1 Samuel 2:16
in 1 Samuel 2And if any man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you may take whatever you want,” the servant would reply, “No, you must give it to me right now. If you refuse, I will take it by force!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And if the man said unto him, They will surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would say, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
KJV
And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 2
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
the servant of the priest would come
on 1 Samuel 2:15-17
The priest's servant demands raw meat before the fat is burned, taking for the priest's table what belonged to the altar first. Verse 17 names it: “the sin of these young men was severe in the sight of the LORD”. They “were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt”.
This site's exposition
And if any man said to him, “The fat must be burned first
The worshipper asks only that the fat be burned first, as the law of Leviticus 7 directed. The servant threatens force. Matthew Henry says the priests stepped in before God himself and took His right along with the worshipper's.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 2, Chapter 2 · Written before 604.
proposed
7. Indeed, he who promises him cooked meat at his pleasure strives to turn away the one demanding raw meat from a bestial appetite. As if the holy Church were giving an answer to the badly hungering Jews, and in place of the simple humanity which they desire to devour through craving, were promising back the food of divinity, saying: First allow to be cooked what you may have as understanding in the Holy Spirit for the refreshment of life.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The effect was, First, That God was displeased: The sin of the young men was very great before the Lord,
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:12w-of-20
) according as his capacity was. He learned his catechism and was constant to his devotions, soon learned to read, and took a pleasure in the book of the law, and thus he ministered to the Lord. He ministered before Eli, that is, under his inspection, and as he ordered him, not before Eli's sons; all parties were agreed that they were unfit to be his tutors.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And if any man said unto him, let them not fail to burn the fat presently,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the priests' custom with the people--When persons wished to present a sacrifice of peace offering on the altar, the offering was brought in the first instance to the priest, and as the Lord's part was burnt, the parts appropriated respectively to the priests and offerers were to be sodden.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֨אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלָ֜יו | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָאִ֗ישׁ | haish | the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| קַטֵּ֨ר | kater | surely <make smoke> | H6999 → | 116 times |
| יַקְטִיר֤וּן | yaktirun | let them make smoke ! | H6999 → | 116 times |
| כַּיּוֹם֙ | kaiyom | as the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַחֵ֔לֶב | hachelev | the fat | H2459 → | 92 times |
| וְקַ֨ח־ | vekach- | and take | H3947 → | 966 times |
| לְךָ֔ | lekha | for <the> yourself | ||
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר | kaasher | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| תְּאַוֶּ֖ה | teaveh | it desires | H183 → | |
| נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ | nafshekha | appetite your | H5315 → | 754 times |
| וְאָמַ֥ר׀ | veamar | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לֹא֙ | lov' | no | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| כִּ֚י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| עַתָּ֣ה | ʾatah | now | H6258 → | 433 times |
| תִתֵּ֔ן | titen | you will give [it] | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| וְאִם־ | veim- | and if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| לֹ֖א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| לָקַ֥חְתִּי | lakachti | I take [it] | H3947 → | 966 times |
| בְחָזְקָֽה׃ | vechazekah | by force | H2394 → |
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֵלָ֜יוto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
הָאִ֗ישׁthe man
haishH376 →1663 times
קַטֵּ֨רsurely <make smoke>
katerH6999 →116 times
יַקְטִיר֤וּןlet them make smoke !
yaktirunH6999 →116 times
כַּיּוֹם֙as the day
kaiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַחֵ֔לֶבthe fat
hachelevH2459 →92 times
וְקַ֨ח־and take
vekach-H3947 →966 times
לְךָ֔for <the> yourself
lekha
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥רjust as
kaasherH834 →5497 times
תְּאַוֶּ֖הit desires
teavehH183 →
נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָappetite your
nafshekhaH5315 →754 times
וְאָמַ֥ר׀and he said
veamarH559 →5305 times
לֹא֙no
lov'H3808 →5168 times
כִּ֚יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
עַתָּ֣הnow
ʾatahH6258 →433 times
תִתֵּ֔ןyou will give [it]
titenH5414 →2011 times
וְאִם־and if
veim-H518 →1069 times
לֹ֖אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
לָקַ֥חְתִּיI take [it]
lakachtiH3947 →966 times
בְחָזְקָֽה׃by force
vechazekahH2394 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Leviticus 3:16Then the priest is to burn the food on the altar as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the LORD’s.
it leads to
- Leviticus 7:23–25
“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘You are not to eat any of the fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat.
- Exodus 29:13
Take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar.
- Leviticus 4:8–19
Then he shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering—the fat that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them,
- Exodus 29:22
Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the lobe of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh (since this is a…
- Leviticus 3:9–11
And from the peace offering he shall bring an offering made by fire to the LORD consisting of its fat: the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the fat that covers…
- Leviticus 7:23–25
Through
Judges 18:25The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”
it leads to
- Job 27:2
“As surely as God lives, who has deprived me of justice—the Almighty, who has embittered my soul—
- 2 Samuel 17:8
He continued, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who will…
- 1 Samuel 30:6
And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
- Job 27:2
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Samuel
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 2, Chapter 2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.