1 Samuel 2:29 kjv
Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
1 Samuel 2:29 nkjv
Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?'
1 Samuel 2:29 niv
Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?'
1 Samuel 2:29 esv
Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?'
1 Samuel 2:29 nlt
So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me ? for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!
1 Samuel 2 29 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Num 15:30-31 | "But the person who does anything defiantly, whether native or foreigner, reviles the Lord... shall be cut off." | Scorning God's commands leads to severe consequences. |
| Deut 17:12 | "The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest or the judge... shall die." | Contempt for divine authority through appointed offices. |
| Prov 1:7 | "Fools despise wisdom and instruction." | Eli's folly in neglecting his duty to God and his sons. |
| Mal 1:6-7 | "A son honors his father... If I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name!" | God's complaint against priests despising His name through polluted offerings. |
| Mal 2:8 | "But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction." | Priests leading people astray due to their own corruption. |
| Isa 56:11 | "The shepherds have no understanding; all have turned to their own way, each to his own gain." | Leaders consumed by greed and self-interest, echoing "fattening yourselves." |
| Ezek 34:2 | "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the sheep?" | Condemnation of spiritual leaders who prioritize personal gain over their flock's welfare. |
| Hos 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest." | Divine judgment for priests rejecting God's standards and knowledge. |
| Jer 6:13 | "For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain..." | Widespread corruption among religious and societal leaders. |
| Lev 3:16-17 | "All fat is the Lord's... an everlasting statute throughout your generations." | The "choicest parts" (fat) were strictly God's, a direct violation by Eli's sons. |
| Lev 7:23-25 | "You shall eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat." | Prohibitions against consuming the fat designated for the Lord, further highlighting the sons' sin. |
| 1 Sam 2:12-17 | "Now the sons of Eli were worthless men... they did not know the Lord... and ate of it for themselves." | The direct actions of Eli's sons that prompt God's accusation in 1 Sam 2:29. |
| 1 Sam 3:13 | "For I told him that I would punish his house forever for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them." | God's specific charge against Eli: knowing his sons' sin and failing to act. |
| Prov 29:15 | "The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother." | Emphasizes the importance of parental discipline and the consequences of its absence. |
| Heb 12:7-8 | "God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?" | Highlights God's nature as a disciplining Father, contrasting with Eli's lack of discipline. |
| Exod 20:3 | "You shall have no other gods before me." | Eli's implicit idolatry by honoring his sons above God. |
| Matt 10:37 | "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." | Jesus' teaching on prioritizing God supremely over all human relationships, including family. |
| Luke 14:26 | "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother... he cannot be my disciple." | Radical commitment to Christ superseding even primary family ties. |
| Titus 1:7-8 | "For an overseer... must be above reproach, not greedy for dishonest gain." | Qualities of righteous leadership, sharply contrasting Eli and his sons. |
| 1 Tim 3:4-5 | "He must manage his own household well... If someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?" | Essential quality of a spiritual leader: competence in family leadership reflecting broader capacity for God's people. |
| Rom 12:1-2 | "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." | Contrast to the corrupt material offerings, true worship is presenting oneself to God. |
| Php 3:19 | "Their end is destruction, their god is their stomach, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things." | Echoes the "fattening yourselves" and the destructive outcome of self-indulgence. |
1 Samuel 2 verses
1 Samuel 2 29 Meaning
This verse conveys God's direct accusation to Eli, the high priest. It denounces him for allowing his sons to profane the holy offerings and disregard God's prescribed worship at the Tabernacle. God confronts Eli for demonstrating greater honor and preference for his disobedient sons over Him, effectively sanctioning their sacrilege and selfish gain from the most sacred portions of the offerings meant for the Lord and the people of Israel.
1 Samuel 2 29 Context
This verse is part of a severe prophetic oracle delivered by an unnamed "man of God" to Eli. The broader chapter (1 Samuel 2) introduces Hannah's praise-filled prayer after Samuel's birth, sharply contrasting with the wicked behavior of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who were priests. Verses 12-17 describe their blatant sin: seizing meat before it was offered to God (violating sacred protocol and claiming portions not rightfully theirs), engaging in sexual immorality with women serving at the Tabernacle, and generally showing contempt for the Lord's offerings. Eli, as the High Priest and father, knew about their conduct but merely rebuked them mildly (vv. 22-25) and failed to take decisive action to curb their sacrilege or remove them from office. God's message through the man of God directly addresses this systemic corruption within the priesthood at Shiloh, which undermines the very foundation of Israelite worship and covenant relationship with God. The historical context reveals Shiloh as the central worship site before the establishment of the monarchy, making the priesthood's corruption particularly grave as it directly affected Israel's spiritual well-being.
1 Samuel 2 29 Word analysis
- "Why then" (וְלָמָּה - v'lamah): An interrogative, but here acts as a strong rhetorical question implying condemnation and astonishment at the offense. It challenges the rationale behind Eli's behavior.
- "do you scorn" (תִּבְעֲטוּ - tiv'atu): From the root בָּעַט (ba'at), meaning "to kick, trample, spurn." This is a forceful and graphic term, not merely a lack of respect but an active, disdainful, and violent rejection of God's holy provisions. It implies contempt and defiance.
