1 Samuel 2:24

24 No, my sons. The report I hear isn't good. And it's spreading among the LORD's people.

1 Samuel 2:24 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 2:24

Nay, my sons
This seems to be too soft and smooth an appellation, too kind and endearing, considering the offence they were guilty of, and were now reproving for; rather they deserved to be called sons of Belial, the children of the devil, than sons of Eli, or brutes and shameless wretches, and such like hard names:

for it is no good report that I hear;
a very bad one; far from being good, scarce anything worse could have been said of them; to rob persons of the flesh of their offerings, when there was a sufficient allowance made for them by law, and to be so impious as to require what was not their due, and even before the Lord had his; and to debauch the women that came to religious worship, and that in the sacred place of worship, they also being priests of the Lord, and married men; sins very shocking and sadly aggravated, and yet Eli treats them in this gentle manner:

ye make the Lord's people to transgress:
by causing them to forbear to bring their sacrifices, being used in such an injurious and overbearing way; and by decoying the women into uncleanness, and by setting examples to others: or, "to cry out"; as in the margin of our Bibles, to exclaim against them for their exorbitant and lewd practices; so the Targum,

``the people of the Lord murmur because so ill used by them:''

this clause may be read in connection with the former, "it is no good report that I hear, which ye cause to pass through the Lord's people"; ye occasion the people to speak ill of you everywhere, in the camp of Israel, throughout the whole nation; the report as it is bad, it is general, is in everyone's mouth; so Maimonides ^F21 interprets it; with which Jarchi and others agree ^F23.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 Moreh Nevochim, par. 1. c. 21.
F23 Vid. T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 55. 2. & praefat. Ben Chayim. ad Bib. Heb. Bomberg. & Buxtorf.

1 Samuel 2:24 In-Context

22 Eli was very old. He kept hearing about everything his sons were doing to all of the people of Israel. He also heard how they were having sex with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

23 So Eli said to his sons, "Why are you doing those things? All of the people are telling me about the evil things you are doing.

24 No, my sons. The report I hear isn't good. And it's spreading among the LORD's people.

25 If a man sins against someone else, God can help that sinner. But if a man sins against the Lord, who can help him?" In spite of what their father Eli said, his sons didn't pay any attention to his warning. That's because the LORD had already decided to put them to death.

26 The boy Samuel continued to grow stronger. He also became more and more pleasing to the LORD and to people.