30 "Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares , ' I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever e '; but now the Lord declares , 'Far be it from Me-for those who honor Me I will honor , and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed . 31 'Behold , the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father's house so that there will not be an old man in your house . 32 'You will see the distress of My dwelling , in spite of all the good that I do for Israel ; and an old man will not be in your house forever e . 33 'Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve , and all the increase of your house will die in the prime of life . 34 'This will be the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons , Hophni and Phinehas : on the same day both of them will die . 35 'But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul ; and I will build him an enduring house , and he will walk before My anointed always e . 36 'Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and say , "Please assign me to one of the priest's offices so that I may eat a piece of bread .""'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Samuel 2:30-36
Commentary on 1 Samuel 2:27-36
(Read 1 Samuel 2:27-36)
Those who allow their children in any evil way, and do not use their authority to restrain and punish them, in effect honour them more than God. Let Eli's example excite parents earnestly to strive against the beginnings of wickedness, and to train up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. In the midst of the sentence against the house of Eli, mercy is promised to Israel. God's work shall never fall to the ground for want of hands to carry it on. Christ is that merciful and faithful High Priest, whom God raised up when the Levitical priesthood was thrown off, who in all things did his Father's mind, and for whom God will build a sure house, build it on a rock, so that hell cannot prevail against it.