1 Samuel 2:32

You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God addresses Eli the priest, pronouncing judgment on his household after detailing his sons' corruption. The declaration occurs during a prophetic oracle concerning the misuse of the sanctuary.

The words — The Hebrew word צַר (tzar) denotes the distress or confinement observed in the sanctuary, while מָעוֹן (ma'on) literally means a dwelling place or habitation. Together they frame the location of the coming judgment.

The thread — This theme of failed longevity and divine rejection echoes in 1 Samuel 4:11, where Eli’s sons die and the ark is captured, and contrasts with Zechariah 8:4, which promises restored old age in Jerusalem. The judgment motif also aligns with Psalm 78:59, where God’s fury leads to the rejection of Israel.

Why it lands — The text states that despite Israel's blessings, Eli's line will permanently lose its priestly privilege and die young. It demands recognition that divine favor rests on covenant faithfulness, not lineage or office.

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

וְהִבַּטְתָּ֙ve./hib.ba.Taand/ you will look at צַ֣רtzar[the] distress of מָע֔וֹןma.'ona dwelling place בְּכֹ֥לbe./Kholin/ all אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-that יֵיטִ֖יבyei.Tivhe will do good to אֶת־'et-<obj.>יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'ElIsrael וְלֹֽא־ve./lo'-and/ not יִהְיֶ֥הyih.Yehhe will be זָקֵ֛ןza.Kenan old [man]בְּבֵיתְךָ֖be./vei.te./Khain/ house/ your כָּל־kol-all הַיָּמִֽים׃hai./ya.Mimthe/ days

King James Version

And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.

Cross-references

Zechariah 8:4 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Old men and old women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of great age.
1 Samuel 4:11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
Psalms 78:59 On hearing it, God was furious and rejected Israel completely.
1 Samuel 4:4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
1 Samuel 4:22 “The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “for the ark of God has been captured.”
1 Kings 2:26 Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”