OF

CHAPTER I.

Some account of Elkanah and his two wives, Peninnah and Hannah, 1, 2. His annual worship at Shiloh, and the portions he gave at such times to his wives, 3---5. Hannah being barren is reproached by Peninnah; especially in their going up to Shiloh, at which she is sorely grieved, 6, 7. Elkanah comforts her, 8. Her prayer and vow in the temple, that if God would give her a son, she would consecrate him to his service, 9-11 Eli, the high priest, indistinctly hearing her pray, charges her with being drunk, 12-14. Her defence of her conduct, 15, 16. Eli, un deceived, blesses her; on which she takes courage, 17, 18. Hannah and Elkanah return home; she conceives, bears a son, and calls him Samuel, 19, 20. Elkanah and his family go again to Shiloh to worship; but Hannah stays at home to nurse her child, purposing, as soon as he is weaned, to go and offer him to the Lord, according to her vow, 21-23 When weaned, she takes him to Shiloh, presents her child to Eli to be consecrated to the Lord, and offers three bullocks, an ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, for his consecration, 24-23.

2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship, and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

a 1 Chron. 6. 27, 34-b Ruth 1. 2-c Exod. 23. 14. Deut. 16. 16. Luke 2. 41. d Heb. from year to year-e Deut. 12 5, 6, 7.-f Joshua 18. 1-g Deut. 12. 17, 18 & 16. 11-h Or, a double portion.-i Genesis 30. 2-k Heb. angered her. 1 Job 24. 21.

NOTES ON CHAPTER I.

Verse 1. Ramathaim-zophim] Literally, the two high places of the watchmen: these were, no doubt, two contiguous hills, on which watchtowers were built, and in which watchmen kept continual guard for the safety of the country; and which afterward gave name to the place.

Verse 2. He had two wives] The custom of those times permitted polygamy; but, wherever there was more than one wife, we find the peace of the family was greatly disturbed by it.

The name of the one was Hannah] Channah, which signifies fired, or settled; and the other Peninnah, Peninnah, which signifies a jewel, or pearl. Verse 3. Went up out of his city yearly to worship] As the ark was at Shiloh, there was the temple of God, and thither all the males were bound by the law to go once a year on each of the great national festivals; viz. the passover, pentecost, and the feast of tabernacles. The LORD of hosts] Yehovah tsebaoth, Jehovah of armies. As all the heavenly bodies were called the hosts of heaven, Down NY tsaba hashshamayim, Jehovah being called Lord of this host, showed that he was their Maker and Governor; and consequently he, not they, was the proper object of religious worship. The sun, moon, planets, and stars, were the highest objects of religious worship to the heathens in general. The Jewish religion, teaching the knowledge of a being who was the Lord of all these, showed at once its superiority to all that heathenism could boast. This is the first place where Lord of hosts is mentioned in the Bible; and this is so much in the style of the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, &c. that it gives some weight to the supposition that this book was written by a person who lived in or after the times of these prophets. See the preface.

Verse 4. He gave-portions] The sacrifices which were made were probably peace-offerings, of which the blood was poured out at the foot of the altar; the fat was burnt on the fire; the breast and right shoulder were the portion of the priest, and the rest belonged to him who made the offering; on it he and his family feasted, each receiving

4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.

6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.

7 And as he did so year by year," when "she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat, 8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou; and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of P the temple of the LORD.

10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and

m Or, from the time that she, &c-n Heb. from her going up.-o Ruth 4. 15. p Ch. 3. 3.-r Job 7. 11. & 10. 1-8 Heb. bitter of soul. 2 Sam 17. 8.- Gen. 28. 20. Numb. 30. 6. Judg. 11. 30.-u Gen. 29. 32. Exod. 4. 31. 2 Sam. 16. 12. Psa. 25. 18. v Gen. 8. 1. & 30, 22.

his portion and to these feasts God commands them to invite the Levite, the poor, the widow, and the orphan, Deut. xvi. 11.

Verse 5. Unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion] The Hebrew here is very obscure, DN nyitlen manah achath appayim; he gave her one portion of two faces: which the Syriac renders, he gave her one DOUBLE PART; and the Chaldee, he gave her one CHOSEN part; the Arabic, is nearly the same; the Vulgate, Annæ autem dedit unam partem tristis, but to Anna, he being sorrowful, gave one part. As the show-bread that was presented to the Lord was called y lechem panim, the bread of faces, because it was placed before the face or appearances of the Lord; probably this was called manah apayim, because it was the portion that belonged to, or was placed before, the person who had offered the sacrifice. On this ground it might be said that Elkanah gave Hannah his own portion, or a part of that which was placed before himself. Whatever it was, it was intended as a proof of his especial love to her; for, it is added, he loved Hannah.

