1 Samuel 2:12

12 Forsooth the sons of Eli were the sons of Belial, and they knew not the Lord,

1 Samuel 2:12 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 2:12

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.

1 Samuel 2:12 In-Context

10 [The] Adversaries of the Lord shall dread him, and from (the) heavens he shall thunder upon them; the Lord shall deem the ends of [the] earth, and he shall give lordship to his king, and he shall enhance the horn, that is, (the) power, of his Christ. (The Lord's adversaries shall fear him, and he shall thunder upon them from heaven; the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth, and he shall give lordship to his king, yea, he shall enhance the horn, that is, the power, of his anointed king.)

11 And Elkanah went into Ramah, into his house; and the child was (a) servant in the sight of the Lord before the face of Eli the priest.

12 Forsooth the sons of Eli were the sons of Belial, and they knew not the Lord,

13 neither the office of (the) priests to the people; but whoever had offered sacrifice, the servant of the priest came, while the fleshes were in seething, and he had a fleshhook with three teeth in his hand;

14 and he sent it into the great vessel of stone, either into the cauldron, either into the pot, either into the pan; and whatever thing the fleshhook raised, the priest took that to himself; so they did to all Israel of men coming into Shiloh. (and he sent it into the great stone vessel, or the cauldron, or the pot, or the pan; and whatever thing the fleshhook raised up, or caught hold of, the priest took that for himself; and so they did to all Israel who came to Shiloh.)