H2652 H2652
Hophni; son of Eli the priest, whose corruption at Shiloh provoked divine judgment
Hophni was one of Eli's two sons who served as priests at Shiloh but notoriously abused their office. Their story in 1 Samuel is one of priestly corruption met by divine judgment: they took sacrificial meat by force and treated the Lord's offering with contempt. The prophecy that both Hophni and Phinehas would die on the same day (1 Sam 2:34) was fulfilled at the battle of Aphek when the Philistines captured the ark (1 Sam 4:11, 17). The name may connect to the Sabbean hpn. All four major language traditions transliterate it consistently as Hophni/Chophni/Jofni.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Hophni, a proper masculine name. One of Eli's two priestly sons at Shiloh, consistently paired with his brother Phinehas. All five occurrences appear in 1 Samuel 1-4, framing the narrative of priestly corruption and divine retribution: the initial mention at the Shiloh sanctuary (1:3), the death oracle (2:34), and the catastrophic fulfillment at Aphek (4:4, 11, 17). The Sabbean cognate hpn may illuminate the name's original meaning. 5×
AR["حُفْنِي"]·ben["হফনি"]·DE["Chophni"]·EN["Chophni"]·FR["Chophni"]·heb["חופני"]·HI["हाप्नी", "हाफनी"]·ID["Hofni"]·IT["Chophni"]·jav["Hofni"]·KO["홉니", "홉니와"]·PT["Chofni"]·RU["Хофни"]·ES["Jofní"]·SW["Hofni"]·TR["Hofni"]·urd["حفنی", "حُفنی"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חָפְנִי n.pr.m. (Sab. n.pr. חפן Hal No. 14)—one of Eli’s two sons 1 S 1:3; 2:34; 4:4, 11, 17.