Then a man of God came to Eli and told himA "man of God" often refers to a prophet or someone sent by God to deliver a message. This indicates divine authority and the seriousness of the message. Eli, the high priest, is the recipient, highlighting his spiritual responsibility. Prophets were common in Israel to guide and correct leaders, as seen with Nathan and David (2 Samuel 12).
This is what the LORD says
The phrase signifies a direct message from God, emphasizing its importance and authenticity. It is a common prophetic introduction, seen throughout the Old Testament, such as in the messages of Isaiah and Jeremiah. It underscores the divine origin of the message and the expectation of obedience.
Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father’s house
This refers to God's self-revelation to the house of Levi, from which Eli descends. It recalls God's covenantal relationship with Israel and the priestly duties assigned to Levi's descendants. The clarity of God's revelation implies that Eli's household had a clear understanding of their responsibilities and the consequences of disobedience.
when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh’s house?
This alludes to the time of Israel's bondage in Egypt, a foundational period in Israelite history. It reminds Eli of God's deliverance and the establishment of the Levitical priesthood during the Exodus. The reference to Pharaoh's house underscores the contrast between God's faithfulness and the oppression of Egypt, highlighting the gravity of Eli's household's failure to uphold their divine calling.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
EliThe high priest of Israel at the time, serving at Shiloh. He was responsible for the spiritual leadership of Israel but failed to restrain his sons, who were corrupt.
2.
Man of GodAn unnamed prophet sent by God to deliver a message of judgment to Eli. Prophets were often used by God to communicate His will and warnings to His people.
3.
The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant God of Israel, who had revealed Himself to Eli's ancestors and established the priesthood.
4.
Eli’s Father’s HouseRefers to the lineage of Aaron, the first high priest, and the Levitical priesthood established by God during the Exodus from Egypt.
5.
Egypt under Pharaoh’s HouseThe historical context of Israel's bondage in Egypt, from which God delivered them, establishing a covenant relationship and setting apart the tribe of Levi for priestly duties.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Faithful LeadershipEli’s failure to discipline his sons serves as a warning about the consequences of neglecting spiritual responsibilities. Leaders are called to uphold God’s standards and guide others in righteousness.
God’s Faithfulness and Human ResponsibilityGod had revealed Himself to Eli’s ancestors and established a covenant. This underscores the faithfulness of God and the responsibility of His people to live in accordance with His commands.
The Role of ProphetsThe unnamed man of God demonstrates how God uses prophets to call His people back to faithfulness and warn them of impending judgment. This highlights the importance of heeding God’s messengers.
Consequences of DisobedienceEli’s account illustrates that disobedience and neglect of God’s commands can lead to severe consequences, not only for individuals but for their descendants.
God’s Sovereignty in JudgmentThe passage reminds us that God is sovereign and just in His judgments. He holds His people accountable, especially those in positions of spiritual authority.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 2:27?
2.How does 1 Samuel 2:27 illustrate God's communication through prophets to His people?
3.What role does the "man of God" play in delivering God's message here?
4.How does 1 Samuel 2:27 connect with God's covenant promises in Exodus?
5.What can we learn about accountability to God from 1 Samuel 2:27?
6.How should we respond when God sends correction through others, as in 1 Samuel 2:27?
7.What is the significance of the unnamed prophet in 1 Samuel 2:27?
8.How does 1 Samuel 2:27 challenge the authority of Eli's priesthood?
9.Why does God send a prophet instead of speaking directly in 1 Samuel 2:27?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 1 Samuel 2?
11.Who was Abiathar in the Bible?
12.In Deuteronomy 17:8–12, what ensures that the priests and judges—rather than impartial authorities—aren’t abusing their power when settling disputes?
13.1 Samuel 3:13 – Why would God hold Eli accountable for his sons’ misconduct rather than act directly to prevent their corruption?
14.1 Samuel 3:7 - How could a child with no prior knowledge of God accurately identify and respond to a supernatural voice?What Does 1 Samuel 2:27 Mean
Then a man of God came to EliThe scene opens with an unnamed “man of God,” a title Scripture reserves for prophets who carry God’s word (1 Kings 13:1;2 Kings 23:17). His anonymity keeps the focus on the message, not the messenger.
• God often raises an unexpected voice when spiritual leaders drift (Judges 6:8–10).
• Eli, serving as high priest at Shiloh, is confronted in his own sanctuary—proof that no position shields a person from the Lord’s correction (James 2:1).
