There are two judgments to come. Firstly, every male member of Eli’s line will die early, making him the last old man. Indeed, they will all die by the sword.1 This prophecy will come into fulfillment when Saul orders Doeg the Edomite to attack and kill all the priests at Nob (1 Samuel 22:17–23). A second prophecy concerns the tabernacle itself: there will be distress in God’s dwelling. Most likely this was a reference to the capture of the ark (1 Samuel 4:11) and the eventual destruction of Shiloh (see Jeremiah 7:12, Jeremiah 7:14; Jeremiah 26:6, Jeremiah 26:9).2
31 Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.