1 Samuel 2:29
New International Version
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?’

New Living Translation
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!

English Standard Version
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?’

Berean Standard Bible
Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’

King James Bible
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?

New King James Version
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?’

New American Standard Bible
Why are you showing contempt for My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded for My dwelling, and why are you honoring your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’

NASB 1995
Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’

NASB 1977
‘Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’

Legacy Standard Bible
Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My habitation, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’

Amplified Bible
Why then do you kick at (despise) My sacrifice and My offering which I commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, by fattening yourselves with the choicest part of every offering of My people Israel?’

Christian Standard Bible
Why, then, do all of you despise my sacrifices and offerings that I require at the place of worship? You have honored your sons more than me, by making yourselves fat with the best part of all of the offerings of my people Israel.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why, then, do all of you despise My sacrifices and offerings that I require at the place of worship? You have honored your sons more than Me, by making yourselves fat with the best part of all of the offerings of My people Israel.’

American Standard Version
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?

English Revised Version
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?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Why do you show no respect for my sacrifices and grain offerings that I have commanded people to make in my dwelling place? Why do you honor your sons more than me by making yourselves fat on the best of all the sacrifices offered by my people Israel?

Good News Translation
Why, then, do you look with greed at the sacrifices and offerings which I require from my people? Why, Eli, do you honor your sons more than me by letting them fatten themselves on the best parts of all the sacrifices my people offer to me?

International Standard Version
Why, then, do all of you show contempt for my sacrifice and offering that I've commanded for my dwelling? And you honor your sons more than me in order to fatten yourselves from the best of all the offerings of my people Israel.'

Majority Standard Bible
Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’

NET Bible
Why are you scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling place? 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.'

New Heart English Bible
Then why do you look at my sacrifice and my offering with a selfish eye, and honor your sons more than me in letting them eat from the first part of every offering of Israel before me?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at my 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?

World English Bible
Why do you kick at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel my people?’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering, which I commanded [in] My habitation, and honor your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat from the first part of every offering of Israel, of My people?

Young's Literal Translation
Why do ye kick at My sacrifice, and at Mine offering which I commanded in My habitation, and dost honour thy sons above Me, to make yourselves fat from the first part of every offering of Israel, of My people?

Smith's Literal Translation
Wherefore will ye trample upon my sacrifice and upon my gifts which I commanded to my habitation? and thou wilt honor thy sons above me to fatten yourselves from the chief of all the gifts of Israel my people.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Why have you kicked away my victims, and my gifts which I commanded to be offered in the temple: and thou hast rather honoured thy sons than me, to eat the firstfruits of every sacrifice of my people Israel?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Why have you kicked away my victims and my gifts, which I instructed to be offered in the temple? And why have you given more honor to your sons than to me, so that you eat the first-fruits of every sacrifice of my people Israel?

New American Bible
Why do you stare greedily at my sacrifices and at the offerings that I have prescribed? Why do you honor your sons more than you honor me, fattening yourselves with the choicest part of every offering of my people Israel?

New Revised Standard Version
Why then look with greedy eye at my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded, and honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Why then do you deal wrongly with my sacrifices and my offerings, which I have commanded in the wilderness; and honor your sons above me, to choose the choicest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Why have you brought in my offerings and my offerings that I have commanded from the wilderness and you have honored your sons more than me, that you would choose the first of all the gifts of the children of Israel my people?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
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?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And wherefore hast thou looked upon my incense-offering and my meat-offering with a shameless eye, and hast honoured thy sons above me, so that they should bless themselves with the first-fruits of every sacrifice of Israel before me?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prophecy Against the House of Eli
28And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the offerings of the Israelites made by fire. 29Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’ 30Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.…

Cross References
Malachi 1:6-8
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My name. “But you ask, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ / By presenting defiled food on My altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You?’ By saying that the table of the LORD is contemptible. / When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.

Ezekiel 44:10-12
Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who wandered away from Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their iniquity. / Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and ministering there. They shall slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices for the people and stand before them to minister to them. / Because they ministered before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I swore with an uplifted hand concerning them that they would bear the consequences of their iniquity, declares the Lord GOD.

Leviticus 10:1-3
Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. / So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD. / Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I will reveal My glory.’” But Aaron remained silent.

Jeremiah 7:9-11
Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known, / and then come and stand before Me in this house, which bears My Name, and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue with all these abominations’? / Has this house, which bears My Name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Yes, I too have seen it, declares the LORD.

Isaiah 29:13
Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

Matthew 15:3-9
Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? / For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ / But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ ...

Mark 7:6-13
Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ / You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.” ...

Romans 2:22-24
You who forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? / You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? / As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

1 Corinthians 10:21-22
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too. / Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

Hebrews 10:28-29
Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. / How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

1 Peter 4:17
For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?

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 4:6-9
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. / The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; they exchanged their Glory for a thing of disgrace. / They feed on the sins of My people and set their hearts on iniquity. ...

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.”

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.


Treasury of Scripture

Why kick you at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the most chief of all the offerings of Israel my people?

kick ye

1 Samuel 2:13-17
And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; …

Deuteronomy 32:15
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

Malachi 1:12,13
But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible…

1 Samuel 2:13-16
And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; …

habitation

Deuteronomy 12:5,6
But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: …

Joshua 18:1
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.

