Bible Questions and Answer

Eli was the high priest at Shiloh, but his sons Hophni and Phinehas were corrupt. They stole from sacrifices and slept with women serving at the tabernacle, and Eli didn't stop them. A man of God came to Eli and said his family would lose the priesthood and no one in it would live to old age. As a sign, both his sons would die on the same day. God said, "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest." Soon after, the Philistines defeated Israel, captured the ark, and Hophni and Phinehas were both killed that day. When Eli heard, he fell backward and died. Later, King Saul massacred the priests of Nob, who were Eli's descendants, and only Abiathar escaped. Decades later, Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood, and 1 Kings 2:27 says this fulfilled "the word the LORD had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli." Zadok's family became the leading priests instead. It took over a hundred years, but it happened.