No, my sons
This phrase is a direct address from Eli, the high priest, to his sons, Hophni and Phinehas. The Hebrew word for "sons" is "בָּנִים" (banim), which not only denotes a biological relationship but also implies a responsibility for guidance and correction. Eli's use of "No" indicates a strong disapproval and a call to attention. In the context of ancient Israel, a father's role was to instruct and discipline his children in the ways of the Lord, making this rebuke both a familial and spiritual duty.

it is not a good report
The term "report" in Hebrew is "שְׁמוּעָה" (shemu'ah), which can mean news or rumor. The phrase "not a good report" suggests a reputation that is damaging and contrary to the expected conduct of those serving in the temple. In the historical context, the priests were expected to uphold the highest standards of moral and spiritual integrity. The negative report about Eli's sons reflects their failure to live up to these expectations, which is a serious matter given their positions.

that I hear circulating
The word "circulating" implies that the report is widespread and known among the people. The Hebrew root "סָבַב" (sabab) means to go around or surround, indicating that the news of their misconduct is pervasive. This suggests a public scandal, which would have been particularly grievous in a society where communal reputation and honor were paramount. The fact that Eli hears this report underscores the gravity of the situation, as it has reached even the ears of the high priest.

among the LORD’s people
The phrase "the LORD’s people" refers to the Israelites, who were in a covenant relationship with God. The Hebrew term for "people" is "עַם" (am), which signifies a collective identity bound by shared faith and divine promise. The misconduct of Eli's sons is not just a personal failing but a breach of the sacred trust placed in them as leaders among God's chosen people. This highlights the communal impact of their actions and the potential to lead others astray, emphasizing the need for accountability and righteousness in leadership.

(24) Ye make the Lord's people to transgress.--The life led by the priests publicly in the sanctuary, with their evident scornful unbelief in the divinely established holy ordinances on the one hand, and their unblushing immorality on the other, corrupted the inner religious life of the whole people.

Verses 24, 25. - Ye make, etc. Eli's words are very obscure, but "Ye make Jehovah's people to transgress" is upon the whole the best rendering of the clause. Both the Sept. and Syriac have a different reading: "Ye make Jehovah's people cease to worship him" In the next verse there is no sufficient reason for supposing that Elohim, God, here means a judge. Elohim was the head of the theocracy, the ruler of Israel in all things, and he would set to rights these delinquencies of "one man against another" by the ordinary exercise of his judicial functions. So far all is easy, and we must translate, "If one man sin against another, God shall judge him." But in the last clause there is one of those plays upon words to which the Hebrew language, with its numerous conjugations, so readily lends itself (see on 1 Samuel 1:28); and it is rarely possible to transfer to another language the force of passages in which the sense depends upon the terms in the original having a double meaning. The verb rendered shall judge in the first clause is used again by Eli in the second, but in a different conjugation, in which its usual meaning is to pray. According to the lexicon, therefore, we must translate: "If a man sin against Jehovah, who shall pray for him?" But surely it was just the occasion in which the only remedy left was intercessory prayer. Bearing then in remembrance the use made by Eli of the verb in the first clause, we must translate: "Who shall act as judge for him?" "Who shall interpose as arbitrator between him and Jehovah to settle the quarrel?" The verb itself, moreover, is a rare and old-fashioned one, and apparently means to settle a dispute. So it is used of Phinehas, who by his righteous zeal put an end to the rebellion against God's laws; and accordingly in Psalm 106:30, where our version renders "executed judgment," the, Vulgate has placavit, appeased Jehovah s anger. The sense then is, In case of wrong done between man and man, God as the supreme Arbitrator settles the dispute; but where the two parties are God and man, what third power is there which can interfere? The quarrel must go on to the bitter end, and God, who is your opponent, will also punish you. The same idea is found in Job 9:33. Naturally to so mild a remonstrance, and founded upon so low a view of the Divine nature, the sons of Eli paid but slight attention, and by thus hardening themselves in sin they made their punishment inevitable, "because it pleased Jehovah to slay them." Man can bring upon himself neither good nor evil except by the working of God's will, and the punishment of sin is as thoroughly a part of God's will as the rewarding of righteousness. An intense conviction of the personality of God was the very foundation of the religious life of the Israelites, and lies at the root of the words of Eli here and of those of Job; and it was this which made them ascribe to God that hardening of the wicked in sin which is the sure means of their punishment. We ascribe it to the working of natural laws, which after all is but saying the same thing in a round about way; for the laws of nature, in things moral as well as in the physical world, are the laws of God. In ver. 26, in contrast with Eli's sons ripening for punishment, and daily more abhorred to God and man, we have Samuel set before us advancing in age and "in favour with Jehovah and also with men," like him of whom in so many respects he was a type (Luke 2:52), our blessed Lord.

CHAPTER 2:27-36 THE DIVINE JUDGMENT UPON ELI AND HIS HOUSE (vers. 27-36).

Parallel Commentaries ...

No,
אַ֖ל (’al)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

my sons;
בָּנָ֑י (bā·nāy)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1121: A son

[it is] not
לֽוֹא־ (lō·w-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

a good
טוֹבָ֤ה (ṭō·w·ḇāh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

report
הַשְּׁמֻעָה֙ (haš·šə·mu·‘āh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8052: Something heard, an announcement

I
אָנֹכִ֣י (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

hear
שֹׁמֵ֔עַ (šō·mê·a‘)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

circulating among
מַעֲבִרִ֖ים (ma·‘ă·ḇi·rîm)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

the LORD’s
יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

people.
עַם־ (‘am-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock


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OT History: 1 Samuel 2:24 No my sons (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)