who was Belial?
This was an idiom, similar to Jesus calling a person a son of the devil. While one could read the meaning as reprobate, probably this simply means that at that time they were doers of wickedness. The Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.214 says that this term could either mean a son of wickedness, or else a useless good-for-nothing. The skeptical Asimov’s Guide to the Bible p.204 also says Belial means literally “not profitable”, as in worthless or empty. Q: In 1 Sam 2, what is interesting about the literary structure? A: 1 Samuel 2 uses a beautiful Hebrew literary device called a chiasm. Each topic is repeated in asymmetric fashion. Here is the analysis: Hannahs song, citing the Lords anointed (2:1-10) Samuel ministers before the Lord (2:11) The sins of Elis sons (2:12-17) Samuel ministers before the Lord (2:18-19) Eli blesses the parents (2:20-21a) Samuel grows in the Lords presence (23:21b) The sins of Elis sons (2:22-25) Samuel grows in the Lords presence (2:26) The oracle of the man of Go
