Bible Strands
1 Samuel 2:17
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records God’s judgment against Eli’s corrupt sons during their tenure as priests. The assessment occurs while Samuel, still a boy, begins ministering before the LORD.
The words — חַטָּאת (cha.Tat) carries the literal sense [the] sin of, and גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד (ge.do.Lah me.'Od) means great very. Together they frame the magnitude of the offense before Yahweh.
The thread — This theme of grievous sin before God appears in Genesis 6:11 and Genesis 13:13. It contrasts with the priestly duty outlined in Malachi 2:7 to preserve knowledge and guide the people.
Why it lands — The text states that contempt for God’s offerings provokes severe divine judgment. It demands recognition that ritual abuse is a direct affront to God’s presence, not merely a procedural failure.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.
Cross-references
- Malachi 2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.
- Genesis 6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and full of violence.
- Genesis 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against the LORD.
- Malachi 2:13 And this is another thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and groaning, because He no longer regards your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands.
- Genesis 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; so it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.”
- 2 Kings 21:6 He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
- Psalms 51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.
- Isaiah 3:8 For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen because they spoke and acted against the LORD, defying His glorious presence.
- Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!