1 Samuel 2:36

Bishop's Bible

And all that are left in thyne house, shall come and crouch to him for a peece of siluer and a morsell of bread, and shal saye: Put me (I pray thee) in one office or other among ye priestes, that I may eate a morsell of bread.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Anyone who is left in your family will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread. He will say: Please appoint me to some priestly office so I can have a piece of bread to eat.’”

Hebrew Names Version
It shall happen, that everyone who is left in your house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Please put me into one of the Kohanim' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

King James Version
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.

Lexham English Bible
All the remainder of your household will come to bow down before him for a bit of silver or a loaf of bread and will say, "Please assign me to one of the priestly offices so that I can eat a morsel of bread."'"

English Standard Version
And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, "Please put me in one of the priests' places, that I may eat a morsel of bread."'"

New Century Version
Then everyone left in your family will come and bow down before him. They will beg for a little money or a little food and say, "Please give me a job as priest so I can have food to eat."'"

New English Translation
Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little money and for a scrap of bread. Each will say, ‘Assign me to a priestly task so I can eat a scrap of bread.'"

Amplified Bible
'And it will happen that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and say, "Please assign me to one of the priest's offices so I may eat a piece of bread."'"

New American Standard Bible
'And everyone who is left in your house will come to bow down to him for a silver coin 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."'"

Geneva Bible (1587)
And all that are left in thine house, shall come and bowe downe to him for a piece of siluer and a morsell of bread, and shall say, Appoint me, I pray thee, to one of the priestes offices, that I may eate a morsell of bread.

Legacy Standard Bible
And it will be that 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."'"

Contemporary English Version
But if anyone is left from your family, he will come to my priest and beg for money or a little bread. He may even say to my priest, "Please let me be a priest, so I will at least have something to eat."

Complete Jewish Bible
Everyone left in your family will come, prostrate himself before him for a silver coin or a loaf of bread, and say, "Please, won't you give me some work as a cohen, so I can have a scrap of bread to eat?"'"

Darby Translation
And it shall come to pass [that] every one that is left of thy house shall come to crouch to him for a small piece of silver and for a cake of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priestly offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then whoever is left in your family will come and bow down before this priest and beg for a little money or a piece of bread. They will say, "Please give me a job as priest so that I can have some food to eat."'"

George Lamsa Translation
And it shall come to pass that every one who is left in your house shall come to bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Send me to one of the priests, that I may eat a piece of bread.

Good News Translation
Any of your descendants who survive will have to go to that priest and ask him for money and food, and beg to be allowed to help the priests, in order to have something to eat."

Literal Translation
And it shall be, everyone who is left in your house shall come in to bow to him for a wage of silver and a loaf of bread. And they shall say, please admit me into one of the priest's offices to eat a bit of bread.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And who so euer remayneth of thy house, shall come and worshipe him for a syluer peny and for a pece of bred, and shall saye: I praye the leaue me to one prestes parte, that I maye eate a morsell of bred.

American Standard Version
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thy house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

Bible in Basic English
Then it will be that the rest of your family, anyone who has not been cut off, will go down on his knees to him for a bit of silver or a bit of bread, and say, Be pleased to put me into one of the priest's places so that I may have a little food.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thy house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say: Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.'

King James Version (1611)
And it shall come to passe, that euery one that is left in thine house, shal come and crouch to him for a piece of siluer, and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me (I pray thee) into one of the Priests offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it shall come to pass that he that survives in thy house, shall come to do obeisance before him for a little piece of silver, saying, Put me into one of thy priest’s offices to eat bread.

English Revised Version
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests’ offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

Berean Standard Bible
And everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread, pleading, "Please appoint me to some priestly office, so that I may eat a piece of bread."'"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe it schal come, that who euer dwellith in thin hows, he come that `me preie for him, and that he offre a peny of siluer, and a cake of breed, and seie, Y biseche, suffre thou me to o `part of the preest, that Y ete a mussel of breed.

Young's Literal Translation
and it hath been, every one who is left in thy house doth come in to bow himself to him, for a wage of silver, and a cake of bread, and hath said, Admit me, I pray thee, unto one of the priest's offices, to eat a morsel of bread.'

Update Bible Version
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in your house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray you, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it shall come to pass, [that] every one that is left in thy house, shall come [and] crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priest's offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.

World English Bible
It shall happen, that everyone who is left in your house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Please put me into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

New King James Version
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and say, "Please, put me in one of the priestly positions, that I may eat a piece of bread.""'

New Living Translation
Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. ‘Please,' they will say, ‘give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.'"

New Life Bible
Everyone who is left in your family will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and say, "I beg you, put me in one of the religious leader's places so that I may eat a piece of bread."'"

