Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 2:33
And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.
33. And the man, &c.] or, Yet every man of thine will I not cut off from mine altar, to consume thine eyes and to vex thy soul; i.e. some will still survive to mourn over the ruin of their family. “ Thine eyes,” “ thy soul,” because Eli is identified with his posterity. But the Sept. has “ his eyes,” “ his soul.”
increase ] = offspring, Lat. incrementum.
in the flower of their age ] Heb. men: i.e. when they come to manhood.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The meaning is explained by 1Sa 2:36. Those who are not cut off in the flower of their youth shall be worse off than those who are, for they shall have to beg their bread. (Compare Jer 22:10.)
Thine eyes … thine heart – For a similar personification of the tribe or family see Jdg 1:2-4.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
1Sa 2:33
In the flower of their age.
Premature death consequent upon, parental neglect
Now it is too evident to require proof, that the sin, of which Eli was guilty, naturally tends to produce the consequence which is here threatened as a punishment. When youth are permitted to make themselves vile, without restraint, they almost inevitably fall into courses which tend to undermine their constitutions, and shorten their days. It is, indeed, a well known fact that, in populous towns, comparatively few live to become aged, and that a much larger proportion of mankind, especially of the male sex who are most exposed to the influence of temptation, die in the flower or meridian of their days, than in the country where parental discipline is less generally neglected, and youth are under greater restraints. If parents wished that their sons should drag out a short life of debility and disease, and die before they reach half the common age of man, they could not adopt measures better calculated to produce this effect, than to cast loose the reins of parental authority, and suffer them to follow their own inclinations, and associate with vicious companions without restraint. We may, therefore, consider the premature death of ungoverned children, as the natural consequence, as well as the usual punishment, of parental neglect. (E. Payson, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 33. And the man of thine] Of this passage Calmet observes: “The posterity of Eli possessed the high priesthood to the time of Solomon; and even when that dynasty was transferred to another family, God preserved that of Eli, not to render it more happy, but to punish it by seeing the prosperity of its enemies, to the end that it might see itself destitute and despised. This shows the depth of the judgments of God and the grandeur of his justice, which extends even to distant generations, and manifests itself to sinners both in life and death; both in their own disgrace, and in the prosperity of their enemies.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The man of thine, i.e. those of thy posterity.
From mine altar, i.e. from attendance upon mine altar; whom I shall not destroy, but suffer to live, and wait at the altar.
Shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart; shall be so forlorn and miserable, that if thou wast alive to see it, it would grieve thee at the very heart, and thou wouldst consume thine eyes with weeping for their calamities. So the phrase is like that of Rachel weeping for her children, Jer 31:15, which were slain long after her death.
The increase of thine house, i.e. thy children.
In the flower of their age; about the thirtieth year of their age, when they were to be admitted to the plenary administration of their office, Num 4:3, then they shall die.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And the man of thine,….. Of his family, which should spring from him: whom I shall not cut off from mine altar: from serving there: who though he shall not be an high priest, but a common priest, as all the descendants of Aaron were,
shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart; that is, the eyes and heart of his posterity; who though they should see of their family ministering in the priest’s office, yet should make so poor a figure on account of their outward meanness and poverty, or because of their want of wisdom, and intellectual endowments, or because of their scandalous lives, that it would fill their hearts with grief and sorrow, and their eyes with tears, so that their eyes would fail, and be consumed, and their hearts be broken:
and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age; or “die men” k; grown men, not children, when it would not be so great an affliction to part with them; but when at man’s estate, in the prime of their days, perhaps about thirty years of age, the time when the priests entered upon their office to do all the work of it; the Targum is,
“shall be killed young men:”
it is more than once said in the Talmud l, that there was a family in Jerusalem, the men of which died at eighteen years of age; they came and informed Juchanan ben Zaccai of it; he said to them, perhaps of the family of Eli are ye, as it is said, 1Sa 2:33.
k “morientur viri”, Montanus, Tigurine version; “morientur virile aetate”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator so V. L. l T. Bab. Roshhashanah, fol. 18. 1. & Yebamot, fol. 105. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(33) To consume thine eyes and to grieve thine heart.The Speakers Commentary well refers to 1Sa. 2:36 for an explanation of these difficult words. Those who are not cut off in the flower of their youth shall be worse off than those who are, for they shall have to beg their bread.
And all the increase of thine house shall die.In the Babylonian Talmud the Rabbis have related that there was once a family in Jerusalem the members of which died off regularly at eighteen years of age. Rabbi Jochanan ben Zacchai shrewdly guessed that they were descendants of Eli, regarding whom it is said (1Sa. 2:33), And all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age; and he accordingly advised them to devote themselves to the study of the Law, as the certain and only means of neutralising the curse. They acted upon the advice of the Rabbi; their lives were in consequence prolonged; and they thenceforth went by the name of their spiritual father.Rosh Hashanah, fol. 18, Colossians 1.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
33. And the man of thine The meaning is, I will not cut off all thy posterity from the altar service, but there will be always remaining some, who shall witness in sorrow and grief the fulfilment of this judgment against the house of their father. Ahitub, the grandson of Eli, seems to have succeeded him in the priesthood, (1Sa 14:3😉 after him Ahimelech, (1Sa 22:11,) and next Abiathar, whom Solomon thrust out of the priesthood in fulfilment of this prophecy. 1Ki 2:27. Eli’s eyes and heart were thus consumed in the posterity that succeeded him. none of whom lived to old age, but all died in the bloom of manhood. See still other woes foretold in 1Sa 2:36.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Sa 2:33 And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.
Ver. 33. Shall be to consume thine eyes. ] Should be so; couldst thou live so long, thou wouldst even weep thyself blind, and thy heart would fall asunder like drops of water.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
thine. Septuagint reads “his”.
grieve. Hebrew. ‘adab. Occurs only here.
heart = soul. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.
in the flower of their age. Septuagint reads “with the sword of men”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
to consume: 1Sa 22:21-23, 1Ki 1:7, 1Ki 1:19, 1Ki 2:26, 1Ki 2:27, Mat 2:16-18
in the flower: etc. Heb. men
Reciprocal: Gen 44:34 – lest Lev 26:16 – consume 1Sa 22:20 – escaped Psa 78:64 – priests Jer 20:4 – thine Amo 6:9 – if 1Co 7:36 – the flower
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 2:33. The man of thine That is, of thy posterity. Shall be to grieve thy heart Shall be so forlorn and miserable, that if thou wast alive to see it, it would grieve thee at the heart, and thou wouldst consume thine eyes with weeping for their calamities. The increase of thy house That is, thy children. Flower of their age About the thirtieth year of their age, when they were to be admitted to the full administration of their office.