Eli

Who is Eli?

Eli, whose name means “elevated” or “high,” is referred to by name thirty-three times in the Hebrew Bible. All but two references (1 Sam 14:3; 1 Kgs 2:27) occur within the narrative traditions of 1 Sam 1–4. What we know about Eli comes only from these biblical depictions. He is described as a judge and priest of Israel. He had two sons—Hophni and Phinehas—who were disloyal and perverse (1 Sam 2:12, 17, 22–23). Although he chided them (1 Sam 2:23–26), Eli did not adequately deal with the wickedness of his sons. According to a divine accusation, he honored his sons more than the Lord (1 Sam 2:29). At the end of Eli’s life, he is characterized as old, blind, and heavy (1 Sam 4:15, 18). This may explain why his neck broke from falling off his throne (1 Sam 4:18). Apart from the biblical portrayal, we currently lack extrabiblical evidence from early Iron Age sources to confirm or clarify the figure of Eli.

What was Eli’s role in Israel?

According to 1 Sam 4:18, Eli “judged” Israel for forty years. When we hear the word judge today, it is normal, indeed inevitable, to associate a judge with someone who handles legal cases and executes justice based on a legal code. The premonarchic “judges” (shopetim in Hebrew), however, were not primarily judges in the strictly legal sense. While adjudication may have been one component, their primary task was to protect and provide for their people as the chief authority of their respective locale. Simply put, Eli was a chieftain whose dynasty is referred to as the “house of Eli” (1 Sam 3:14; 1 Kgs 2:27).

Eli’s leadership as judge (chieftain) was manifested—at least in part—by his priestly role in the sanctuary at Shiloh (Khirbet Seilun). This doubling as judge and priest is a rarity in ancient Israel. As priest, Eli had special relations with God unavailable to the people who relied on Eli for his sacred powers and activities. For instance, the barren Hannah received the blessing of conception through Eli’s intercession (1 Sam 1:17, 20–21). In response to Eli’s sacred services, the people would bring tribute to Eli as an “offering for the Lord” (1 Sam 2:13–17).

How did early interpreters explain the fall of Eli’s house?

According to 1 Sam 2:27–36, Eli was condemned because he honored his sons more than the Lord. The narrative portrayal of Eli’s demise seeks to legitimize Samuel’s rise.

The story of Eli in the Samaritan Chronicle (henceforth, Sam Joshua), however, provides an alternative explanation. For the most part, Sam Joshua recounts early Israelite history from the emergence in the land of Canaan to the Babylonian exile. Although the earliest extant version dates between fourteenth and sixteenth centuries CE (in Arabic), Samaritans generally believe it preserves the authentic history of early Israel. According to Sam Joshua, Israel’s internal unity had begun to deteriorate during the reign of Uzzi, Eli’s cousin (Sam Joshua 41–42). At this unstable time, Eli broke from the established sanctuary and priesthood at Mount Gerizim (Deut 11:29; 27:11–13) to create his own priesthood at Shiloh (Sam Joshua 43).

Contrary to the depiction of Israel in the book of Judges, Sam Joshua paints a portrait of inner-Israelite harmony during the period of settlement in the land of Canaan. Israel faithfully upheld the statutes given by Joshua and Moses until the schism between Uzzi and Eli—a manifestation of Israel’s national decline. In the wake of Eli’s breach, Israel splintered into three factions: (1) worshippers of the Lord at Mount Gerizim; (2) worshippers of the Lord at Shiloh; and (3) worshippers of foreign deities at various sites (Sam Joshua 41). Thus, in Samaritan reception history, divine judgement falls upon Eli because he established an illegitimate priesthood and, by extension, illegitimate worship.