1 Samuel 2:12
New International Version
Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the LORD.

New Living Translation
Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the LORD

English Standard Version
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible
Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD

King James Bible
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

New King James Version
Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD.

New American Standard Bible
Now the sons of Eli were useless men; they did not know the LORD.

NASB 1995
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD

NASB 1977
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD

Legacy Standard Bible
Now the sons of Eli were vile men; they did not know Yahweh.

Amplified Bible
The sons of Eli [Hophni and Phinehas] were worthless (dishonorable, unprincipled) men; they did not know [nor respect] the LORD

Christian Standard Bible
Eli’s sons were wicked men; they did not respect the LORD

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD

American Standard Version
Now the sons of Eli were base men; they knew not Jehovah.

English Revised Version
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Eli's sons, [Hophni and Phinehas,] were good-for-nothing priests; they had no faith in the LORD.

Good News Translation
The sons of Eli were scoundrels. They paid no attention to the LORD

International Standard Version
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men who did not know the LORD.

Majority Standard Bible
Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD

NET Bible
The sons of Eli were wicked men. They did not recognize the LORD's authority.

New Heart English Bible
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

World English Bible
Now the sons of Eli were wicked men. They didn’t know Yahweh.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the sons of Eli [are] sons of worthlessness, they have not known YHWH.

Young's Literal Translation
and the sons of Eli are sons of worthlessness, they have not known Jehovah.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the sons of Eli, sons of Belial; they knew not Jehovah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now the sons of Heli were children of Belial, not knowing the Lord,

Catholic Public Domain Version
But the sons of Eli were sons of Belial, not knowing the Lord,

New American Bible
Now the sons of Eli were wicked; they had respect neither for the LORD

New Revised Standard Version
Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels; they had no regard for the LORD
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they did not know the LORD.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the sons of Eli, the sons of sin, did not know LORD JEHOVAH
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Now the sons of Eli were base men; they knew not the LORD.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the sons of Heli the priest were evil sons, not knowing the Lord.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Eli's Wicked Sons
12Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD 13or for the custom of the priests with the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling…

Cross References
Malachi 2:7-9
For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts. / But you have departed from the way, and your instruction has caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of Hosts. / “So I in turn have made you despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not kept My ways, but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”

Jeremiah 23:11
“For both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 22:26
Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they fail to distinguish between the clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

Isaiah 56:10-12
Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber. / Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain: / “Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”

Matthew 23:13-15
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter. / Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter. / Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Romans 1:28-32
Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. / They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, / slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. ...

2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. / For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, / unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, ...

Titus 1:16
They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. / Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ / Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Philippians 3:18-19
For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. / Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

2 Peter 2:1-3
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. / Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. / In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.

Jude 1:4
For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.


Treasury of Scripture

Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

The sons

Hosea 4:6-9
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children…

Malachi 2:1-9
And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you…

sons of Belial

1 Samuel 10:27
But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

1 Samuel 25:17
Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.

Deuteronomy 13:13
Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;

knew

1 Samuel 3:7
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.

Judges 2:10
And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

Jeremiah 2:8
The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.

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Base Belial Eli Eli's Evil Regard Wicked Worthless Worthlessness
1 Samuel 2
1. Hannah's song in thankfulness
12. The sin of Eli's sons
18. Samuel's ministry
20. by Eli's blessing Hannah is more fruitful
22. Eli reproves his sons
27. A prophecy against Eli's house














Now the sons of Eli
This phrase introduces us to the central figures of this verse, the sons of Eli, who were Hophni and Phinehas. Eli was the high priest at Shiloh, a significant religious center during this period. The mention of his sons immediately sets the stage for a contrast between their expected roles as priests and their actual behavior. Historically, the role of a priest was one of great responsibility and honor, serving as a mediator between God and the people. The Hebrew term for "sons" (בְּנֵי) often implies not just biological offspring but also followers or disciples, indicating that these men were expected to follow in Eli's priestly footsteps.

were wicked men
The Hebrew word used here for "wicked" is "בְּלִיַּעַל" (belial), which conveys a sense of worthlessness and lawlessness. This term is often used in the Old Testament to describe individuals who are morally corrupt and rebellious against God's laws. The use of "wicked men" underscores the gravity of their actions, as they were not just failing in their duties but were actively engaging in behavior that was contrary to the covenantal expectations of Israelite society. This phrase sets a tone of moral and spiritual decay, highlighting the seriousness of their transgressions.

they had no regard for the LORD
This phrase is a profound indictment of their spiritual state. The Hebrew expression here can be translated as "they did not know the LORD" (לֹא יָדְעוּ אֶת־יְהוָה), which implies a lack of personal relationship and reverence for God. In the context of ancient Israel, to "know" the LORD was to have an intimate, covenantal relationship characterized by obedience and worship. The sons of Eli, despite their priestly positions, were spiritually blind and disconnected from the very God they were supposed to serve. This highlights a tragic irony and serves as a warning about the dangers of religious formalism without genuine faith and devotion.

