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12 The Sons of Eli.[a][b]Now Eli’s sons were sons of Belial, they had no regard for the Lord. 13 This is how the priests would deal with the people when anyone came to offer a sacrifice: the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14 He would stick it in the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot. Everything that he would bring up with the fork was for the priest. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came up to Shiloh.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 2:12 The lengthy episode about the prophet explains why, in the time of Solomon, the high priesthood was transferred from Abiathar, a descendant of Eli, to Zadok (1 Ki 2:27-35). It also justifies the removal of various local sanctuaries from Levite control after the centralization of worship in Jerusalem (2 Ki 23:9) toward the end of the seventh century.
  2. 1 Samuel 2:12 Under the law, Eli’s sons, who were priests, had many advantages. They were, however, filled with greed and took more than their due, thereby undermining their position. Eli’s failure to take action caused hardship for others and in the end destroyed his and his sons’ relationship with God.

Eli’s Wicked Sons

12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard(A) for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practice(B) of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat(C) was being boiled 14 and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.

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Eli's Worthless Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli were (A)worthless men. (B)They did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

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