And I tell him: the Hebrew verb may be translated as future tense, that is, “and I will tell him.” More likely, however, the verb in this context should be translated as past tense (New Revised Standard Version “I have told him”), as is the verb “I have spoken” in verse 12. The footnote in Good News Translation incorrectly suggests that the Hebrew verb here can only be translated as future tense.

Some interpreters change the Hebrew text to read “You are to tell him” (so Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Osty-Trinquet); but Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends that translators follow the Masoretic Text, understanding the verb as referring to the words that have already been spoken in 2.31-36.

As in verse 12, the word house in this context clearly refers to the offspring of Eli and not to any building or physical structure that belonged to him. For this reason many modern versions use the word “family” here (Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). The same is true for the following verse.

For the iniquity which he knew: Eli knew that his sons were doing evil things. That he knew this and did not try to stop them is the reason that God will punish his family.

The words for and because in this verse present special difficulties, since they seem to have the same meaning and are used in succession. The punishment is inflicted because of the sin, and especially because Eli was aware of it and did nothing about it. Some possible translations are “because he knew of his sons’ blasphemies” (Revised English Bible) or “because he was aware that his sons were doing wrong.”

Because: the Hebrew conjunction may introduce either a causal clause (“because”) or a noun clause (“that”). In Revised Standard Version the Hebrew conjunction is understood to be introducing a clause that expresses cause. The Hebrew may also be translated as follows: “I sentence his house to endless punishment for the iniquity that he knew about—how his sons committed sacrilege at will—and he did not rebuke them” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). In New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh the same conjunction is understood as indicating the content of the iniquity that Eli knew about.

Because his sons were blaspheming God: the Hebrew text says literally “because his sons were cursing themselves.” The footnote in Revised Standard Version, in fact, is a translation of what is written in the Hebrew text. New International Version is one of the few modern translations that follow the Masoretic Text: “his sons made themselves contemptible.” The Good News Translation rendering “have spoken evil against me” should be avoided, since it is not a good model for other translations. Blasphemy is more than a matter of the spoken word. It may occur when a person commits an act that dishonors God even if nothing is said. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “committed sacrilege” is a better model, although it is on a higher level of language in English.

This verse is one of eighteen places in the Old Testament that the Masoretes (see Glossary) identified as containing a scribal correction. The Masoretes believed that the Hebrew originally said the sons “cursed God,” as does the Septuagint, but that earlier scribes had made changes in the text to avoid disrespect to God. Very few modern versions translate the reading “cursed themselves” (see New King James Version [New King James Version ], New American Standard Bible [New American Standard Bible]). Most translations follow the reading of the Septuagint (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), and Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Septuagint text.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .