Chapter
Verse

1 Samuel 2:15

ESV Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest 's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw."
NIV But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw."
NASB Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, 'Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take cooked meat from you, only raw.'
CSB Even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast, because he won’t accept boiled meat from you—only raw."
NLT Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.
KJV Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
NKJV Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, “Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw.”

What does 1 Samuel 2:15 mean?

Eli's sons were priests who served in the temple of the Lord. They have been described as worthless men who did not know the Lord (1 Samuel 2:12). They were deeply involved in open corruption of God's sacrificial laws. The writer has described their custom of taking an extra serving of the meat from those who had come to make sacrifices (1 Samuel 2:13–14).

It gets worse. The priests would also send a servant to demand from those bringing sacrifices even more of the meat before it was sacrificed to the Lord or boiled for a meal. In other words, the priests didn't want the meat boiled. They wanted it roasted, and they were willing to violate God's commands for the sacrifice to get it.

The Lord's requirements for the sacrifice were for the fat to be burned first to create an aroma that would please God (Leviticus 3:3–5). The fat was specifically reserved for God. Leviticus 7:25 says, "For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which a food offering may be made to the LORD shall be cut off from his people." After the fat was burned and the breast was waved as a wave offering, the priests were to be given the breast and the right thigh (Leviticus 7:29–36). Those bringing the sacrifice were to take their portion to be enjoyed as a meal (Leviticus 7:11–18), apparently boiled (Numbers 6:19–20). Eli's sons were demanding meat from those bringing sacrifices before the fat was offered to the Lord and before the meat was boiled so that they could roast it for themselves.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: