Discovery Box1 Samuel 2:28-36 
Context2:28 I chose your ancestor 1 from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifice on my altar, to burn incense, and to bear the ephod before me. I gave to your ancestor’s house all the fire offerings made by the Israelites. 2:29 Why are you 2 scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling place? 3 You have honored your sons more than you have me by having made yourselves fat from the best parts of all the offerings of my people Israel.’
2:30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I really did say 4 that your house and your ancestor’s house would serve 5 me forever.’ But now the Lord says, ‘May it never be! 6 For I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be cursed! 2:31 In fact, days are coming when I will remove your strength 7 and the strength 8 of your father’s house. There will not be an old man in your house! 2:32 You will see trouble in my dwelling place! 9 Israel will experience blessings, 10 but there will not be an old man in your 11 house for all time. 12 2:33 Any one of you that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause your 13 eyes to fail 14 and will cause you grief. 15 All of those born to your family 16 will die in the prime of life. 17 2:34 This will be a confirming sign for you that will be fulfilled through your two sons, 18 Hophni and Phinehas: in a single day they both will die! 2:35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do what is in my heart and soul. I will build for him a secure dynasty 19 and he will serve my chosen one for all time. 20 2:36 Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little money 21 and for a scrap of bread. Each will say, ‘Assign me to a priestly task so I can eat a scrap of bread.’”
1 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Eli’s ancestor, i.e., Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tc The MT has a plural “you” here, but the LXX and a Qumran
3 tn Heb “which I commanded, dwelling place.” The noun is functioning as an adverbial accusative in relation to the verb. Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun “my” is supplied in the translation.
4 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
5 tn Heb “walk about before.”
6 tn Heb “may it be far removed from me.”
7 tn Heb “chop off your arm.” The arm here symbolizes strength and activity.
8 tn Heb “arm.”
9 tn Heb “you will see [the] trouble of [the] dwelling place.” Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun is supplied in the translation (see v. 29).
10 tn Heb “in all which he does good with Israel.”
11 tc The LXX and a Qumran manuscript have the first person pronoun “my” here.
12 tn Heb “all the days.”
13 tc The LXX, a Qumran
14 tn Heb “to cause your eyes to fail.” Elsewhere this verb, when used of eyes, refers to bloodshot eyes resulting from weeping, prolonged staring, or illness (see Lev 26:16; Pss 69:3; 119:82; Lam 2:11; 4:17).
15 tn Heb “and to cause your soul grief.”
16 tn Heb “and all the increase of your house.”
17 tc The text is difficult. The MT literally says “they will die [as] men.” Apparently the meaning is that they will be cut off in the prime of their life without reaching old age. The LXX and a Qumran
18 tn Heb “and this to you [is] the sign which will come to both of your sons.”
19 tn Heb “house.”
20 tn Heb “and he will walk about before my anointed one all the days.”
21 tn Heb “a piece of silver” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
