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;
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),
- BSB And at that time Eli, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room.
- 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 and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
- Gen 27:1And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.
- Gen 48:10Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
- Ps 90:10The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
- Gen 48:19And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
- Eccl 12:3In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
- 1 Sam 2:22Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
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.