1 Samuel 2:31
New International Version
The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age,

New Living Translation
The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age.

English Standard Version
Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.

Berean Standard Bible
Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in it will reach old age.

King James Bible
Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.

New King James Version
Behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.

New American Standard Bible
Behold, the days are coming when I will eliminate your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.

NASB 1995
‘Behold, the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house.

NASB 1977
‘Behold, the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house.

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, the days are coming, and I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house.

Amplified Bible
Behold, the time is coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.

Christian Standard Bible
Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your forefather’s family, so that none in your family will reach old age.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“ ‘Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestral family, so that none in your family will reach old age.

American Standard Version
Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house.

Contemporary English Version
The time will come when I will kill you and everyone else in your family. Not one of you will live to an old age.

English Revised Version
Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The time is coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father's house so that no one will grow old in your family.

Good News Translation
Listen, the time is coming when I will kill all the young men in your family and your clan, so that no man in your family will live to be old.

International Standard Version
The time is coming when I'll cut away at your family and your ancestor's family until there are no old men left in your family.

Majority Standard Bible
Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father?s house, so that no one in it will reach old age.

NET Bible
In fact, days are coming when I will remove your strength and the strength of your father's house. There will not be an old man in your house!

New Heart English Bible
Look, the days come, that I will cut off your descendants, and the descendants of your father's house, that there shall not be an old man in your house.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thy arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house.

World English Bible
Behold, the days come that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, that there will not be an old man in your house.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Behold, days [are] coming, and I have cut off your arm, and the arm of the house of your father, that an old man is not in your house;

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, days are coming, and I have cut off thine arm, and the arm of the house of thy father, that an old man is not in thy house;

Smith's Literal Translation
Behold, the days coming and I cut off thy seed and the seed of thy father's house from being old in thy house.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold the days come: and I will cut off thy arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Behold the days are arriving, when I will cut off your arm, and the arm of the house of your father, so that there will not be an old man in your house.

New American Bible
Yes, the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in your family lives to old age.

New Revised Standard Version
See, a time is coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestor’s family, so that no one in your family will live to old age.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your offspring and the offspring of your father, that there shall not be an old man in your house,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Behold, days are coming, says LORD JEHOVAH, and I shall cut off your arm and the arm of your father, and there shall not be an old man in your house
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Behold, the days come when I will destroy thy seed and the seed of thy father's house.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prophecy Against the House of Eli
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. 31Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no older man will be left in your house. 32You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age.…

Cross References
1 Kings 2:27
So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.

1 Kings 2:35
And the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army, and he appointed Zadok the priest in Abiathar’s place.

1 Kings 14:14
Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today!

1 Kings 14:10
Because of all this, behold, I am bringing disaster on the house of Jeroboam: I will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both slave and free, in Israel; I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns up dung until it is gone!

1 Kings 2:31-33
And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed. / The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. / Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”

Ezekiel 44:10-16
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. ...

Ezekiel 7:26
Disaster upon disaster will come, and rumor after rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but instruction from the priests will perish, as will counsel from the elders.

Jeremiah 23:11-12
“For both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the LORD. / “Therefore their path will become slick; they will be driven away into the darkness and fall into it. For I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 7:14-15
therefore what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears My Name, the house in which you trust, the place that I gave to you and your fathers. / And I will cast you out of My presence, just as I have cast out all your brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.

Lamentations 2:3
In fierce anger He has cut off every horn of Israel and withdrawn His right hand at the approach of the enemy. He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire that consumes everything around it.

Malachi 2:1-9
“And now this decree is for you, O priests: / If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the LORD of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already begun to curse them, because you are not taking it to heart. / Behold, I will rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the waste from your feasts, and you will be carried off with it. ...

Matthew 21:41-43
“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest time.” / Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? / Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

Matthew 23:38
Look, your house is left to you desolate.

Luke 1:52
He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.

Luke 20:16
He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” And when the people heard this, they said, “May such a thing never happen!”


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, the days come, that I will cut off your arm, and the arm of your father's house, that there shall not be an old man in your house.

1 Samuel 4:2,11,17-20
And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men…

1 Samuel 14:3
And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD'S priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.

