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Eli

Eli was the high priest and judge of Israel who ministered at the tabernacle in Shiloh.

The name Eli means “Eli, my God, my God”

MaleHigh PriestTribe of LeviUnited Monarchy eraOld Testament2 books47 verses

Summary

A high priest living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1 Samuel 1:3; only referred to as Eli (עֵלִי); father of Hophni, Phinehas.

Profile

Eli was Israel’s chief priest at the tabernacle in Shiloh, the central place of worship during the time of the judges. Eli likely descended from Ithamar, Aaron’s youngest son (see 1 Kings 2:27; 1 Chronicles 18:16; 24:3). Eli was sincere and devout, but he struggled to discipline his wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas.

When Eli met Hannah at the tabernacle, he wrongly thought she was drunk because she prayed silently for a child. After realizing his mistake, Eli blessed Hannah. God answered her prayer by giving her a son named Samuel.

Samuel gained favor with the Lord and the people (1 Samuel 2:26). But Eli's sons were disrespectful and dishonest (1 Samuel 2:12). They stole from offerings and seduced women serving at the tabernacle. When Eli scolded them, they ignored him. God sent a prophet to criticize Eli's weakness and his sons' wrongdoing, announcing that God would remove the priesthood from Eli's family (1 Samuel 2:27–36). This message was confirmed when God spoke to Samuel one night, telling him that he would soon punish Eli's family (1 Samuel 3:1–14).

Soon after, Israel's army lost a battle to the Philistines, the ark of the covenant was captured, and Eli's sons died (1 Samuel 4:1–11). When Eli, who was ninety-eight years old, heard the news, he fell backward, broke his neck, and died (1 Samuel 4:12–18). His daughter-in-law went into labor and died while giving birth to Eli's grandson, named Ichabod (meaning "where is the glory?," because the glory had left Israel (1 Samuel 4:19–22).

Eli's family continued serving as priests until King David died. Abiathar was the last of Eli's descendants to serve as chief priest. Solomon removed Abiathar from being priest because Abiathar had supported Adonijah, who tried to become king instead of Solomon. Solomon then made Zadok the chief priest (1 Kings 2:27).

Passages for Further Study

1 Samuel 1:9–18, 25–28; 1 Samuel 2:11–4:22; 1 Kings 2:27

Events

Dates are approximate

Glossary entries

Eli

Family members

Father

Unnamed#4

Children

Hophni Phinehas

Alternative names

Mentions

Includes 17 verses that refer to Eli without naming them, as “he”, “she”, or the subject of a verb.

  1. 1 Samuel 1:3
    Year after year Elkanah would go up from his city to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD.
  2. 1 Samuel 1:9
    So after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.
  3. 1 Samuel 1:12
    As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth.
  4. 1 Samuel 1:13
    Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk
  5. 1 Samuel 1:14
    …and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!”
  6. 1 Samuel 1:17
    “Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him.”
  7. 1 Samuel 1:18Referred to, not named
    “May your maidservant find favor with you,” said Hannah. Then she went on her way, and she began to eat, and her face was no longer downcast.
  8. 1 Samuel 1:25
    And when they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.
  9. 1 Samuel 1:28Referred to, not named
    I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.
  10. 1 Samuel 2:11
    Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.
  11. 1 Samuel 2:12
    Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD
  12. 1 Samuel 2:20
    And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she dedicated to the LORD.” Then they would go home.
  13. 1 Samuel 2:22
    Now Eli was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
  14. 1 Samuel 2:23Referred to, not named
    “Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people.
  15. 1 Samuel 2:24Referred to, not named
    No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people.
  16. 1 Samuel 2:27
    Then a man of God came to Eli and told him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh’s house?
  17. 1 Samuel 2:28Referred to, not named
    And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the food offerings of the Israelites.
  18. 1 Samuel 2:29Referred to, not named
    Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’
  19. 1 Samuel 2:30Referred to, not named
    Therefore, 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.
  20. 1 Samuel 2:31Referred to, not named
    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.
  21. 1 Samuel 2:32Referred to, not named
    You 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.
  22. 1 Samuel 2:33Referred to, not named
    And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, I will cause your eyes to fail and your heart to grieve. All your descendants will die by the sword of men.
  23. 1 Samuel 2:34Referred to, not named
    And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.
  24. 1 Samuel 2:36Referred to, not named
    And everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread, pleading, “Please appoint me to some priestly office so that I can eat a piece of bread.”’”
  25. 1 Samuel 3:1
    And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare, and visions were scarce.
  26. 1 Samuel 3:2
    And at that time Eli, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room.
  27. 1 Samuel 3:5
    He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
  28. 1 Samuel 3:6
    Once again the LORD called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”
  29. 1 Samuel 3:8
    Once again, for the third time, the LORD called to Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy.
  30. 1 Samuel 3:9
    “Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
  31. 1 Samuel 3:12
    On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his house, from beginning to end.
  32. 1 Samuel 3:13Referred to, not named
    I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.
  33. 1 Samuel 3:14
    Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
  34. 1 Samuel 3:15
    Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
  35. 1 Samuel 3:16
    …but Eli called to him and said, “Samuel, my son.” “Here I am,” answered Samuel.
  36. 1 Samuel 3:17Referred to, not named
    “What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”
  37. 1 Samuel 3:18Referred to, not named
    So Samuel told him everything and did not hide a thing from him. “He is the LORD,” replied Eli. “Let Him do what is good in His eyes.”
  38. 1 Samuel 4:4
    So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
  39. 1 Samuel 4:11
    The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
  40. 1 Samuel 4:13
    When he arrived, there was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out.
  41. 1 Samuel 4:14
    Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?” So the man hurried over and reported to Eli.
  42. 1 Samuel 4:15
    Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his gaze was fixed because he could not see.
  43. 1 Samuel 4:16
    “I have just come from the battle,” the man said to Eli. “I fled from there today.” “What happened, my son?” Eli asked.
  44. 1 Samuel 4:17Referred to, not named
    The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
  45. 1 Samuel 4:18Referred to, not named
    As soon as the ark of God was mentioned, Eli fell backward from his chair by the city gate, and being old and heavy, he broke his neck and died. And Eli had judged Israel forty years.
  46. 1 Samuel 14:3
    …including Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was the son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli the priest of the LORD in Shiloh. But the troops did not know that Jonathan had left.
  47. 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.