Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they lay with the women who served at the door of the tent of meeting.
With regard to whether or not Eli was able to control his sons, it is likely that, in his advanced age, control would have been impossible, and yet, when the unnamed prophet came and pronounced judgment against him, it was evident that there was indeed some element of blame on Eli's part. Porter commented that, "The indignation of Eli at this point was ineffectual following a lifetime of disciplinary inaction."[18]