Eli: 1. Ascent, the high priest when the ark was at Shiloh
(1 Samuel 1:3,9)
He was the first of the line of Ithamar, Aaron's fourth son(1 Chronicles 24:3) comp.
(2 Samuel 8:17) who held that office. The office
remained in 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
(1 Kings 2:35). 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
(1 Samuel 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)
2. Eli, Heb. eli, "my God",
(Matthew 27:46) an exclamation used by
Christ on the cross. Mark
(Mark 15:34) as usual, gives the
original Aramaic form of the word, Eloi.
