And at that time Eli, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room.
Parallel translations
- WEB At that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see),
- KJV And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
- NKJV And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see,
- NASB But it happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to be poor and he could not see well),
- NLT One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed.
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
Aged Eli lay in his place with eyes grown dim. His failing sight pictures the dimness of his spiritual leadership.
Overview
Eli's physical blindness subtly mirrors his spiritual decline, as he had been dull to discern both Hannah's prayer and his sons' sin. The quiet, nighttime setting prepares for God's word to come not through the old priest but the young servant. The detail underscores that the light of revelation is about to shift to Samuel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Sam 4:15Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his gaze was fixed because he could not see.
- Gen 27:1When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” Esau replied.
- Gen 48:10Now Israel’s eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought his sons to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
- Ps 90:10The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
- Gen 48:19But his father refused. “I know, my son, I know!” he said. “He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”
- Eccl 12:3on the day the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men stoop, when those grinding cease because they are few and those watching through windows see dimly,
- 1 Sam 2:22Now 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.
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 3:2 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.