1 Samuel 3:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down.

NIV: And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.

NASB: Then he ran to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' But he said, 'I did not call, go back and lie down.' So he went and lay down.

CSB: He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "I didn’t call," Eli replied. "Go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.

NLT: He got up and ran to Eli. 'Here I am. Did you call me?' 'I didn’t call you,' Eli replied. 'Go back to bed.' So he did.

KJV: And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

NKJV: So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.

Samuel is just a boy, maybe 12 years old according to some commentators (1 Samuel 3:1). It is clear that, at least on this night, he is obedient and eager to serve his mentor and guardian Eli the priest. When he hears a voice calling him, Samuel doesn't hesitate (1 Samuel 3:4). He jumps up from the place he is lying down in the temple and runs to where old Eli is lying down.

Samuel announces that he has arrived because he heard Eli call him. Eli denies it, saying he didn't call and telling Samuel to go lie down again. It's easy for parents to picture the scene of a child running in to one's bedroom in the middle of the night and being sent back to lie down in his or her own bed again. Samuel also immediately obeys Eli's directive to do exactly that.

First Samuel 3:1–14 finds both Samuel and Eli a bit older, though Samuel is still called a boy. Sometime before dawn, Samuel is sleeping in the temple and hears his name called. He runs to Eli, who tells him to go back to bed. When it happens a third time, Eli tells Samuel it is the Lord. The Lord reveals to Samuel that He is going to bring judgment on Eli and his household for Eli's failure to restrain the blasphemy of his sons against the Lord.

Samuel is just a boy when the Lord calls Him to serve as a prophet in Israel. Sleeping in the temple, Samuel hears his name and thinks Eli the priest is calling him. Eli finally tells Samuel it is the Lord. The Lord tells Samuel that He is going to fulfill His judgment against Eli and his household for the sins of Eli's sons and for Eli's failure to restrain them. Samuel delivers the entire message to Eli and begins his lifelong career as an official prophet of the Lord.

First Samuel 3 follows the prophecy of judgment against Eli and his household at the end of the previous chapter (1 Samuel 2:27–36) with a repeat of the prophecy through the words of young Samuel. Eli helps the boy to understand the Lord is speaking to him, and Samuel delivers the Lord's harsh message. Eli accepts Samuel's word, passively accepting whatever God will do. The next chapters explain Eli's death and Israel's renewed conflict with the Philistines.

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.

Accessed 1/19/2025 9:49:29 PM