- "my sacrifice" (בִּזְבִי - biz'vi): Refers to the offerings, specifically the animal sacrifices. It emphasizes God's ownership: "my" sacrifice.
- "and my offering" (וּבְמִנְחָתִי - uv'minchati): General term for offerings, including grain offerings or tribute, also specified as God's own. Together, "sacrifice and offering" encompass the full range of required worship acts.
- "that I commanded" (צִוִּיתִי - tziviti): Highlights divine institution. These acts of worship are not optional or man-made; they are explicitly ordered by God, making their desecration a direct act of disobedience to God Himself.
- "for my dwelling" (לְמָעוֹן - l'ma'on): Refers to the Tabernacle at Shiloh, the sacred place where God had chosen to dwell among His people. Its holiness underscores the severity of the sin committed within its precincts.
- "and honor your sons" (וַתְּכַבֵּד בָּנֶיךָ - vatt'kabbêd bānêkā): From כָּבַד (kavad), "to be heavy, glorious, honored." Eli, through his inaction and permissiveness, effectively ascribed more "weight" or importance to his sons and their desires than to God's holiness and commands. He allowed their status to trump God's glory.
- "more than me" (מִמֶּנִּי - mimmenni): A direct comparison and devastating accusation. This implies an inversion of proper hierarchy; God, the supreme authority, is demoted in favor of corrupt human agents. This is an implicit form of idolatry.
- "by fattening yourselves" (לְהַבְרִיאֲכֶם - l'havri'akhchem): The Hiphil causative form of בָּרָא (bara), meaning "to be fat" or "to make fat." Here, it points to gaining weight from illicit feasting. It indicates indulgence, greed, and selfish acquisition of wealth and pleasure from sacred things, at the expense of proper reverence for God. This applies not just to the sons but implicates Eli himself by association and complicity.
- "with the choicest parts" (מֵרֵאשִׁית - mere'shit): From רֵאשִׁית (re'shit), meaning "first, beginning, best." In the context of offerings, reshit or the "best parts" were sacred to the Lord, especially the fat of the animals (Lev 3:16-17). Taking these for personal consumption before they were offered to God was an ultimate sacrilege.
- "of every offering of my people Israel" (כָּל־מִנְחַת יִשְׂרָאֵל עַמִּי - kol-minchat Yisra'el 'ammi): Emphasizes the widespread impact of their sin. They were corrupting all offerings from all the people, demonstrating a systemic abuse of their priestly authority and profaning the entire worship system of Israel. It also highlights the relational aspect: "my people Israel."
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Why then do you scorn my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling": This phrase directly accuses Eli of desecrating God's appointed worship and holy place. The verb "scorn" implies a deep, active contempt. By allowing his sons' actions, Eli became complicit in despising the very institutions God established for communion and atonement.
- "and honor your sons more than me": This highlights the core issue of misplaced loyalty and priority. Eli's parental affection and fear of confrontation superseded his duty to God. This prioritization of family welfare/comfort over divine mandate is a profound spiritual failing, constituting an affront to God's supreme authority.
- "by fattening yourselves with the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel": This details the tangible sin. The illicit consumption of the sacred portions intended for God, coupled with the imagery of "fattening," portrays gluttony and materialism that defile both the priests and the sanctity of worship. It speaks to abuse of power for selfish gain and reflects contempt for God's holiness and His people's sincere acts of devotion.
1 Samuel 2 29 Bonus section
The concept of "fattening yourselves" (lehavri'akhchem) implicitly draws a stark contrast to the priestly portions regulated by the Law, which were for sustenance and a holy living, not for excessive indulgence or illicit gain (e.g., Deut 18:3-5). Eli's family took the best parts and likely before the fat (which belonged to God) was burned, an ultimate act of dishonor (1 Sam 2:16-17). This speaks to a systemic problem of covetousness invading sacred service, leading to ritual corruption and the perversion of God's prescribed means of worship and atonement for the people. It's a classic example of external religious performance being empty and detestable when the heart is far from God and motivated by personal gain rather than reverent obedience. The prophetic criticism found here resonates with later prophets who denounced similar abuses by Israel's religious leaders, underscoring the enduring danger of allowing personal ambition and lack of discipline to contaminate sacred duties.
1 Samuel 2 29 Commentary
1 Samuel 2:29 reveals God's profound disappointment and anger with Eli, a high priest charged with upholding His sacred laws. The essence of Eli's sin is not merely negligence, but a culpable inaction that effectively sanctioned the egregious sacrilege of his sons. God indicts Eli on two major fronts: despising His "sacrifice and offering," which were the very heart of Israel's covenant relationship, and honoring his sons more than God. This "scorn" was evident in Eli's failure to discipline Hophni and Phinehas, who seized prime cuts of meat meant for the altar and engaged in blatant moral depravity at the Tabernacle entrance. The imagery of "fattening yourselves with the choicest parts" vividly depicts the self-serving greed and gluttony that profaned what was holy and consumed what was reserved for God. Eli, by allowing this, effectively communicated that human appetite and family indulgence were of greater "weight" or "honor" than God's expressed will. This indictment carries strong implications for spiritual leadership: it underscores that authority granted by God demands unyielding commitment to His standards, active management against sin within one's sphere of influence, and an absolute prioritization of God's glory above personal or familial comfort. Failure to do so leads to divine judgment, as Eli's house would soon learn.