1 Samuel 2 14

1 Samuel 2:14 kjv

And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.

1 Samuel 2:14 nkjv

Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

1 Samuel 2:14 niv

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.

1 Samuel 2:14 esv

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.

1 Samuel 2:14 nlt

the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli's sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way.

1 Samuel 2 verses

1 Samuel 2 14 Meaning

1 Samuel 2:14 describes the deeply disrespectful and unlawful practices of Hophni and Phinehas, Eli's sons, concerning the meat offered in sacrifices to the Lord. Instead of adhering to the prescribed priestly portions after the fat was burned to God, they would aggressively plunge a three-pronged fork into the cooking pot and claim for themselves whatever piece of meat it brought up. This practice was a gross perversion of the sacrificial system and a direct affront to God, as it demonstrated their greed and contempt for the Lord's offerings, affecting all who came to worship at Shiloh.

1 Samuel 2 14 Context

1 Samuel 2:14 appears within a stark contrast presented in the chapter. Verses 1-10 present Hannah's prayer, a model of righteous worship and prophetic insight. Verses 11 details Samuel's early, faithful ministry. Directly following this, verses 12-17 brutally expose the profound corruption of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who were priests. Verse 14 is a concrete illustration of their contemptible actions that show a systematic disregard for the sacred protocols of the Lord's sacrifices, introduced by verse 13.

Historically, the events occurred at Shiloh, which served as the central place of worship for Israel, housing the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant, before its eventual capture by the Philistines. The Mosaic Law (e.g., Leviticus, Deuteronomy) contained explicit instructions for sacrifices and the rightful portions due to the priests. Eli's sons not only violated the timing (taking before the fat was offered) but also the method and scope of their appropriation. They forcibly took an indiscriminate portion of the meat meant for peace offerings, rather than waiting for their specified share. Their actions deeply dishonored God, profaned the sacred acts of worship, and ultimately alienated the people from their reverence for the Lord's offerings, leading to severe divine judgment upon Eli's house.

1 Samuel 2 14 Word analysis

• and he would thrust it: The Hebrew verb is shalash (שָׁלַשׁ), meaning "to put the third part, divide into three, act violently." While here translated "thrust," it carries a stronger implication of forceful, often contemptuous, action. It suggests they were not respectfully receiving their portion but rather rudely and aggressively plunging into the offerings, demonstrating their brazen disregard for sanctity.
• into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot: The verse lists a variety of Hebrew terms for cooking vessels: sīr (סִיר), dūḏ (דּוּד), qallaḥaṯ (קַלַּחַת), and pārūr (פָּרוּר). This comprehensive list emphasizes the indiscriminate nature of their greed; they were willing to take from any and every vessel, regardless of its type or the sacrifice being prepared in it. It paints a picture of systemic abuse across all offerings.
• all that the fork brought up: The "fork" is mazlēg (מַזְלֵג), likely a three-pronged fork, an implement for extracting meat from boiling pots. This phrase signifies that they were not taking a prescribed portion, but whatever the fork retrieved. There was no discernment, no limit, and no adherence to divine instruction – just simple, raw appetite. This demonstrated a total lack of respect for the sacrificial guidelines.
• the priest would take for himself: This highlights their motive. It was for personal enrichment and satisfaction of their desires, rather than partaking in God's provision for His ministers. Priests were permitted to eat of certain sacrifices (Lev 6, 7, Num 18), but their portions were clearly defined and received after the offering to the Lord was complete. This phrase underscores their selfish appropriation and breach of sacred trust.
• So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there: This group of words clarifies that their illicit activity was not a one-off error but a pervasive, systemic corruption. It occurred consistently at Shiloh, the nation's spiritual hub, and impacted all worshipers. This routine abuse had the corrosive effect of devaluing the Lord's offerings in the eyes of the people, fundamentally undermining the faith of the worshipping community.

1 Samuel 2 14 Bonus section

The meat Hophni and Phinehas were seizing was primarily from the peace offerings. In these offerings, the offerer received a portion, the priest received a portion (the breast and the right thigh), and the fat was burned entirely to the Lord. By indiscriminately taking all that the fork brought up before the fat was offered, they bypassed their rightful portion and took what belonged to God or the offerer. This also suggests that they cared little about whose offering it was, just that they got what they wanted. Their actions created a spiritual obstacle, causing the people to despise the offering of the Lord themselves because the integrity of worship had been so severely compromised by the very individuals designated to facilitate it.

1 Samuel 2 14 Commentary

1 Samuel 2:14 serves as a poignant indictment of Eli's sons' utter contempt for God and His holy ordinances. This verse details their flagrant violation of Mosaic Law, specifically the regulations governing priestly sustenance from sacrifices. Rather than waiting for their legitimately assigned portion, Hophni and Phinehas used force to seize the meat indiscriminately before the fat, God's designated portion, was burned. Their method was not just an infraction; it was a profound act of disrespect, reducing sacred offerings to mere food for their unholy appetites. This behavior turned the solemn act of communion with God into an opportunity for personal gratification, demonstrating their "worthless" character and profoundly despising the Lord's offerings (v. 17). Such conduct, emanating from the very center of Israelite worship, polluted the people's understanding of God, spiritual leadership, and sacrifice, leading inevitably to divine judgment and foreshadowing a broader decline in Israel's spiritual life. It illustrates the destructive power of spiritual corruption that puts self-interest before God's honor.