See the marginal references. The sin of the sons of Eli could not be purged by the appointed sacrifices of the Law. In blessed contrast with this declaration is the assurance of the New Testament 1 John 1:7; Acts 13:39. read more
1 Samuel 3:13. For the iniquity which he knoweth Here we see the crime of Eli, and cause of all the awful judgments executed on his house. He knew the wickedness of his sons: the man of God told him of it: he heard of it from all the people, 1 Samuel 2:23. And he knew he ought to punish it, and that he was guilty of great iniquity in not doing so. Because his sons made themselves vile Hebrews מקללים להם mekallelim lahem, literally, rendered themselves execrable, or accursed. And he... read more
1 Samuel 3:14. I have sworn Or, I do swear; the past tense being commonly put for the present in the Hebrew tongue. Unto the house of Eli Or, concerning it. Shall not be purged That is, the punishment threatened against Eli and his family shall not be prevented by all their sacrifices, but shall infallibly be executed. read more
Judgment on the family of Eli (2:12-3:18)Eli the priest had become the judge, or chief administrator, in Israel. He sat at the door of the house of God where people could freely meet him to seek his advice or ask for directions in disputes (see 1:9; 4:18). His sons, it seems, carried out the routine work in connection with the sacrifices and ceremonies.According to the Levitical law, the portion of the sacrifice that was for God had to be burnt on the altar first, after which the priest and the... read more
iniquity . Hebrew ` avah. made themselves vile . This is one of the eighteen emendations of the Sopherim, on their own confession. See App-33 . By omitting one letter they changed this, from a mistaken sense of reverence. The primitive text, preserved in the Septuagint, stood, "his sons cursed God". read more
1 Samuel 3:13. Because his sons made themselves vile, &c.— Here we read the crime of Eli, and the sad cause of all his misfortunes. He knew the wickedness of his sons, and, content with chiding them gently, he had not resolution enough to chastise them with severity. The Hebrew is very expressive: it says, that the sons of Eli rendered themselves execrable, or accursed; or, according to Houbigant, that they caused the name of God to be blasphemed. Their intolerable conduct cried aloud for... read more
1. Samuel’s call 3:1-18The Hebrew word used to describe Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:1 (naar) elsewhere refers to a young teenager (cf. 1 Samuel 17:33). Consequently we should probably think of Samuel as a boy in his early teens as we read this section. Josephus wrote that Samuel was 12 years old. [Note: Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 5:10:4.] At this time in Israel’s history (i.e., the late Judges Period), special revelations from God were rare. These normally came to prophets in visions... read more
The Call of Samuel1. Precious] RM, ’rare’: see Isaiah 13:12. There was no prophet then. Open] rather, ’published, widely announced’: cp. 2 Chronicles 31:5.3. Ere the lamp of God went out] The lamp (’the seven-branched candlestick’) burned all night in the sanctuary, so that the time was early morning: cp. Exodus 27:21. Samuel seems to have been sleeping in some chamber near the ark. Cp. RV, ’was laid down to sleep, in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.’ On the ark see Intro. § 5.... read more
(13) Because his sons made themselves vile.—The enormity of the sin of Eli and his house, which was to be so fearfully punished, must be measured by the extent of the mischief it worked; well-nigh all Israel were involved in it. The fatal example the priests had set at Shiloh filtrated through the entire people; the result was, that unbelief in the Eternal was becoming general throughout the land. The old pure religion was rapidly dying out of the hearts of the men, and the profligacy and... read more
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Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 3:13
Made themselves vile - Rather, “have cursed themselves,” i. e. brought curses upon themselves.He restrained them not - In the sense of punishing. He did not remove them from their office, which he ought to have done. read more