1 Samuel 2:12-21

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 2:21

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.... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 2:12

The sons of Eli were sons of Belial - They were perverse, wicked, profligate men; devil's children. They knew not the Lord. "They know! nor would an angel show Him; They would not know, nor choose to know Him." These men were the principal cause of all the ungodliness of Israel. Their most execrable conduct, described 1 Samuel 2:13-17 , caused the people to abhor the Lord's offering. An impious priesthood is the grand cause of the transgressions and ruin of any nation;... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 2:13

When any man offered sacrifice - That is, when a peace-offering was brought, the right shoulder and the breast belonged to the priest, the fat was burnt upon the altar, and the blood was poured at the bottom of the altar; the rest of the flesh belonged to the offerer. Under pretense of taking only their own part, they took the best of all they chose, and as much as they chose. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 2:14

Kettle - caldron , or pot - We know not what these were, nor of what capacity; nor is it of any consequence. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 2:15

Before they burnt the fat - They would serve themselves before God was served! This was iniquity and arrogance of the first magnitude. He will not have sodden flesh - He chooses roast meat, not boiled; and if they had it in the pot before the servant came, he took it out that it might be roasted. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 2:17

Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great - That is, Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli. Men abhorred the offering - As the people saw that the priests had no piety, and that they acted as if there was no God; they despised God's service, and became infidels. A national priesthood, when the foundation is right, may be a great blessing; but if the priesthood becomes corrupt, though the foundation itself stand sure, the corruption of the national manners... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 2:18

Girded with a linen ephod - This the Targum translates דבוץ כרדוט אסיר asir cardut debuts , "Girded with a cardit of byssus, or fine linen." The word cardut they seem to have borrowed from the Greek χειριδωτος , a tunic, having χειριδας , i.e., sleeves that came down to, or covered, the hands. This was esteemed an effeminate garment among the Romans. See Buxtorf's Talmudic Lexicon. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 2:19

Made him a little coat - קטן מעיל meil katon , a little cloak, or surtout, an upper garment: probably intended to keep him from the cold, and to save his other clothes from being abused in his meaner services. It is probable that she furnished him with a new one each year, when she came up to one of the annual sacrifices. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 2:20

Eli blessed Elkanah - The natural place of this verse seems to be before the 11th; after which the 21st should come in; after the 21st, perhaps the 26th should come in. The subjects in this chapter seem very much entangled and confused by the wrong position of the verses. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 2:11-19

Degenerate sons. The facts given are— 1 . Eli's sons manifest their extreme wickedness by profaning the worship of God. 2 . As a consequence, a grievous scandal is caused, and Divine worship comes into disrepute. 3 . In spite of many evil surroundings, Samuel grows up in the blameless discharge of religious duties. 4 . Hannah continues to visit and take a deep interest in her son's spiritual life. The sorrowful experience of Eli in old age is sometimes repeated in modern... read more

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