Verse 6. And her adversary] i. e. Peninnah.

Provoked her sore] Was constantly striving to irritate and vex her; to make her fret, to make her discontented with her lot, because the Lord had denied her children.

Verse 7. And as he did so year by year] As the whole family went up to Shiloh to the annual festivals, Peninnah had both sons and daughters to accompany her, ver. 4. but Hannah had none; and Peninnah took this opportunity particularly to twit Hannah with her barrenness, by making an ostentatious exhibition of her children.

Therefore she wept] She was greatly distressed, because it was a great reproach to a woman among the Jews to be barren; because, say some, every one hoped that the Messiah should spring from her line.

Verse 8. Am not I better to thee than ten sons] TEN, a certain for an uncertain number. Is not my especial affection to thee better than all the comfort thou couldst gain, even from a numerous family?

Verse 9. Eli-sat upon a seat] Noon by al hakissa,

not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto | thine handmaid wa man-child, then will I give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. 12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.

13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.

15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

с

b

16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my ⚫ complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. 17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

18 And she said, 'Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman & went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

19 And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and i the LORD remembered her.

20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about, after Hannah had con

Heb. eed of men-x Numb. 6. 5. Judges 13. 5.-y Heb. multiplied to pray. Heb. hard of spirit-a Pan 62 8. & 142. 2-b Deut. 13. 13.-c Or, meditation. d Judges 18. 6. Mark 5. 34. Luke 7. 50. & 8. 48.-e Psa. 20. 4, 5.- Gen. 33. 15. Ruth 2 13-g Eccles. 9. 7.-h Gen. 4. 1.-i Gen. 30. 22-k Heb. in revolution of days. That is, asked of God.

upon the throne; i. e. of judgment, for he was then judge of Israel.

By a post of the temple of the LORD.] I think this is the first place where on heycal Yehovah, "Temple of Jehovah," is mentioned. This gives room for a strong suspicion that the Books of Samuel were not compiled till the first temple was built, or after the days of Solomon. After this the word temple is frequent in the Books of Kings, Chronicles, and in the Prophets. Perhaps those Psalms, in which this word occurs, were like many others in the Psalter, not of David's composition: some of them were evidently made long after his time.

Verse 11. I will give him unto the LORD] Samuel, as a descendant of the house of Levi, was the Lord's property, from twenty-five years of age till fifty; but the vow here implies that he should be consecrated to the Lord from his infancy to his death, and that he should not only act as a Levite, but as a Nazarite, on whose head no razor should pass.

Verse 13. Spake in her heart; only her lips moved] She prayed her whole heart was engaged: and, though she spake not with an audible voice, yet her lips formed themselves according to the pronunciation of the words

which her heart uttered.

Verse 16. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial] Sya na na na nn al titten eth amateca lipeney bath Belial, "Put not thy handmaiden before the faces of a daughter of Belial." "If I am a drunkard, and strive by the most execrable hypocrisy, (praying in the house of God,) to cover my iniquity, then I am the chief of the daughters of Belial." Or, "Give not thy handmaid (to reproach) before the faces of the daughters of Belial." Several of these probably attended there for the purposes of prostitution and gain; for it is written, chap. ii. 22. Eli's sons lay with the women at the door of the tabernacle: though this may refer to the women who kept the door.

Verse 17. Grant thee thy petition] He was satisfied he had formed a wrong judgment; and, by it, had added to the distress of one already sufficiently distressed.

The fact that Eli supposed her to be drunken, and the other of the conduct of Eli's sons, already mentioned, prove that religion was at this time at a very low ebb in

m Verse 3-n Lake 2. 22-o Verse 11. 28. & Ch. 2 11, 18. & 3. L-p Exod. 21. 6. r Numb. 30. 7.-8 2 Sam. 7. 25-t Deut. 12 5, 6, 11-u Josh. 18. 1- Luke 2 22 w Gen. 42. 15. 2. Kings 2. 2, 4, 6-x Matt 7. 7-y Ver. 11, 2-1. Or, returned him, whom I have obtained by petition, to the LORD.-a Or, he whom I have ob tained by petition shall be returned.-b Gen. 21. 26, 52.

Shiloh; for it seems drunken women did come to the place, and lewd women were to be found there.

Verse 18. Let thine handmaid find grace] Continue to think favourably of me, and to pray for me.

Verse 20. Called his name Samuel] As she gave this name to her son because she had asked him of the Lord, the word SD Shemuel must be here considerably contracted, if it express this sentiment; the component parts of it are the following, SD SIND Shaul me El, "Asked of God." This name would put both the mother and the son in continual remembrance of the divine interposition at his birth. See on ver. 28.

