his family till the time of Abiathar (1 Kings 2:26, 27), whom Solomon
deposed, and appointed Zadok, of the family of Eleazar, in his stead (35).
He acted also as a civil judge in Israel after the death of Samson (1 Samuel
4:18), and judged Israel for forty years.
His sons Hophni and Phinehas grossly misconducted themselves, to the
great disgust of the people (1 Samuel 2:27-36). They were licentious
reprobates. He failed to reprove them so sternly as he ought to have done,
and so brought upon his house the judgment of God (2:22-33; 3:18). The
Israelites proclaimed war against the Philistines, whose army was
encamped at Aphek. The battle, fought a short way beyond Mizpeh,
ended in the total defeat of Israel. Four thousand of them fell in “battle
array”. They now sought safety in having the “ark of the covenant of the
Lord” among them. They fetched it from Shiloh, and Hophni and Phinehas
accompanied it. This was the first time since the settlement of Israel in
Canaan that the ark had been removed from the sanctuary. The Philistines
put themselves again in array against Israel, and in the battle which ensued
“Israel was smitten, and there was a very great slaughter.” The tidings of
this great disaster were speedily conveyed to Shiloh, about 20 miles
distant, by a messenger, a Benjamite from the army. There Eli sat outside
the gate of the sanctuary by the wayside, anxiously waiting for tidings
from the battle-field. The full extent of the national calamity was speedily
made known to him: “Israel is fled before the Philistines, there has also
been a great slaughter among the people, thy two sons Hophni and
Phinehas are dead, and the ark of God is taken” (1 Samuel 4:12-18). When
the old man, whose eyes were “stiffened” (i.e., fixed, as of a blind eye
unaffected by the light) with age, heard this sad story of woe, he fell
backward from off his seat and died, being ninety and eight years old. (See
ITHAMAR.)
Eli, Hebrews eli, “my God”, (Matthew 27:46), an exclamation used by
Christ on the cross. Mark (15:34), as usual, gives the original Aramaic
form of the word, Eloi.
- ELIAB to whom God is father. (1.) A Reubenite, son of Pallu (Numbers
16:1, 12; 26:8, 9; Deuteronomy 11:6).
(2.) A son of Helon, and chief of the tribe of Zebulun at the time of the
census in the wilderness (Numbers 1:9; 2:7).