1 Samuel 22:17-20
And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD…

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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














Behold, the days are coming
This phrase introduces a prophetic declaration, indicating a future event that is certain to occur. In biblical prophecy, "the days are coming" often signals a divine intervention or judgment. This phrase is used similarly in other prophetic contexts, such as Jeremiah 31:31, where God promises a new covenant. It underscores the certainty and imminence of God's actions.

when I will cut off your strength
The "strength" here refers to the power and influence of Eli's priestly line. In ancient Israel, the priesthood held significant religious and social authority. The cutting off of strength symbolizes the end of this authority and influence. This judgment is a direct consequence of the corruption and sins of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, as described earlier in 1 Samuel 2. The removal of strength is both a literal and spiritual weakening of Eli's house.

and the strength of your father’s house
This phrase extends the judgment to Eli's ancestral line, indicating that the consequences of sin affect not only the immediate generation but also future ones. Eli's lineage is traced back to Ithamar, one of Aaron's sons, suggesting a broader impact on the priestly line. This reflects the biblical principle of generational consequences for sin, as seen in Exodus 20:5, where God speaks of visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children.

so that no one in it will reach old age
The judgment includes a specific curse of premature death, preventing members of Eli's family from reaching old age. This is a severe consequence in a culture that valued longevity as a sign of God's blessing and favor. The fulfillment of this prophecy is seen later in 1 Samuel 22:18-20, where most of Eli's descendants are killed by King Saul. The absence of old age signifies a lack of stability and continuity for Eli's house, contrasting with the biblical ideal of a long life as a reward for righteousness, as seen in Proverbs 16:31.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Eli
The high priest of Israel during the time of Samuel's birth. He is a central figure in this passage as the prophecy is directed towards him and his household.

2. Hophni and Phinehas
Eli's sons, who were priests but acted wickedly, leading to God's judgment on Eli's house.

3. Shiloh
The religious center of Israel at the time, where the tabernacle was located and where Eli served as priest.

4. The Man of God
An unnamed prophet who delivers God's message of judgment to Eli regarding the future of his family.

5. The House of Eli
Refers to Eli's lineage, which is under judgment due to the sins of Eli's sons and Eli's failure to restrain them.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Sin
The passage highlights the serious consequences of sin, especially for those in spiritual leadership. Eli's failure to discipline his sons led to a generational curse on his family.

God's Justice
God's judgment on Eli's house demonstrates His commitment to justice and righteousness. He holds leaders accountable for their actions and the actions of those under their authority.

The Importance of Godly Leadership
Spiritual leaders are called to uphold God's standards and lead by example. Eli's account serves as a warning to maintain integrity and discipline within one's household.

Generational Impact
The sins of one generation can affect future generations. This underscores the importance of living a life that honors God and sets a positive example for descendants.

Repentance and Change
While the prophecy against Eli's house was severe, it serves as a reminder of the need for repentance and change to avert God's judgment.(31) I will cut off thine arm.--"The arm" signifies power and strength: "Thy power and strength, and that of thy house is doomed." (See for the figure Job 22:9; Psalm 37:17.)

And there shall not be an old man in thine house.--No one more in thy house, O High Priest, who hast so signally failed in thy solemn duty, shall attain to old age; sickness or the sword shall ever early consume its members. This strange denunciation of the "man of God" is emphasised by being repeated in the next (32) verse, and in different words again in 1Samuel 2:33.

Verse 31. - I will cut off thine arm. The arm is the usual metaphor for strength. As Eli had preferred the exaltation of his sons to God's honour, he is condemned to see the strength of his house broken. Nay, more; there is not to be an "old man in his house." The young men full of energy and vigour perish by the sword; the Survivors fade away by disease. The Jews say that the house of Ithamar was peculiarly short-lived, but the prophecy was amply fulfilled in the slaughter of Eli's house, first at Shiloh, and then at Nob by Doeg the Edomite at the command of Saul. There is nothing to warrant an abiding curse upon his family. The third or fourth generation is the limit of the visitation of the sins of the fathers upon the children.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Behold,
הִנֵּה֙ (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

the days
יָמִ֣ים (yā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

are coming
בָּאִ֔ים (bā·’îm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

when I will cut off
וְגָֽדַעְתִּי֙ (wə·ḡā·ḏa‘·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1438: To fell a, tree, to destroy anything

your strength
זְרֹ֣עֲךָ֔ (zə·rō·‘ă·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 2220: The arm, the foreleg, force

and the strength
זְרֹ֖עַ (zə·rō·a‘)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 2220: The arm, the foreleg, force

of your father's
אָבִ֑יךָ (’ā·ḇî·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1: Father

house,
בֵּ֣ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

so that no older man
זָקֵ֖ן (zā·qên)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2205: Old

will be left
מִֽהְי֥וֹת (mih·yō·wṯ)
Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

in your house.
בְּבֵיתֶֽךָ׃ (bə·ḇê·ṯe·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house


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OT History: 1 Samuel 2:31 Behold the days come that I will (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 2:30
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