Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

1 SAMUEL 2:29KJV
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1 Samuel 2:29 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 2:29 mean?

1 Samuel 2:29 describes God confronting Eli for allowing his sons to disrespect the sacrifices and offerings that God commanded, and for honoring his sons more than God by letting them benefit from the best parts of the offerings. God accuses Eli of putting his family’s interests above obedience to God’s instructions for worship.

In this verse, God is speaking through a prophet to Eli, the high priest, about the corrupt behavior of Eli’s sons, who were priests themselves. Eli’s sons were taking the best portions of the sacrifices for themselves, which was against what God had commanded. God holds Eli responsible, not just for his sons’ actions, but for failing to stop them and for letting their desires take priority over God’s honor.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 2:29

  • "kick" (בָּעַט, ba‘at): This word means to treat with contempt or to trample on. Here, it paints a picture of Eli’s family disrespecting God’s sacrifices, not just neglecting them but actively dishonoring them.
  • "honourest" (כָּבֵד, kavēd): This word means to give weight or importance. God says Eli is giving more importance to his sons than to God, highlighting a reversal of proper priorities.
  • "fat" (בָּרָא, bara’): This word means to make fat or to enrich. The verse points out that Eli’s family was enriching themselves with the best parts of the offerings, which were meant for God.
  • "chiefest" (רֵאשִׁית, rē’shīt): This word refers to the first or best portion. Eli’s sons were taking the choicest parts of the offerings, which were supposed to be reserved for God.

Why 1 Samuel 2:29 matters

  • This verse clarifies that spiritual leaders are responsible not only for their own actions but also for what they allow in those under their care, especially when it comes to honoring God’s commands.
  • The verse highlights the seriousness of treating God’s instructions with contempt, showing that even family loyalty must not come before faithfulness to God.
  • 1 Samuel 2:29 sets up the reason for the judgment that follows in the story, explaining why Eli’s family would lose their priestly role and why God’s standards for worship and leadership matter so much in Israel’s history.

Where else these words appear

“kick” Hebrew H1163 · used in 2 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

“habitation” Hebrew H4583 · used in 19 verses

  • Deuteronomy 26:15 Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
  • Psalms 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
  • Jeremiah 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

“fat” Hebrew H1254 · used in 46 verses

  • Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
  • Psalms 89:47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
  • Isaiah 45:12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

“chiefest” Hebrew H7225 · used in 49 verses

  • Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
  • Deuteronomy 33:21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.
  • Ecclesiastes 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.