(12) Sons of.--The word Belial is printed here and 1Samuel 1:16, as though Belial were the name of some pagan deity, but it simply signifies "worthlessness." It is a common term in these records of Samuel, being used some nine or ten times. It is rarely found in the other historical books. "Sons of Belial" signifies, then, merely "sons of worthlessness," worthless, good-for-nothing men. The Speaker's Commentary ingeniously accounts for the use of Belial in the English Version here, and in other places in the Old Testament, by referring to the contrast drawn by St. Paul between Christ and Belial, as if Belial were the name of an idol. or the personification of evil (2Corinthians 6:15).

They knew not the Lord.--The whole conduct of these high priestly officials showed they were utter unbelievers. They used their sacred position merely as affording an opportunity for their selfish extortions; and, as is so often the case now, as it was then, their unbelief was the source of their moral worthlessness (see 1Samuel 2:22). "Hophni and Phinehas (the two sons of Eli) are, for students of ecclesiastical history, eminently suggestive characters. They are true exemplars of the grasping and worldly clergy of all ages.

"It was the sacrificial feasts that gave occasion for their rapacity. It was the dances and assemblies of the women in the vineyards and before the sacred feast that gave occasion for their debaucheries. They were the worst development of the lawlessness of the age, penetrating, as in the case of the wandering Levite of the Book of Judges, into the most sacred offices.

"But the coarseness of these vices does not make the moral less pointed for all times. The three-pronged fork which fishes up the seething flesh is the earliest type of grasping at pluralities and Church preferments by base means, the open profligacy at the door of the Tabernacle is the type of many a scandal brought on the Christian Church by the selfishness or sensuality of the ministers."--Dean Stanley, On the Jewish Churchy Lecture 17, Part I.

Verse 12. - Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial, i.e. worthless men (see on 1 Samuel 1:16). They knew not Jehovah. He had never been revealed to their consciences, and so his fear had no influence upon their lives. The next words, in ver. 13, are difficult, but lit. mean, "The legal right of the priests, towards, or as respects, the people." On this account the Vulgate and several commentators couple the sentence with what precedes: "they knew neither Jehovah, nor their own legal rights." But the word also in ver. 15 is incompatible with this rendering; for if what is mentioned there be illegal, so must also the practice be which is recorded here. But neither does custom give the sense; for the Hebrews has not priest's (sing.) as the A.V., but of the priests, of all priests generally, and not of Eli merely and his sons. The right translation is that given by the Sept., Syriac, and Chaldee, namely, "the due of the priests from the people," on which see Leviticus 7:31-35. In the original this is put absolutely "And as to the priests' due from the people, when," etc., but our language requires some insertion to make it read more smoothly. "And as to the due of the priests from the people, the manner of its exaction was as follows: When," etc. But besides the due and legal portion, which, nevertheless, they took in an illegal way, they demanded a part of the flesh reserved for the feast of the offerer, and to which they had absolutely no right (see Leviticus 8:31; 2 Chronicles 35:13). The legal due of the priest was the right shoulder and the wave breast; but before he took them they were to be consecrated to God by the burning of the fat upon the altar (Leviticus 3:5; Leviticus 7:31, 34). It is worth observing that the people seem well acquainted with the words of the Law, and are indignant because the priests, its proper guardians, do not abide literally by them. This contempt of the Law distressed their religious susceptibilites, while the cupidity of Eli's sons offended their moral nature. And so men abhorred the offering of Jehovah. Lit. it is the minchah, the unbloody sacrifice, or meat offering, but it is put here forevery kind of sacrificial offering.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now the sons
וּבְנֵ֥י (ū·ḇə·nê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of Eli
עֵלִ֖י (‘ê·lî)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5941: Eli -- a priest at Shiloh

were wicked
בְלִיָּ֑עַל (ḇə·lî·yā·‘al)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1100: Without profit, worthlessness, destruction, wickedness

men;
בְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

they had no
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

regard
יָדְע֖וּ (yā·ḏə·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3045: To know

for the LORD
יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT History: 1 Samuel 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were base (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 2:11
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