Verse 21. The man Elkanah, and all his house] He and the whole of his family, Hannah and her child excepted; who purposed not to go up to Shiloh till her son was old enough to be employed in the divine service.

And his vow.] Probably he had also made some vow to the Lord on the occasion of his wife's prayer and vow; in which, from his love to her, he could not be less interested than herself.

Verse 23. Until thou have weaned him] On the nature of this weaning, and the time in which it was usually done, the reader will be pleased to refer to the note on Gen. xxi. 8.

The LORD establish his word] Or, may the Lord es tablish his word; preserve the child, cause him to grow up, and make him a blessing to Israel.

Verse 24. With three bullocks The Septuagint, the Syriac, and the Arabic, read a bullock of three years old: and this is probably correct, because we read, ver. 25. that they slew on ns et ha par, THE bullock. We hear of no more, and we know that a bullock or heifer, of three years old, was ordinarily used: see Gen. xv. 9.

One ephah of flour] Seven gallons and a half. A bottle of wine] nebel yayin, a skin full of wine. Their bottles for wine, and fluids in general, were made out of skins of goats, stripped off without being cut up; the places whence the legs were extracted, sewed up, as also the lower part; and the top tied. See the notes on Gen. xxi. 14. and Matt. ix. 17. These three things, the or, the flour, and the wine, probably constituted the con secration-offering.

Verse 26. As thy soul liveth] As sure as thou art a living soul, so surely am I the person who stood by thee here praying.

Verse 28. Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD] There is here a continual reference to her vote, and to the words which she used in making that vow.

The word Samuel, as we have already seen, is a contraction of the words N Shaul me El, that is, asked or lent of God; for his mother said, ver. 27. The Lord hath given me my petition, which N SHAALTI, I ASKED of him. In ver. 28. she says, main hu SHAUL laihovah, he shall be LENT unto the Lord: here we find the verb is the same; and it is remarked by grammarians, that shaal, he asked, making in the participle pahul SN shaul, ASKED, in the conjugation hiphil signifies to lend; therefore, says his mother, ver. 28. ben HISHILITIHU laihovah, I have LENT him to the Lord. This twofold meaning of the Hebrew root is not only followed by our translators, but also by the Vulgate, Septuagint, and Syriac.

And he worshipped the LORD there.] Instead of inn vayishlachu, HE worshipped, ny vayishtachavu, and THEY worshipped, is the reading of six of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., of some copies of the Septuagint, of the Vulgate, Syriac, and Arabic.

THIS and the following chapter are connected in most copies of the Septuagint and Vulgate thus: And Anna worshipped, and said, My soul is strengthened in the Lord, &c. It is very likely that the whole passage, from the beginning of ver. 26. to the end of ver. 10. of the ensuing chapter, contains the words of Hannah alone; and that even the clause, He worshipped the Lord there, should be, And she worshipped the Lord there, and prayed and said, &c. Indeed this latter clause is wanting in the Polygloll Septuagint, as I have stated above.

NOTES ON CHAPTER II.

Verse 1. And Hannah prayed, and said] The Chaldee very properly says, And Hannah prayed in the spirit of prophecy; for, indeed, the whole of this prayer, or, as it may be properly called, oracular declaration, is a piece of regular prophecy, every part of which having respect to the future, and perhaps not a little of it declaratory of the Messiah's kingdom.

Dr. Hales has some very good observations on this prophetic song

"This admirable hymn excels in simplicity of composition, closeness of connexion, and uniformity of sentiment; breathing the pious effusions of a devout mind, deeply impressed with a conviction of God's mercies to herself in particular, and of his providential government of the world in general; exalting the poor in spirit, or the humble-minded, and abasing the rich and the arrogant; rewarding the righteous, and punishing the wicked. Hannah was also a prophetess of the first class: besides predicting her own fruitfulness, ver. 7. (for she bore six children in all, chap. ii. 21.) she foretold not only the more immediate judgments of God upon the Philistines, during her son's administration, chap. ii. 10. but his remoter judgments upon the ends of the earth,' ver. 10. in the true spirit of the prophecies of Jacob, Balaam, and Moses. Like them, she describes the promised Saviour of the world, as a KING, before there was any king in Israel: and she first applied to him the remarkable epithet, Messiah in Hebrew, CHRIST in Greek, and ANOINTED in English, which were adopted by David, Nathan, Ethan, Isaiah, Daniel, and the succeeding prophets of the Old Testament; and by the apostles and inspired writers of the New. And the allusion thereto by Zacharias, the father of the Baptist, in his hymn, Luke i. 69. where he calls Christ a 'horn of salvation,' and the beautiful imitation of it by the blessed Virgin throughout, in her hymn, Luke i. 46-55. furnishing the finest commentary thereon, clearly prove that Hannah, in her rejoicing, had respect to something higher than Peninnah her rival, or to the triumphs of Samuel, or even of David himself: the expressions are too magnificent and sublime to be confined to such objects. Indeed, the learned rabbi, David Kimchi, was so struck with them, that he ingenuously confessed that 'the king of whom Hannah speaks is the MESSIAH' of whom she spake either by prophecy or tradition: for, continues he, 'there was a tradition among the Israelites, that a great king should arise in Israel; and she seals up her song with