New Revised Standard
Everyone who is left in your family shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and shall say, Please put me in one of the priest's places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.'"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it shall be, that, any that is left in thy house, shall come bowing down to him for a small coin of silver, and for a cake of bread, and shall say: Appoint me, I pray thee, to one of the priestly offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall remain in thy house shall come that he may be prayed for, and shall offer a piece of silver, and a roll of bread, and shall say: Put me, I beseech thee, to somewhat of the priestly office, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

Revised Standard Version
And every one who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and shall say, "Put me, I pray you, in one of the priest's places, that I may eat a morsel of bread."'"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'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."'"

Contextual Overview

²⁷ And there came a man of God vnto Eli, and sayde vnto hym, thus saith the Lorde: Dyd not I playnely appeare vnto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaos house? ²⁸ And I chose him out of al the tribes of Israel to be my priest, for to offer vppon mine aulter, and to burne incense, and to weare an Ephod before me: and I gaue vnto the house of thy father, all the offerynges made by fire of the chyldren of Israel. ²⁹ Wherfore treade ye downe my sacrifice and mine offering which I comaunded in the tabernacle, and honorest thy chyldren aboue me, to make your selues fat of the first fruites of all the offerynges of Israel my people? ³⁰ Wherefore the Lorde God of Israel saith: I sayde, that thy house and the house of thy father should walke before me for euer: But nowe the Lorde saith, That be farre fro me: For them that worship me, I wyll worship, and they that despise me, shall come to shame. ³¹ Behold, the dayes come, that I wyll cut of thine arme, and the arme of thy fathers house, that there shall not be an olde man in thine house. ³² And thou shalt see thine enemie in the habitation [of the Lorde] and in all the wealth which [God] shall geue Israel, and there shall not be an olde man in thyne house for euer. ³³ Neuerthelesse, I wyll not destroy euery one that come of thee from mine aulter, to make thine eyes to fayle, and to make thine heart sorowfull: And all they that be multiplied in thine house, shall dye [when they be] men. ³⁴ And this shalbe a signe vnto thee, that shal come vpon thy two sonnes Hophni and Phinehes: euen in one day they shall dye both. ³⁵ And I wyll stirre me vp a faythfull priest, yt shall do according to my heart and minde, and I wil builde him a sure house, and he shall walke before mine annoynted for euer. ³⁶ And all that are left in thyne house, shall come and crouch to him for a peece of siluer and a morsell of bread, and shal saye: Put me (I pray thee) in one office or other among ye priestes, that I may eate a morsell of bread.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

is left: 1 Kings 2:27, Ezekiel 44:10-12

Put: Heb. Join

one of the priests' offices: Heb. somewhat about the priesthood

eat: 1 Samuel 2:29, 1 Samuel 2:30, Malachi 1:13

Reciprocal: Judges 17:10 - I will give 1 Samuel 22:18 - fourscore 2 Kings 23:9 - but they did Job 18:12 - hungerbitten Psalms 10:10 - croucheth Proverbs 6:26 - a piece Proverbs 18:23 - poor Ecclesiastes 5:14 - and he Ezekiel 43:19 - the priests Amos 7:12 - eat Revelation 3:9 - I will make them to

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left in thine house,.... That is not cut off by death, the few remains of Eli's posterity in succeeding times, after the high priesthood was removed out of his family into another; so that they were reduced at best to common priests, and these, as it should seem, degraded from that office for their maladministration of it, or scandalous lives:

shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread; which Grotius interprets of their coming to God, and bowing themselves before him, and praying to him for the smallest piece of money to cast into the treasury, and for a morsel of bread to be accepted as an offering, instead of a bullock, sheep, lamb, or even a bird, which they were not able to bring; but the meaning is, that such should be the low estate of Eli's family, when another, even Zadok, was made high priest, that they should come and humble themselves before him, as the Targum expresses it, beseeching him to give them a piece of silver, even the smallest piece, that is, as the word signifies, a "gerah" or "meah", about a penny or three halfpence of our money, the twentieth part of a shekel, Ezekiel 45:12 and a piece of bread, not a whole loaf, but a slice of it, to such extremity would they be brought:

