Bede : And the two sons of Eli were with the ark of the covenant of the Lord, etc. The sons of Eli, by both name and merit, signify that the people not believing in Christ in the flesh was partly aided by the fault of the priests of that time. Indeed, Ophni means 'unshod,' as stated above; Phinehas means 'dumb mouth.' The former signifies dissolution of actions, and the latter also signifies the inactivity of teaching, when even the perfect priests should be adorned by the walk of good work and should be free in the voice of preaching. — Commentary on Samuel Gregory the Dialogist : 6. This is certainly the plan, this is the work of Israel against the battle of those falling by the cup — but indeed an unheard-of plan and work, because it is not of Israel according to the spirit, but of Israel according to the flesh; that is, not of one who sees God, but of one who thinks he sees the God whom he despises. For what is it to send to Shiloh, except to have recourse to the law of Moses, to whom it is said by the Lord: "Come, I will send you to Pharaoh" (Exod. 3:10)? What is it to bring the ark of the Lord, except to bring forward the sacraments of the old law by recalling them in order to refute the truth of the new faith? And because they allow none of their own to be ignorant of the same knowledge of the law, the ark is ordered to be brought into their midst. What likewise is the meaning of what they say, "And let it save us from the hand of our enemies," except that while they stubbornly defend the old things, they repel the new, and they hold this as their confidence of salvation — that they cannot be drawn by the zeal of good preachers to the reasoning of the true faith? Therefore, because they boast that they possess the truth of divine knowledge through the old law, they affirm that the same ark, which they order to be brought for their salvation, belongs to the Lord of hosts. And because they think they excel in incomparable knowledge of the same law, while the ark is said to be brought, it is declared to belong to the Lord of hosts who sits upon the cherubim. (Verse 5.) And when the ark had come, all Israel shouted with a great cry. — Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 3, Chapter 2