Leviticus 19:15
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

Deuteronomy 33:9
Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.

Matthew 10:37
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

make

1 Samuel 2:13-16
And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; …

Isaiah 56:11,12
Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter…

Ezekiel 13:19
And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?

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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














Why then do you scorn
The Hebrew word for "scorn" is "בָּעַט" (ba'at), which conveys a sense of kicking or despising. This word choice indicates a deliberate and contemptuous rejection of God's commands. In the historical context, this rebuke is directed at Eli, the high priest, and his sons, who were treating the sacrificial system with disdain. The sacrificial system was central to Israel's worship and covenant relationship with God, and to scorn it was to scorn God Himself.

My sacrifice and offering
The terms "sacrifice" (זֶבַח, zevach) and "offering" (מִנְחָה, minchah) refer to the various types of sacrifices prescribed in the Mosaic Law. These were acts of worship and atonement, symbolizing the people's devotion and obedience to God. The sacrificial system was a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, and thus, it held profound theological significance. By neglecting these, Eli's family was undermining the very foundation of Israel's spiritual life.

that I have prescribed for My dwelling
The phrase "prescribed for My dwelling" emphasizes God's sovereign authority in establishing the sacrificial system. The "dwelling" refers to the Tabernacle, the place where God's presence resided among His people. This highlights the sacredness of the sacrifices, as they were not merely ritualistic acts but divine ordinances meant to maintain the holiness of God's dwelling place.

You have honored your sons above Me
The Hebrew word for "honored" is "כָּבֵד" (kaved), meaning to give weight or glory. Eli's failure was in prioritizing his familial relationships over his duty to God. This is a poignant reminder of the first commandment, to have no other gods before the Lord, which includes not placing family or personal interests above God.

by fattening yourselves
The imagery of "fattening" oneself is both literal and metaphorical. Eli's sons were taking the best portions of the sacrifices for themselves, which were meant for God. This act of greed and self-indulgence is a stark contrast to the selfless devotion God requires. It serves as a warning against the dangers of materialism and self-centeredness in spiritual leadership.

with the best of all the offerings
The "best" (מֵרֵאשִׁית, mereshith) signifies the choicest parts, which were to be given to God as a sign of reverence and gratitude. By taking these for themselves, Eli's sons were robbing God of His due honor. This reflects a broader biblical principle that God deserves our first and best, not our leftovers.

of My people Israel
The phrase "My people Israel" underscores the covenant relationship between God and Israel. The offerings were not just religious duties but expressions of the people's identity and commitment to God. Eli's failure to uphold this covenantal responsibility had implications not just for his family but for the entire nation, highlighting the communal nature of sin and its consequences.

(29) Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice.--The imagery of the words are taken from Deuteronomy 32:15 : "Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked . . . then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation." The image is one drawn from the pastoral life of the people: the ox or ass over-fed, pampered, and indulged, becomes unmanageable, and refuses obedience to his kind master.

And honourest thy sons above me.--Although Eli knew well what was right, yet foolish fondness for his sons seems in part to have blinded his eyes to the enormity of their wickedness. It is also probable that he was influenced not by feelings of weak affection, but also by unwillingness to divert from his own family the rich source of wealth which proceeded from the offerings of the pilgrims from all parts of the land. These considerations induced him to maintain these bad and covetous men as his acknowledged representatives in the national sanctuary of Shiloh. Eli then allowed things, which gradually grew worse and worse, to drift, and merely interfered with a weak rebuke; but the day of reckoning was at hand.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why, then,
לָ֣מָּה (lām·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

do you kick at
תִבְעֲט֗וּ (ṯiḇ·‘ă·ṭū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 1163: To trample down, despise

My sacrifice
בְּזִבְחִי֙ (bə·ziḇ·ḥî)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2077: A slaughter, the flesh of an animal, a sacrifice

and offering
וּבְמִנְחָתִ֔י (ū·ḇə·min·ḥā·ṯî)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 4503: A donation, tribute, a sacrificial offering

that
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

I have prescribed
צִוִּ֖יתִי (ṣiw·wî·ṯî)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6680: To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order

for [My] dwelling place?
מָע֑וֹן (mā·‘ō·wn)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4583: An abode, of God, men, animals, a retreat

You have honored
וַתְּכַבֵּ֤ד (wat·tə·ḵab·bêḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3513: To be heavy, weighty, or burdensome

your sons
בָּנֶ֙יךָ֙ (bā·ne·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

more than Me
מִמֶּ֔נִּי (mim·men·nî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

by fattening yourselves
לְהַבְרִֽיאֲכֶ֗ם (lə·haḇ·rî·’ă·ḵem)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 1254: To create, to cut down, select, feed

with the best
מֵרֵאשִׁ֛ית (mê·rê·šîṯ)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7225: The first, in place, time, order, rank

of all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the offerings
מִנְחַ֥ת (min·ḥaṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4503: A donation, tribute, a sacrificial offering

of My people
לְעַמִּֽי׃ (lə·‘am·mî)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

Israel.’
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc


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OT History: 1 Samuel 2:29 Why kick you at my sacrifice (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 2:28
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