1 Samuel 2:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the LORD spreading abroad.

NIV: No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the LORD's people is not good.

NASB: No, my sons; for the report is not good which I hear the Lord’S people circulating.

CSB: No, my sons, the news I hear the Lord's people spreading is not good.

NLT: You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the Lord’s people are not good.

KJV: Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD'S people to transgress.

NKJV: No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord’s people transgress.

Hophni and Phinehas are sons of the priest, Eli. Eli is interrogating them over abusing their positions as priests over Israel. They were meant to be mediators between God and His people, instead they practice evil (1 Samuel 2:23). They have not hidden their practice of taking extra portions of the sacrifices for their own meat (1 Samuel 2:12–17) or sleeping with women who serve outside the tent of meeting (1 Samuel 2:22).

In fact, Eli tells his sons that the report of their behavior is spreading far and wide. They have become infamous for corrupting worship at the sanctuary in Shiloh. Eli frames his words it bluntly: that he hears "no good" report at first seems to mean all he is being told about the sons is negative. That's possible, but in the immediate context, Eli is simply noting how this news is extremely bad; there is nothing redeemable about the situation. Eli understands what his sons clearly do not; they have never come to "know the Lord" in the sense of sincerely trusting in the God of Israel (2 Samuel 2:12). Eli knows that God holds the priests of Israel responsible for their service to Him. Why, or if, Eli did not sufficiently guide his sons prior to this rebuke is not clearly stated.

First Samuel 2:22–26 describes Eli's rebuke of his sons Hophni and Phinehas for their abuse of their power as priests over Israel. In addition to taking the best cuts of meat for themselves, the pair have been sleeping with the female servants at the sanctuary. The news of their corruption is spreading everywhere. Eli asks who will intercede for them when they sin directly against the Lord. Still, they refuse to repent because the Lord has already marked them for death. Samuel, meanwhile, continues to grow in favor with the Lord and with other people.

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.