c. 11th century BC) was, according to the Book of Samuel, a priest and a judge of the Israelites in the city of Shiloh, ancient Israel.

When Eli heard the news of the captured Ark, he fell from his seat, broke his neck, and died.

Eli occupies a prominent place in Samaritan religious tradition, as the Samaritans attribute the schism between their community and the Jews to Eli's establishment of a rival shrine at Shiloh, challenging what they regard as the original Israelite sacred site, Mount Gerizim.

Eli was a priest (kohen) of Shiloh, the second-to-last Israelite judge (succeeded only by Samuel[1]) before the rule of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

After Hannah's explanation of her sobriety, Eli said, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have requested.

She promised to go to the temple, when Samuel was weaned and planned to leave him with Eli to be trained as a Nazirite.

The sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, meanwhile, were behaving wickedly, for example by taking for themselves all the prime cuts of meat from sacrifices, and by committing adultery with the women who serve at the sanctuary entrance.

In reaction to the news that the Ark of God had been captured, Eli fell backwards out of the chair and struck his head, whence he died.

As she lay dying, she named the boy Ichabod, saying The Glory has departed from Israel, because of the capture of the Ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.

[16] The rabbis described Samuel, Eli's student, as having ruled that it was legitimate for laymen to slaughter sacrifices, since the halakha only insisted that the priests bring the blood (cf.

[17] Rabbinical commentators explain that the continuity of high priesthood is put forth to the descendants of Phineas from Numbers 25:13.

[18] According to some rabbinical commentators, Phineas sinned by not providing Torah instruction to the masses prior to the Battle of Gibeah,[19] and by failing to relieve Jephthah of his vow.

[20] As consequence, the high priesthood was taken from him and given (temporarily) to the offspring of Ithamar, specifically Eli and his sons.

However, upon the sin of Eli's sons Hophni and Phinehas, it was prophesied that the high priesthood would be returned to a different priest who would be more loyal: And I will raise up myself a reliable priest who acts with my heart, and with my soul he will do, and I will build him a reliable household, and he will go before my Anointed for all days.

Samaritan historiography would place the basic schism from the remaining part of Israel after the twelve tribes conquered the land of Canaan, led by Yahshua.

After Yahshua's death, Eli the priest left the tabernacle which Moses erected in the desert and established on Mount Gerizim, and built another one under his own rule in the hills of Shilo (1 Samuel 1:1-3; 2:12-17).

When the Great High Priest Ozzi learned of this, and found the sacrifice was not accepted, he thoroughly disowned him; and it is (even) said that he rebuked him.

One did according to the abominations of the Gentiles and served other Gods; another followed Eli the son of Yafni, although many of them turned away from him after he had revealed his intentions; and a third remained with the High Priest Uzzi ben Bukki, the chosen place, Mount Gerizim Bethel, in the holy city of Shechem.

[30]According to the Samaritans this marked the end of the Age of Divine Favor called רידון (Ridhwan) or רהוּתה (Rahuta), which began with Moses.