• The visit underscores God’s mercy; He warns before He judges (Amos 3:7).
and told himThe prophet does not speak casually but delivers a burden.
• Prophetic confrontation is personal: “told him,” not merely preached in general (Galatians 2:11–14).
• Eli’s advanced age (1 Samuel 4:18) shows that accountability never expires.
• God addresses leaders first because their influence shapes others (Luke 12:48).
“This is what the LORD says”A familiar prophetic formula anchors the message in divine authority.
• It distinguishes human opinion from God’s revealed will (Isaiah 55:8–11).
• By citing the covenant name “LORD” (YHWH), the prophet reminds Eli of the relational bond Israel enjoys with the Redeemer who keeps covenant love (Exodus 3:15).
• Acceptance or rejection of the words equates to acceptance or rejection of God Himself (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father’s houseGod replays history to expose present failure. “Your father’s house” refers to the priestly line of Aaron, Levi’s descendant (Exodus 28:1).
• Revelation was “clear,” leaving no room for Eli to plead ignorance (Deuteronomy 29:29).
• The privilege of revelation carries weighty responsibility—priests were to teach and model holiness (Leviticus 10:10–11;Malachi 2:4–8).
• By tracing the heritage, God emphasizes continuity: the same holy standards apply across generations (Psalm 145:4).
when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh’s house?The reminder reaches back to Israel’s darkest oppression to spotlight God’s faithfulness.
• In Egypt, God distinguished the Levites for service (Numbers 3:12–13); their calling began before the Exodus miracles.
• Pharaoh’s tyrannical “house” contrasts with God’s liberating presence—an implicit rebuke to Eli for allowing his own sons to profane sacred duties (1 Samuel 2:12–17, 22–25).
• Revisiting Egypt highlights grace: the God who delivers from bondage expects grateful obedience (Exodus 19:4–6;Romans 12:1).
summary1 Samuel 2:27 introduces a prophetic indictment by rehearsing sacred history. God sends an unnamed messenger to confront Eli, grounding every word in divine authority. By recalling how He revealed Himself to the priestly line while they suffered in Egypt, the Lord stresses both the privilege and responsibility of spiritual leadership. Eli’s family, blessed with clear revelation and a holy calling, has no excuse for current corruption. The verse teaches that God’s past faithfulness demands present faithfulness from His servants, and He will hold them accountable when they stray.
(27)
There came a man of God.--Of this messenger of the Highest, whom, from his peculiar title, and also from the character of his communication, we must regard as one of the order of prophets, we know nothing. He appears suddenly on the scene at Shiloh, nameless and--as far as we know--homeless, delivers his message of doom, and disappears.
The term "man of God" we find applied to Moses and to different prophets some forty or more times in the Books of Judges, Samuel, and Kings. It occurs, though but rarely, in Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, and in the prophetical books only once.
Until the sudden appearance of this "man of God," no mention of a prophet in the story of Israel had been made since the days of Deborah.
Did I plainly appear . . .--The interrogations in this Divine message do not ask a question with a view to a reply, but simply emphatically appeal to Eli's conscience. To these questions respecting well-known facts the old man would reply with a silent "Yes." The "house of thy father" refers to the house of Aaron, the first high priest, from whom, through Ithamar, the fourth son of Aaron, Eli was descended.
The Talmud has a beautiful note on this passage:--Rabbi Shimon ben Yochi said, "Come and see how beloved Israel is by the Holy One! Blessed be He! Wherever they are banished, there the Shekinah is with them; as it is said (1Samuel 2:27): 'Did I (God) plainly appear unto the house of thy fathers when they were in Egypt?' &c. When they were banished to Babylon, the Shekinah was with them; as it is said (Isaiah 43:14): 'For your sakes was I sent to Babylon.' And when they will be redeemed the Shekinah will be with them; as it is said (Deuteronomy 30:3): 'Then the Lord thy God will return with thy captivity;' it is not said, He will cause to return (transitively), but He will return (intransitively)."--TreatiseMeguillah,fol. 29, Colossians 1.
