Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial
Not that Eli their father was Belial, a wicked man; but though
they had so good a father, they were very wicked men,
unprofitable abandoned wretches, that cast off the yoke of the
law of God, and gave themselves up to all manner of wickedness:
they knew not the Lord;
not that they had no knowledge of God in theory, or were real
atheists, but they were so practically; they denied him in works,
they had no love to him, nor fear of him, and departed from his
ways and worship, as much as if they were entirely ignorant of
him; so the Targum,
``they did not know to fear before the Lord,''or serve him; or, as Kimchi,
``they did not know the way of the Lord,''that is, practically.