and shall say, put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread; or into one of the wards of the priests; their custodies or courses, as the Targum; with which the Jewish commentators generally agree, and of which there were twenty four; see 1 Chronicles 24:4, and there are some traces of them in the New Testament, see Luke 1:5, but these were regular priests, who were in those courses, and had a sufficient maintenance for them, and had not barely a piece of bread to live on, or just enough to keep them from starving, as the phrase denotes; wherefore this must be understood, as before hinted, of priests degraded from their office, on some account or another, and reduced to poverty and want; and therefore, that they might be kept from starving, would solicit the high priest in those days, and beg that he would put them in some inferior post under the priests, to do the meanest offices for them, slay the sacrifices for them, wash their pots, open and shut up doors, and the like, that so they might have a living, though a poor one; and this may reasonably be thought to be the case of Eli's posterity, in process of time, after Abiathar was deposed from the high priest's office, and was ordered to go and live upon his fields and farm at Anathoth, 1 Kings 2:26 with which compare Ezekiel 44:10. This, as Ben Gersom observes, was a fit punishment, and a righteous retaliation on Eli's posterity, that they should be brought to crouch to others, and be glad of a morsel of bread, who had behaved so imperiously towards the Lord's people, and had taken away their flesh from them by force; and, not content with their allowance, took the best pieces of the sacrifices, to make themselves fat with them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A piece - The word is only found here; but is thought to be connected in etymology and in meaning with the “Gerah,” the smallest Hebrew coin, being the twentieth part of the shekel. The smallness of the sum asked for shows the poverty of the asker.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 2:36. Shall come and crouch to him — Shall prostrate himself before him in the most abject manner, begging to be employed even in the meanest offices about the tabernacle, in order to get even the most scanty means of support.

A piece of silver — אגורת כסף agorath keseph, translated by the Septuagint, οβολου αργυριου, an obolus of silver. The Targum translates it מעא mea, which is the same as the Hebrew gerah, and weighed about sixteen grains of barley.

A morsel of bread — A mouthful; what might be sufficient to keep body and soul together. See the sin and its punishment. They formerly pampered themselves, and fed to the full on the Lord's sacrifices; and now they are reduced to a morsel of bread. They fed themselves without fear; and now they have cleanness of teeth in all their dwellings. They wasted the Lord's heritage, and now they beg their bread!

IN religious establishments, vile persons, who have no higher motive, may and do get into the priest's office, that they may clothe themselves with the wool, and feed themselves with the fat, while they starve the flock. But where there is no law to back the claims of the worthless and the wicked, men of piety and solid merit only can find support; for they must live on the free-will offerings of the people. Where religion is established by law, the strictest ecclesiastical discipline should be kept up, and all hireling priests and ecclesiastical drones should be expelled from the Lord's vineyard. An established religion, where the foundation is good, as is ours, I consider a great blessing; but it is liable to this continual abuse, which nothing but careful and rigid ecclesiastical discipline can either cure or prevent. If our high priests, our archbishops and bishops, do not their duty, the whole body of the clergy may become corrupt or inefficient. If they be faithful, the establishment will be an honour to the kingdom, and a praise in the earth.

The words pillars of the earth, מצקי ארץ metsukey erets, Mr. Parkhurst translates and defends thus: "The compressors of the earth; i.e., the columns of the celestial fluid which compress or keep its parts together." This is all imaginary; we do not know this compressing celestial fluid; but there is one that answers the same end, which we do know, i.e., the AIR, the columns of which press upon the earth in all directions; above, below, around, with a weight of fifteen pounds to every square inch; so that a column of air of the height of the atmosphere, which on the surface of the globe measures one square inch, is known by the most accurate and indubitable experiments to weigh fifteen pounds. Now as a square foot contains one hundred and forty-four square inches, each foot must be compressed with a weight of incumbent atmospheric air equal to two thousand one hundred and sixty pounds. And as the earth is known to contain a surface of five thousand five hundred and seventy-five billions of square feet; hence, allowing two thousand one hundred and sixty pounds to each square foot, the whole surface of the globe must sustain a pressure of atmospheric air equal to twelve trillions and forty-one thousand billions of pounds; or six thousand and twenty-one billions of tons. This pressure, independently of what is called gravity, is sufficient to keep all the parts of the earth together, and perhaps to counteract all the influence of centrifugal force. But adding to this all the influence of gravity or attraction, by which every particle of matter tends to the centre, these compressors of the earth are sufficient to poise, balance, and preserve the whole terraqueous globe. These pillars or compressors are an astonishing provision made by the wisdom of God for the necessities of the globe. Without this, water could not rise in fountains, nor the sap in vegetables. Without this, there could be no respiration for man or beast, and no circulation of the blood in any animal. In short, both vegetable and animal life depend, under God, on these pillars or compressors of the earth; and were it not for this compressing power, the air contained in the vessels of all plants and animals would by its elasticity expand and instantly rupture all those vessels, and cause the destruction of all animal and vegetable life: but God in his wisdom has so balanced these two forces, that, while they appear to counteract and balance each other, they serve, by mutual dilations and compressions, to promote the circulation of the sap in vegetables, and the blood in animals.