die, both of them.
YLT
34and this [is] to thee the
sign that cometh unto thy two sons, unto Hophni and Phinehas -- in one day they
die both of them;
This shall be a sign unto
thee,.... A confirming one, that all which had been now said would be
fulfilled:
that shall come upon thy two sons, Hophni and Phinehas; which Eli
would live to see fulfilled on them; and when it was, he might be assured the
rest would be most certainly accomplished, and it was this:
in one day they shall die both of them; as they did
in battle with the Philistines, 1 Samuel 4:11.
1 Samuel 2:35 35 Then I will raise up for
Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My
heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before
My anointed forever.
YLT
35and I have raised up for Me
a stedfast priest; as in My heart and in My soul he doth do; and I have built
for him a stedfast house, and he hath walked up and down before Mine anointed
all the days;
And I will raise up a
faithful priest,.... Not Samuel, as some, for he was not of the seed of Aaron,
and of the priestly race; nor had he a sure house, for his sons declined from
the ways of truth and justice; but Zadok, as it is commonly interpreted, who
was put into the office of the high priest by Solomon when he came to the
throne, in the room of Abiathar, of the line of Eli; who was an upright man,
and faithfully discharged his office, and answered to his name, which signifies
righteous, see Ezekiel 44:15 that
shall do according to that which is in my heart, and in my mind: according to
the secret will and pleasure of God, as revealed in his word; do everything
relating to the office of an high priest, according to the laws of God
respecting it; so the Targum,"that shall do according to my word, and
according to my will:"
and I will build him a sure house; which some understand of
a numerous family and posterity he should have to succeed him, so that there
should never be wanting one of his seed to fill up that high office; or rather
it may design the establishment of the high priesthood in his family, which was
an everlasting one, as promised to Phinehas his ancestor, and which continued
unto the times of the Messiah, who put an end to it, by fulfilling it; unless
it can be thought that this may refer to the temple built by Solomon, which was
a firm house, in comparison of the tabernacle, which was a movable one; it was
built for Zadok and his posterity, who was the first that officiated in it as a
legal priest. There is one writer, who saysF13Procopius Gazaeus in
loc. ,"this agrees with no man, only with our Lord Jesus, who is called
our high priest, that offered up a sacrifice to the Father for us therefore to
Christ properly this prophecy belongs; but, according to the history; to
Zadok:'and Christ is said indeed to be a faithful, as well as a merciful high
priest, faithful to him that appointed him, and faithful to those for whom he
officiated; he always did the things which pleased his Father, was obedient to
his will and commands in all respects; and a sure house is built by him, his
church, against which the gates of hell can never prevail: however, the next
clause is by others interpreted of him:
and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever; or
"before my Messiah", as the high priests did; they were types of
Christ, and represented him, and acted under him, and in his stead, and
prefigured and pointed at what he was to do, when he came in the flesh, and now
does in the most holy place in heaven. Though it is more commonly understood of
Zadok and his posterity, walking or ministering, as the Targum, before Solomon
the Lord's anointed, and before the kings of the house of David, as they did
until the Babylonish captivity.
1 Samuel 2:36 36 And it shall come to pass
that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him
for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and say, “Please, put me in one of
the priestly positions, that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”
YLT
36and it hath been, every one
who is left in thy house doth come in to bow himself to him, for a wage of
silver, and a cake of bread, and hath said, Admit me, I pray thee, unto one of
the priest's offices, to eat a morsel of bread.'
And it shall come to pass,
that everyone that is left in thine house,.... That is not cut off
by death, the few remains of Eli's posterity in succeeding times, after the
high priesthood was removed out of his family into another; so that they were
reduced at best to common priests, and these, as it should seem, degraded from
that office for their maladministration of it, or scandalous lives:
shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of
bread; which Grotius interprets of their coming to God, and bowing
themselves before him, and praying to him for the smallest piece of money to
cast into the treasury, and for a morsel of bread to be accepted as an
offering, instead of a bullock, sheep, lamb, or even a bird, which they were
not able to bring; but the meaning is, that such should be the low estate of
Eli's family, when another, even Zadok, was made high priest, that they should
come and humble themselves before him, as the Targum expresses it, beseeching
him to give them a piece of silver, even the smallest piece, that is, as the
word signifies, a "gerah" or "meah", about a penny or three
halfpence of our money, the twentieth part of a shekel, Ezekiel 45:12 and a
piece of bread, not a whole loaf, but a slice of it, to such extremity would
they be brought:
and shall say, put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests'
offices, that I may eat a piece of bread; or into one of the wards
of the priests; their custodies or courses, as the Targum; with which the
Jewish commentators generally agree, and of which there were twenty four; see 1 Chronicles 24:4,
and there are some traces of them in the New Testament, see Luke 1:5, but these
were regular priests, who were in those courses, and had a sufficient
maintenance for them, and had not barely a piece of bread to live on, or just
enough to keep them from starving, as the phrase denotes; wherefore this must
be understood, as before hinted, of priests degraded from their office, on some
account or another, and reduced to poverty and want; and therefore, that they
might be kept from starving, would solicit the high priest in those days, and
beg that he would put them in some inferior post under the priests, to do the
meanest offices for them, slay the sacrifices for them, wash their pots, open
and shut up doors, and the like, that so they might have a living, though a
poor one; and this may reasonably be thought to be the case of Eli's posterity,
in process of time, after Abiathar was deposed from the high priest's office,
and was ordered to go and live upon his fields and farm at Anathoth, 1 Kings 2:26 with
which compare Ezekiel 44:10.
This, as Ben Gersom observes, was a fit punishment, and a righteous retaliation
on Eli's posterity, that they should be brought to crouch to others, and be
glad of a morsel of bread, who had behaved so imperiously towards the Lord's
people, and had taken away their flesh from them by force; and, not content
with their allowance, took the best pieces of the sacrifices, to make
themselves fat with them.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)