destined for a better man; here the prophecy looks beyond Samuel to Zadok (cp. 2 Sam. 8:17) whose family would hold the Jerusalem high-priesthood for some eight centuries. The last verse of the chapter recognizes that Eli’s family would not die out altogether, but it would become completely subservient, a second-class priesthood. This section, then, teaches that God was at work in the downfall of Eli’s family and in its replacement. We must not overlook the importance of the priesthood in Israelite