Person Old Testament
Eli
Eli was the high priest and judge of Israel who ministered at the tabernacle in Shiloh. Mentioned in 30 verses across 2 books, first at 1 Samuel 1:3.
Why it matters. High priest and judge of Israel at Shiloh
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Eli
Eli, a prominent figure in 1 Samuel, served as the high priest and judge of Israel at the tabernacle in Shiloh. He first appears in the narrative when Hannah, the mother of Samuel, prays at the tabernacle (1Sa.1.9-17). Eli initially misunderstands her prayer but later blesses her. After Samuel's birth, Hannah dedicates him to serve under Eli at the tabernacle (1Sa.1.25-28). However, Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were wicked and did not follow God's ways (1Sa.2.12-17). Eli failed to restrain their behavior, leading to a prophecy of judgment against his family (1Sa.2.27-36). Eli continued to serve as the high priest and judge, while Samuel grew up in the tabernacle (1Samuel 3). In his old age, Eli received news of Israel's defeat by the Philistines, the capture of the Ark of the Covenant, and the death of his sons. Upon hearing this, Eli fell backward, broke his neck, and died at the age of 98 (1Sa.4.12-18). His death marked the end of an era and the beginning of Samuel's leadership as a prophet and judge.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Parents
- Unnamed#4
Appears in Scripture
Named in 30 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.