I Samuel 2:24 · Bible study
1 Samuel 2:24 Commentary: Eli's Weak Rebuke
Hebrew · 5 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Eli's gentle 'No, my sons' reveals the failure of soft leadership in the face of grave sin. A study for pastors and students.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Eli rebukes his sons for causing the Lord’s people to sin, but his gentle words reveal his weakness as a leader.
- Key words: ʼal (not, no); shĕmu‛ah (report, news); ma‛avirim (causing to transgress, participle Hiphil).
- Main debate: Is Eli’s gentleness a proper fatherly approach or a sinful failure? Most commentators call it inadequate.
- Theological theme: Leadership failure and corporate sin; the responsibility of shepherds to protect the flock from corrupting influences.
- Best use: A warning for spiritual leaders about the danger of soft confrontation and the communal impact of unchecked sin.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people.
WEB World English Bible 2000
No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear! You make Yahweh’s people disobey.
KJV King James Version 1769
Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people to transgress.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make Jehovah’s people to transgress.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Nay, my sons; for the report which I am hearing is not good causing the people of Jehovah to transgress. --
Darby Darby Bible 1890
No, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear: ye make Jehovah's people transgress.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Do not so, my sons: for it is no good report that I hear, that you make the people of the Lord to transgress.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
No, hijos míos; porque no es buena fama la que yo oigo: que hacéis pecar al pueblo de Jehová.
Não, filhos meus; porque não é boa fama a que eu ouço: que fazeis pecar ao povo do SENHOR.
Non, mes enfants, ce que j’ entends dire n’ est pas bon; vous faites pécher le peuple de l’ Éternel.
Nicht, meine Kinder, das ist nicht ein gutes Gerücht, das ich höre. Ihr macht des HERRN Volk übertreten.
Niet, mijn zonen; want dit is geen goed gerucht, dat ik hoor; gij maakt, dat het volk des HEEREN overtreedt.
Non fate così, figliuoli miei, poiché quel che odo di voi non è buono; voi inducete a trasgressione il popolo di Dio.
Nie tak synowie moi; bo nie dobra sława, którą ja słyszę, że przywodzicie ku przestępstwu lud Pański.
Нет, дети мои, нехороша молва, которую я слышу [о вас, не делайте так, ибо нехороша молва, которую я слышу]; вы развращаете народ Господень;
我兒啊，不可這樣！ 我 聽見 你們的風聲 不 好，你們使耶和華 的百姓 犯了罪。
No, my sons, the account which is given me, which the Lord's people are sending about, is not good.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Samuel 2:24
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Eli’s rebuke in this verse is strikingly gentle given the severity of his sons’ sins. Gill states outright that calling them “my sons” is “too soft and smooth an appellation” for men guilty of theft from offerings and sexual immorality at the sanctuary. Keil and Delitzsch note the syntax of the Hebrew, the participle ma‛avirim (causing to transgress) is left indefinite, emphasizing the public nature of the offense: the sons are making Yahweh’s people sin. Both Matthew Henry and the Geneva Bible highlight that Eli merely scolds rather than removes them from office. The consensus is that this weak, verbal-only response failed to stop the sin and set the stage for God’s judgment on Eli’s house.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Weak leadership view: Eli's gentle words show his failure to act; his inaction brought judgment (1 Sam 3:13).
- Paternal affection view: A father naturally addresses his sons gently, even when rebuking; the fault lies in their refusal to listen (v.25).
- Communal sin view: The phrase 'make Yahweh's people disobey' stresses that the sons caused widespread corruption, not just personal sin.
What is clear: The sons were sinning grievously, their actions affected the whole congregation, and Eli's verbal rebuke did not stop them.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Eli's address 'my sons' | The term expresses paternal affection and Eli's awareness of the relationship. | Gill and others see it as too kind for the offence; some defend it as a normal form of rebuke. |
| Eli's leadership failure | Eli did not stop his sons from sinning despite knowing about it. | Some attribute this to old age and weakness; others see it as complicity or misplaced loyalty. |
| Meaning of 'make transgress' (ma‛avirim) | The sons actively caused the people to sin or to be led astray. | Does it mean they caused people to sin by bad example (majority) or to cry out in protest (Gill's marginal note)? Or both? |
| The nature of the sons' sins | They included theft of sacrificial meat and sexual immorality (v.22). | Whether the women at the Tent were cultic servants or ordinary worshippers is unclear. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Eli is very old (v.22), serving as high priest and judge at Shiloh, the central sanctuary of Israel. His sons Hophni and Phinehas abused their priestly office: they forcibly took sacrificial meat before the fat was burned (vv.13, 16) and slept with women who served at the Tent of Meeting (v.22). These sins were not private, the report was “from all these people” (v.23). In saying “you make Yahweh’s people disobey,” Eli acknowledges that his sons are leading the covenant community into sin by example and coercion. The verb ma‛avirim (Hiphil participle of ‛avar) means “cause to cross over,” implying a deliberate leading into transgression. This mirrors the pattern of Jeroboam, who “made Israel to sin” (1 Kings 15:30). Moses confronted Aaron sharply after the golden calf (Exodus 32:21), asking what brought a great sin on the people. Eli, by contrast, only offers a mild protest. The sanctuary at Shiloh, meant to be a place of holiness and instruction, had become a source of corruption. This failure of leadership at the highest level contributes to the spiritual decline that leads to the loss of the ark in chapter 4.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse.
Reception History
This verse has been cited across Christian history as a caution against weak leadership. Matthew Henry and the Geneva Bible use it to warn parents and pastors about the danger of insufficient discipline. Gill calls Eli’s address “too soft and smooth” for the sin. In Jewish tradition, the verse contributes to the indictment of Eli’s household. It continues to appear in sermons and studies on accountability in ministry, especially regarding the need to confront sin decisively.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The gravity of sin in leadership, Hophni and Phinehas abused their power, stealing from worshippers and defiling the sanctuary. Their sin was not private; it caused others to sin.
- The danger of gentle rebuke, Eli’s “No, my sons” is paternal but not judicial. He confronts sin but does not stop it. This teaches that words alone are not enough when action is needed.
- The cost of inaction, Because Eli did not discipline his sons, God’s judgment fell on his entire house (1 Sam 3:13, 14). Weak leadership has corporate consequences.
Five-point outline
- Sin is not private, Reports circulate among the people (v.23).
- Leaders affect the whole community, The sons make Yahweh’s people transgress.
- Eli’s example of weak correction, He calls them sons, not sinners.
- The people are drawn into sin, The verb ma‛avirim implies active causation.
- God’s eventual judgment, Because Eli honored his sons above God (1 Sam 2:29), the priesthood was removed from his line.
Illustration hooks
- A coach who overlooks a star player’s rule-breaking because the team needs to win.
- A parent who warns a teenager about dangerous behavior but never enforces consequences.
- A church board that ignores financial impropriety to avoid conflict with a beloved member.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why didn’t God punish Eli immediately instead of waiting?
- How can we confront sin in leadership without damaging church unity?
- What does this passage teach about the power of example, good and bad?
Leading a Discussion
Eli’s failure is not just his sons’ sin but his response. This verse forces us to ask: Do we address sin directly, or do we settle for soft words? The report was bad enough to reach all Israel, yet Eli only says “No, my sons.” The same gentle tone that may express a father’s love becomes a failure of leadership when the sin is public and dangerous.
Discussion questions
- What do you observe about Eli’s tone in this verse? Why does he call them “my sons”?
- How does the description of the sons’ sins in the surrounding context (vv.12, 17, 22) help you understand the seriousness of what Eli heard?
- What does the phrase “you make Yahweh’s people disobey” suggest about the consequences of bad leadership?
- Compare Eli’s rebuke with Moses’ confrontation of Aaron in Exodus 32:21. What difference do you see?
- Why do you think Eli did not remove his sons from their priestly duties?
- In what areas of church or family life are we tempted to use gentle words when stronger action is needed?
- What does this verse teach about God’s concern for the purity of His worship and the holiness of His people?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 32:21 | Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great sin on them?” |
| I Samuel 2:17 | The sin of the young men was very great before Yahweh; for the men despised Yahweh’s offering. |
| I Samuel 2:22 | Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they slept with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting. |
| I Kings 13:18 | He said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are; and an angel spoke to me by Yahweh’s word, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” He lied to him. |
| I Kings 13:21 | and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Yahweh says, ‘Because you have been disobedient to Yahweh’s word, and have not kept the commandment which Yahweh your God commanded you, |
| I Kings 15:30 | for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and with which he made Israel to sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger. |
| II Kings 10:31 | But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He didn’t depart from the sins of Jeroboam, with which he made Israel to sin. |
| Malachi 2:8 | But you have turned away from the path. You have caused many to stumble in the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
5 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that the sons'
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that Eli's gentle address "my sons" was far too mild for such grave sins. They deserved to be called sons of Belial, not sons of Eli. Their offenses included robbing offerings, debauching women at worship, and causing the people to sin by their bad example.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that the verb "cause to transgress" needs no extra object because the surrounding story supplies the meaning. They reject readings that weaken the sons' direct guilt, insisting Eli's complaint clearly charges them with leading God's people into sin.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that Samuel, though only a Levite, received an essentially priestly calling, shown by his linen ephod. In sharp contrast to Eli's sons, who corrupted the sanctuary and despised God's offerings, Samuel served before the Lord in true fellowship. This marks him as God's chosen instrument to replace a priesthood that had become unworthy.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry contrasts young Samuel's faithful ministry in the sanctuary with Eli's sons, who were wicked and profaned the offerings. While the sons abused their priestly position, Samuel grew in favor with God and man. God also blessed Hannah with more children, showing He never forgets what is lent to Him.