Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.
Parallel translations
- WEB The sin of the young men was very great before Yahweh; for the men despised the offering of Yahweh.
- KJV Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
- BSB Thus the sin of these young men was severe in the sight of the LORD, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.
- NASB And so the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord disrespectfully.
- NLT So the sin of these young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The young men's sin was very great before the Lord, for they treated His offering with contempt. Their abuse provoked God's judgment.
Overview
The narrator's verdict is blunt: their sin was 'very great' in God's sight because they 'despised the offering of Yahweh.' To scorn the sacrifices was to scorn the God who gave them, and to turn people away from worship. This grave indictment prepares for the coming prophecy of judgment on Eli's house.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Mal 2:7–9For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Yahweh of Armies.
- Gen 6:11The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
- Mal 2:13This again you do: you cover Yahweh’s altar with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, because he doesn’t regard the offering any more, neither receives it with good will at your hand.
- Gen 13:13Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh.
- Ps 51:4Against you, and you only, I have sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight; that you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.
- Gen 10:9He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. Therefore it is said, “like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh”.
- 2 Kgs 21:6He made his son to pass through the fire, practiced sorcery, used enchantments, and dealt with those who had familiar spirits, and with wizards. He did much evil in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger.
- Isa 3:8For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen; because their tongue and their doings are against Yahweh, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
- Matt 18:7“Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 2:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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