Verse 27. -
There came a man of God. The title
man of God is the usual appellation of a prophet in the books of Judges, Samuel, and Kings, and as such is applied by Manoah to the angel who appeared to him (
Judges 13:6, 8). Though the recorded interpositions of the Deity in those times were generally by angels, still the readiness with which Manoah gave his visitant this title makes it probable that prophets did appear from time to time; and the mission of one, though, as here, without a name, is recorded in
Judges 6:8. As regards the date of this visitation of the man of God, we find that Eli was ninety-eight years of age when the ark was captured (
1 Samuel 4:15). At that time Samuel was not merely a man, but one whose reputation was established throughout the whole land, and who was probably regarded not merely as a prophet, but as Eli's successor in the office of judge (
1 Samuel 3:19, 20). But Eli was "very old" (
1 Samuel 2:22) when he rebuked his sons, probably between seventy and eighty, for Samuel is then called a child (ver. 26); whereas he can scarcely have been much less than thirty years of age when the Philistines destroyed Shiloh. In
1 Samuel 8:1-3, when the misconduct of Samuel's own sons led to the revival of the agitation for a king, he is himself described as already "old;" but as he lived on till nearly the end of Saul s reign, he could not at that time have been much
more than sixty. Even when God spake by him to Eli he is still described as a boy,
na'ar (
1 Samuel 3:1), though the higher position to which he had attained, as is proved by his duties, would lead to the conclusion that he was then verging on manhood. As some time would naturally elapse between two such solemn warnings, we may feel sure that the visit of the man of God occurred shortly after Samuel s dedication. Then, as Eli neglected the warning, and the wickedness of his sons grew more inveterate, some eight or ten years afterwards the warning was repeated in sharper tones by the voice of his own youthful attendant. Meanwhile Eli seems himself to have grown in personal piety, but he could do nothing now for his sons. Past eighty years of age, the time of activity had gone by, and resignation was the sole virtue that was left for him to practise. And so the warning given by the mouth of Samuel is stern and final. Ten or fifteen more years must elapse before the ruin came. But the gloom was deepening; the Philistines were increasing in power, and the valour of Israel was decaying as its morality declined; then there was a short violent crash, and the house of Eli met its doom. The prophet begins by enumerating Jehovah's mercies to "the house of thy father," that is, the whole family of Aaron, in selecting them for the priesthood (on the choice of the house of Aaron, see
Exodus 28, 29.), and in richly endowing the office with so large a portion of every sacrifice. These portions are termed literally
firings, or fire sacrifices, but the term soon became general, and in
Leviticus 24:7, 9 is applied even to the shew bread. Added then to the tithes, and to the cities with their suburbs given them to inhabit, this share of every sacrifice gave the house of Aaron great wealth, and with it they had also high rank. There was no one above them in Israel except the kings. In Sparta we find that one of the endowments of the kings was the skins of animals offered in sacrifice (Herod., 6:56). Why then do Eli and his sons, who benefit so greatly by them, "kick at Jehovah's sacrifices and offerings?" The word is taken from
Deuteronomy 32:15, and refers to the efforts of a pampered steer violently to shake off the yoke. Eli's sons treat the ordinances which have raised them to rank, and given them wealth and power, as if they were an injury and wrong. And Eli, instead of removing them from the office which they disgraced, preferred the ties of relationship to his duty to God and the moral welfare of the people.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Then a manאִישׁ־(’îš-)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 376:A man as an individual, a male personof Godאֱלֹהִ֖ים(’ĕ·lō·hîm)Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430:gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlativecameוַיָּבֹ֥א(way·yā·ḇō)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935:To come in, come, go in, gotoאֶל־(’el-)Preposition
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, toEliעֵלִ֑י(‘ê·lî)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5941:Eli -- a priest at Shilohand toldוַיֹּ֣אמֶר(way·yō·mer)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559:To utter, sayhim,אֵלָ֗יו(’ê·lāw)Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, to“This is whatכֹּ֚ה(kōh)Adverb
Strong's 3541:Like this, thus, here, nowthe LORDיְהוָ֔ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israelsays:אָמַ֣ר(’ā·mar)Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559:To utter, say‘Did I not clearly reveal Myselfהֲנִגְלֹ֤ה(hă·niḡ·lōh)Verb - Nifal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 1540:To denude, to exile, to revealtoאֶל־(’el-)Preposition
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, toyour father'sאָבִ֔יךָ(’ā·ḇî·ḵā)Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1:Fatherhouseבֵּ֣ית(bêṯ)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004:A housewhen they wereבִּֽהְיוֹתָ֥ם(bih·yō·w·ṯām)Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1961:To fall out, come to pass, become, bein Egyptבְּמִצְרַ֖יִם(bə·miṣ·ra·yim)Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714:Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africaunder Pharaoh'sפַּרְעֹֽה׃(par·‘ōh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6547:Pharaoh -- a title of Egypt kingshouse?לְבֵ֥ית(lə·ḇêṯ)Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004:A house
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OT History: 1 Samuel 2:27 There came a man of God to (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa) 
