Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 2:16
And [if] any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and [then] take [as much] as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, [Nay]; but thou shalt give [it me] now: and if not, I will take [it] by force.
16. presently ] “Immediately:” the usual meaning of the word in the E. V., e.g. Mat 26:53.
he would answer him, Nay ] The correct reading of the Heb. gives “Nay” in place of “him.” Cp. note on 1Sa 2:3.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Take as much as thy soul desireth; we are content to relinquish our parts to thee, only let not God be wronged of his due.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And if any man said unto him, let them not fail to burn the fat presently,…. Or stay till they have offered the fat, as the Targum; let that be done in the first place, which may be quickly done, in a very little time, and let as much haste be made as can be to do it:
and then take as much as thy soul desireth; by which it appears that the men that brought the sacrifice had more religion at heart, and were more concerned for the honour and glory of God than the priest; being willing to suffer in their property, but could not bear that the Lord should be dishonoured, and so rudely treated: they were willing the priests should take what they pleased of theirs, though they had no right to any; only they desired the Lord might be served first, which was but reasonable:
then he would answer him, nay, but thou shall give it me now, and if not, I will take it by force; signifying, he would not stay till the fat was burnt, and the Lord had his portion, but he would have it directly; and if he would not give it him freely, he would take it whether he would or not; to such a height of insolence and impiety were the priests arrived, as to put it in the power of their servants to make such wicked demands, and treat God, and those that brought their sacrifices to him, in such a contemptuous manner.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(16) And if not, I will take it by force.The solemn ritual of the sacrifice was not only transgressed by these covetous, greedy, ministering priests, but the worshippers were compelled by force to yield to these new lawless customs, probably introduced by these sons of the high priest Eli.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
1Sa 2:16. And if any man said unto him, let them not fail, &c. The great sin of these sons of Eli consisted, not only in demanding more than their right; (see Lev 7:32.) but in assuming what they chose, before that which belonged to God had been offered to him. See Lev 2:16; Lev 23:25.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
1Sa 2:16 And [if] any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and [then] take [as much] as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, [Nay]; but thou shalt give [it me] now: and if not, I will take [it] by force.
Ver. 16. Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, ] q.d., Let God have his due first; Lev 3:3-4 but these men took no care to serve at the altar, but only to satisfy their gluttony: their gut was their god.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
burn (as incense). See App-43.
presently = now, immediately, without delay, at once. This English meaning is now obsolete.
thy soul = thou (emph.) Hebrew. nephesh. App-13. him, Nay. “Nay” is to be read, instead of “him”. In some codices, with three early printed editions, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
presently: Heb. as on the day, Lev 3:16, Lev 7:23-25
I will take: Jdg 18:25, Neh 5:15, Mic 2:1, Mic 2:2, Mic 3:5, 1Pe 5:2, 1Pe 5:3
Reciprocal: Gen 19:9 – pressed Exo 29:13 – burn them Lev 3:5 – Aaron’s Eze 13:19 – for handfuls Zep 1:9 – which
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 2:16-17. Nay, but thou shalt give it me now, &c. This was the very height of haughty impiety. That such submissive language did not prevail with them to have so much respect for God, as to permit his portion to be presented to him in the first place, especially as they offered to the priest more than his share afterward, manifested excessive profaneness and contempt of things sacred. To what pitch of wickedness may not a man arrive who has shaken off the fear of God, and all sense of his presence and power! Men abhorred the offering of the Lord Nothing brings religion so much into contempt with the people as the open profaneness of those that are ministers of it. The validity, however, and efficacy of Gods ordinances, do not depend altogether on the piety of those that minister in them. So that it was a sin in the people to neglect divine institutions because of the wickedness of the priests. But it was a still much greater sin in the priests to give them occasion so to do.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2:16 And [if] any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and [then] take [as much] as thy soul {n} desireth; then he would answer him, [Nay]; but thou shalt give [it me] now: and if not, I will take [it] by force.
(n) Not passing for their own profit, so that God might be served rightly.