|

And by him actions are directed.

Verse 4.-The bows of the heroes are broken,

And the tottering are girded with strength.
Verse 5.-The full have hired out themselves for bread,
And the famished cease for ever.
The barren hath borne seven,

And she who had many children is greatly enfeebied.
Verse 6.-Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive;
He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up;
Verse 7.-Jehovah maketh poor, and maketh rich;

He bringeth down, and he even exalteth.
Versa S.-He lifteth up the poor from the dust;
From the dunghill he exalteth the beggar,
To make him sit with the nobles,
And inherit the throne of glory.

For to Jehovah belong the pillars of the earth,
And upon them he hath placed the globe.
Verse 9.-The foot of his saints he shall keep,

And the wicked shall be silent in darkness; For by strength shall no man prevail. Verse 10.--Jehovah shall bruise them who contend with him; Upon them shall he thunder in the heavens. Jehovah shall Judge the ends of the earth; And he shall give strength to his king,

And shall exalt the horn of his Messiah.

It is not particularly stated here when Hannah composed or delivered this hymn: it appears from the connexion to have been at the very time in which she dedicated her son to God at the tabernacle; though some think that she composed it immediately on the birth of Samuel. The former sentiment is probably the most correct.

Mine horn is exalted in the LORD] We have often seen that horn signifies power, might, and dominion. It is thus constantly used in the Bible, and was so used among the heathens. The following words of Horace to his jar, are well known; and speak a sentiment very similar to that above :—

Tu spem reducis mentibus anriis
Viresque, et addis cornua pauperi.

Hor. Odar. lib. iii. Od. 21. v. 18
Thou bringest back hope to desponding minds;
And thou addest strength and horns to the poor man.

Paraphrastically expressed by Mr. Francis:

"Hope, by thee, fair fugitive,

Bids the wretched strive to live. To the beggar you dispense Heart and brow of confidence."

My mouth is enlarged] My faculty of speech is incited, stirred up to express God's disapprobation against my adversaries.

Verse 2. None holy] HOLINESS is peculiar to the God of Israel: no false God ever pretended to holiness: it was no attribute of heathenism, nor of any religion ever professed in the world before or since the true revelation of the true God.

There is none besides thee] There can be but one unoriginated, infinite, and eternal being; that being is Jehovah.

Any rock like our God.] Rabbi Maimon has observed, that the word tour, which we translate rock, signifies, when applied to Jehovah, fountain, source, spring. There is no source whence continual help and salvation can arise, but our God.

Verse 3. A God of knowledge] He is the most wise, teaching all good, and knowing all things.

Actions are weighed.] nithkennu, they are directed; it is by his counsel alone that we can successfully begin, continue, or end, any work.

m

gress.

f Heb. as on the day-g Gen. 6. 11.-h Mal. 28-i Verse 11.-k Exod. 28. 4. 2 Sam. 6. 14.-1 Ch. 1. 3-m Gen. 14. 19-a Or, petition which she asked, &c. Ch. 1. 28-p Gen 21 1.-g Ver. 26. Ch. 3. 19. Judg. 13. 24. Luke 1. 80. & 2 40. r See Exod. 38. 8.-8 Heb. assembled by troops-t Ör, I hear evil words of you. u Ur, to cry out-v Numb. 15 30.-w Josh. 11. 20. Prov. 15. 10.-x Verse 21.

He will not have sodden flesh] He chooses roast meat, not boiled; and if they had it in the pot before the servant came, he took it out, that it might be roasted.

Verse 17. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great] That is, Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli. Men abhorred the offering] As the people saw that the priests had no piety, and that they acted as if there was no God; they despised God's service, and became infidels.

A national priesthood, when the foundation is right, may be a great blessing; but, if the priesthood becomes corrupt, though the foundation itself stand sure, the corruption of the national manners will be the unavoidable consequence.

