1 Samuel 2:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel.

NIV: I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites.

NASB: Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before Me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel?

CSB: Out of all the tribes of Israel, I chose your house to be my priests, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your forefather’s family all the Israelite fire offerings.

NLT: I chose your ancestor Aaron from among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest as he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests.

KJV: And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?

NKJV: 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?

A man of God, an unnamed prophet, has come to the priest of the Lord's sanctuary, Eli, at Shiloh (1 Samuel 2:27). Through this man, the Lord has asked Eli to remember that his ancestors were freed from slavery by God's miraculous power. The use of questions, instead of statements, is meant as a challenge—almost daring Eli to deny this was the case. Eli was a direct descendant of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel and Moses' brother (Exodus 29:44).

Now God applies the same tactic while referring to Aaron, chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to be His priest. The Lord then mentions several of the duties of the priest. The priest is the one permitted to go up to the Lord's altar to offer the sacrifices (Leviticus 1:9). The priest burned incense before the Lord on a special altar (Exodus 30:7). The burning of the incense was meant, in part, to create a kind of cloud covering for the priest's protection (Leviticus 16:13). Finally, the Lord mentions that Aaron was chosen as the high priest to wear the official priestly ephod garment in His presence (Leviticus 8:7). This official ephod is described in Exodus 28:6–30 and is different from the more common priestly ephods, such as the one young Samuel wore (1 Samuel 2:18).

Finally, the Lord says to Eli that He gave to Eli's father, meaning Aaron and his descendants, all the offerings by fire from Israel's worshipers. By this, the Lord means that the priests were given a portion of the offerings for their own food, aside from those that were burned up completely (Leviticus 6:14–18; 7:1–38).

First Samuel 2:27–36 describes a meeting between Eli and an unnamed prophet of the Lord. The anonymous messenger confronts the old priest, as the Lord asks Eli why he has insulted the Lord's sacrifices and honored his own sons over God. For this sin, God will afflict Eli's descendants, causing all who come after him to die young. Eli's own two sons will die on the same day as a sign this is true. The Lord will raise up a faithful priest from another branch of the family line of priests.

After delivering Samuel to the Lord, Hannah offers a poetic prayer of praise. The sons of Eli the priest are evil, depraved men who abuse their power as priests. They coerce worshippers to give them additional meat. They sleep with women who serve at the sanctuary. In contrast, Samuel grows in favor with God and others as he grows up physically. Hannah and Elkanah continue to go to Shiloh yearly; they also have more children. Eli rebukes his sons, but they don't repent. The Lord tells Eli that all his descendants will die young and his two rebellious sons will die on the same day. The Lord will raise up a faithful priest to do His will.

The prior chapter explained how Hannah cried out to God for a son, and that her request was granted. First Samuel 2 begins with Hannah's praise to the Lord in response. Samuel remains in Shiloh where he ministers and matures. By contrast, Eli's sons are wicked and abuse their power as priests. A prophet reveals that God will cause all Eli's descendants to die young and his two sons to die on the same day. The Lord will raise up a faithful priest from another part of the family line. This provides background for Samuel's call from God in chapter 3.

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.