1 Samuel 2:32

32 Then in distress you will look with greedy eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed upon Israel; and no one in your family shall ever live to old age.

1 Samuel 2:32 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 2:32

And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation
Either the Philistines in the land of Israel, where God chose to dwell, who quickly after made war against Israel, and pitched in Aphek, ( 1 Samuel 4:1 ) or, as in the margin of our Bibles, and other versions F9, "thou shalt see the affliction of the tabernacle"; as he did when the ark of God was taken, at the news of which he died, ( 1 Samuel 4:17 1 Samuel 4:18 ) and so the Targum understands it of affliction and calamity, yet not of the house of God, but of his own house; paraphrasing the words thus,

``and thou shall see the calamity that shall come upon the men of thine house, for the sins which they have committed before me in the house of my sanctuary:''

but it seems best to interpret it of a rival, which not he in his own person should see, but whom his posterity should see high priest in the temple; as they did in Solomon's time, when Abiathar, of the family of Eli, was thrust out, and Zadok, of the family of Eleazar, was put in; for, as Kimchi observes, when a man has two wives, they are rivals or adversaries to one another, jealous and emulous of each other, as Elkanah's two wives were, and of one of them the same word is used as here, ( 1 Samuel 1:6 ) so when one high priest was put out, and another taken in, the one was the rival or adversary of the other, as in the case referred to:

in all the wealth which God shall give Israel;
which points exactly at the time when this should be, even men God did well to Israel, gave them great prosperity, wealth and riches, quietness and safety, a famous temple built for the worship of God, and everything in a flourishing condition, both with respect to temporals and spirituals, as was in the days of Solomon, see ( 1 Kings 4:20 1 Kings 4:25 ) ( 10:27 ) and then it was amidst all that plenty and prosperity, and when the high priesthood was most honourable and profitable, that Eli's family was turned out of it, and another put into it:

and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever;
(See Gill on 1 Samuel 2:31) this is repeated for confirmation, and with this addition, that this would be the case for ever.


FOOTNOTES:

F9 (Nwem ru) (yliqin katoikhsewv) Symmachus; "angustiam tabernaculi", Junius & Tremellius. Piscator.

1 Samuel 2:32 In-Context

30 Therefore the Lord the God of Israel declares: "I promised that your family and the family of your ancestor should go in and out before me forever'; but now the Lord declares: "Far be it from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be treated with contempt.
31 See, a time is coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestor's family, so that no one in your family will live to old age.
32 Then in distress you will look with greedy eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed upon Israel; and no one in your family shall ever live to old age.
33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep out his eyes and grieve his heart; all the members of your household shall die by the sword.
34 The fate of your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you—both of them shall die on the same day.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Q Ms Gk: MT [will kick]
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.