So they
did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Even
before the fat was burnt, the servant of the priest came and said
to the man that sacrificed: "Give flesh to roast for the priest;
he will not take sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if the other
said to him: Let the fat first be burnt, and then take according
to thy soul's desire; then he would answer: Nay, but thou shalt
give it now; and if not, I will take it by force" (1Samuel ii. 12-16).
The tribute of raw portions of flesh before the burning
of the fat is here treated as a shameless demand which is fitted to
bring Jehovah's offering into contempt (ver. 17), and which has
the ruin of the sons of Eli as its merited reward. More tolerable
is it, though even that is an abuse, when the priests cause
boiled flesh to be brought them from the pot, though not seeking
out the best for themselves, but leaving the selection to chance;
they ought to wait and see what is given to them, or be contented
with an invitation to the banquet. On the other hand we have it
in Deuteronomy as "the priest's due from the people" (xviii. 3
= 1Samuel ii.
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