Eli’s misplaced priorities resulted in a severe judgment from the LORD.
“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?” (v.29) This verse is spoken by the LORD as a rebuke to Eli, who served as high priest around 1100 B.C. at Shiloh. The Tabernacle was located in Shiloh at this time, roughly 20 miles north of Jerusalem, where Israel would come to offer sacrifices in worship to God. We see here that the LORD is accusing Eli of placing his sons above the holiness of God’s commands by allowing them to exploit the sacrificial system. Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were notorious for taking portions of the sacrificial offerings for themselves, despising the LORD’s provision (1 Samuel 2:12-17).
“Why do you kick at My sacrifice…?” (v.29) signifies the LORD’s description of Eli’s negligence in tolerating his sons’ disrespectful actions toward sacred worship. By using the phrase “honor your sons above Me” (v.29), God points to Eli’s choice to uphold family loyalty over the demands of upright priestly service. Spiritually, this behavior mirrors the temptation to compromise devotion to God for personal or familial gain. The text reminds us that God’s holiness and will are foundational for right worship, a theme echoing in Jesus’ own teachings that devotion to God must be paramount (Luke 14:26).
In “making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel” (v.29), the LORD highlights how Eli’s family consumed what rightfully belonged to the LORD and the people’s worship. This action challenged the covenant faithfulness expected from priests, who were meant to help mediate between God and Israel. Since Eli was in a position of authority and had oversight of the sacrificial rituals, his complicity by inaction deeply offended the LORD. As a result, this verse underlines that spiritual leadership comes with great responsibility—and ignoring injustice in God’s house leads to serious consequences (1 Samuel 2:31-34).
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1 Samuel 2:29 meaning
“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?” (v.29) This verse is spoken by the LORD as a rebuke to Eli, who served as high priest around 1100 B.C. at Shiloh. The Tabernacle was located in Shiloh at this time, roughly 20 miles north of Jerusalem, where Israel would come to offer sacrifices in worship to God. We see here that the LORD is accusing Eli of placing his sons above the holiness of God’s commands by allowing them to exploit the sacrificial system. Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were notorious for taking portions of the sacrificial offerings for themselves, despising the LORD’s provision (1 Samuel 2:12-17).
“Why do you kick at My sacrifice…?” (v.29) signifies the LORD’s description of Eli’s negligence in tolerating his sons’ disrespectful actions toward sacred worship. By using the phrase “honor your sons above Me” (v.29), God points to Eli’s choice to uphold family loyalty over the demands of upright priestly service. Spiritually, this behavior mirrors the temptation to compromise devotion to God for personal or familial gain. The text reminds us that God’s holiness and will are foundational for right worship, a theme echoing in Jesus’ own teachings that devotion to God must be paramount (Luke 14:26).
In “making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel” (v.29), the LORD highlights how Eli’s family consumed what rightfully belonged to the LORD and the people’s worship. This action challenged the covenant faithfulness expected from priests, who were meant to help mediate between God and Israel. Since Eli was in a position of authority and had oversight of the sacrificial rituals, his complicity by inaction deeply offended the LORD. As a result, this verse underlines that spiritual leadership comes with great responsibility—and ignoring injustice in God’s house leads to serious consequences (1 Samuel 2:31-34).