Verse 18. Girded with a linen ephod] This the Targum translates 7 on asir cardul debuts, "Girded with a cardut of byssus," or fine linen. The word cardut they seem to have borrowed from the Greek xεipidwτos, a tunic, having xɛipidas, i. e. sleeves that came down to, or covered the hands. This was esteemed an effeminate garment among the Romans. See Buxtorf's Talmudic

Lexicon.

Verse 19. Made him a little coat] p byp meil katon, "a little cloak," or surtout; an upper garment; probably intended to keep him from the cold, and to save his other clothes from being abused in his meaner services. It is probable that she furnished him with a new one each year, when she came up to one of the annual sacrifices.

Verse 20. Eli blessed Elkanah] The natural place of this verse seems to be before the 11th; after which the 21st should come in; after the 21st, perhaps the 26th should come in. The subjects in this chapter seem very much entangled and confused, by the wrong position of the verses. Verse 22. They lay with the women that assembled] It is probable that these were persons who had some employment about the tabernacle. See the note on Exod. xxxviii. 8. where the Hebrew text is similar to that in this place. Verse 23. Why do ye such things?] Eli appears to have been a fondly affectionate, easy father, who wished his sons to do well, but did not bring them under proper discipline; and did not use his authority to restrain them. As judge, he had power to cast them immediately out of the vineyard, as wicked and unprofitable servants: this he did not; and his and their ruín was the consequence.

Verse 25. If one man sin against another] All differences between man and man may be settled by the proper judge: but, if a man sin against the Supreme Judge, God himself, who shall reconcile him to his Maker? Your sin is immediately against God himself; and is the highest insult that can be offered, because it is in the matter of his own worship; therefore, ye may expect his heaviest judgments.

27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?

28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?

29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice, and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, & Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

k

31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off

y Prov. 3. 4. Luke 2 52. Acts 2 47. Rom. 14. 18.-z 1 Kings 13. 1-a Exod. 4. 14, 27-b Exod. 28. 1, 4. Numb. 16. 5. & 18. 1, 7.-c Lev. 2 3, 10. & 6. 16. & 7. 7, 8, 34, 35. & 10. 14, 15. Nnmb. 5. 9, 10. & 18. 8-19-d Deut. 32 15.-e Deut. 12. 5, 6. f Exod. 29. 9.-g Jer. 18. 9, 10.-h Psa. 18. 20. & 91. 14.-i Mal. 2 9.-k 1 Kings 2. 27. Ezek. 44. 10. See Ch. 4. 11, 18, 20. & 14. 3. & 22. 18, &c.

But if a man sin against the LORD, who shall entreat for him?] Was a question of the most solemn importance under the old covenant; especially after the death of Moses, the mediator. The law had determined what sins should be punished with death; and it was not supposed that there was any appeal from the decision there pronounced. 1 John ii. 1.' is an answer to this question: but it is an answer which the Gospel alone can give: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not; but if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

Because the LORD would slay them.] The particle ki, which we translate because, and thus make their continuance in sin the effect of God's determination to destroy them; should be translated therefore, as it means in many parts of the Sacred Writings. See Noldius' Particles, where the very text in question is introduced. Sed non auscultarunt, &c. IDEO voluit Jehova eos interficere; but they would not hearken, &c. THEREFORE God purposed to destroy them. It was their not hearkening that induced the Lord to will their destruction.

Verse 27. There came a man of God] Who this was we know not; but the Chaldee terms him nebiya daya, "a prophet of Jehovah."

Unto the house of thy father] That is, to Aaron; he was the first high priest; the priesthood descended from him to his eldest son Eleazar, then to Phinehas. It became afterward established in the younger branch of the family of Aaron; for Eli was a descendant of Ithamar, Aaron's youngest son. From Eli it was transferred back again to the family of Eleazar, because of the profligacy of Eli's sons.

Verse 28. And did I choose him] The high priesthood was a place of the greatest honour that could be conferred on man; and a place of considerable emolument: for, from their part of the sacrifices, they derived a most comfortable livelihood.

Verse 29. Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice] They disdained to take the part allowed by the law; and would take for themselves what part they pleased, and as much as they pleased, ver. 13-16. Thus they kicked at the sacrifices.

Honourest thy sons above me] Permitting them to deal, as above, with the offerings and sacrifices; and taking their part before the fat, &c. was burnt unto the Lord; thus they were first served. At this Eli connived, and thus honoured his sons above God.

Verse 30. Should walk before me for ever] See Exod. xxix. 9. xl. 15. Numb. xxv. 10-13., where it is positively promised that the priesthood should be continued in the family of Aaron for ever. But although this promise