Hophni (hofni). [Heb. hophné, from the Egyptian hfn(r), “tadpole.”] One of Eli's two sons. He and his brother Phinehas were priests at the tabernacle at Shiloh. Their wickedness, and Eli's failure to punish them or remove them from office, although he was twice rebuked by prophetic utterances (1 Sa 2:27-36; 1 Sa 3:11), brought a curse upon the family. The two sons lost their lives in the battle at Aphek, and the ark of the covenant, which they had carried into battle, fell into the hands of the Philistines (ch 4:4-18).

Horn, Siegfried H., Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) 1979.