Eli

In the biblical tradition as represented in the supplied sources, Eli appears as a prominent priestly figure and judge stationed at Shiloh during the pre-monarchic period of Israel. He functions within the narrative frame that includes Hannah's petition and the rise of Samuel, and later texts evaluate the fortunes of his household and descendants. Samaritan tradition, as reported in secondary sources, situates Eli as an institutional founder whose actions are used to explain the schism between Samaritan and Jewish communities, marking his place as an ancestral religious authority with long-term communal consequences.

The provided sources supply no physical description of Eli. He is treated as a historical/biblical human figure rather than a supernatural apparition; descriptions instead place him in priestly and household contexts (serving at Shiloh, officiating sacrificial and cultic duties) rather than detailing bodily features or iconography.

Sources attribute to Eli the conventional roles and authorities of a priest and judge: hearing petitions, pronouncing blessings, and exercising oversight of cultic practice. An attested quotation records him blessing Hannah ('Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him'), demonstrating his mediatory and benedictory function. Later narrative critique within the tradition accuses Eli and his sons of abusive or improper handling of sacrificial portions, indicating his behavior is judged in the texts rather than any supernatural power being ascribed to him.