1 Samuel 3:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

NIV: The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.

NASB: Now the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days; visions were infrequent.

CSB: The boy Samuel served the Lord in Eli's presence. In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread.

NLT: Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.

KJV: And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

NKJV: Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.

As chapter 3 opens, both Samuel and Eli have grown older, though it's not stated how much time has passed. Some commentators suggest Samuel was around 12, near the traditional age when a boy would begin to do the work of an apprentice. Eli had already been described as "very old" in the previous chapter (1 Samuel 2:22). Now his eyesight is said to be growing dim (1 Samuel 3:2).

Samuel continues to work in ministry functions under Eli the priest. He was also described this way in the previous chapter when he was presumably a younger boy still (1 Samuel 2:11, 18, 21, 26). Samuel's entire childhood was marked by doing whatever Eli, as a kind of foster father and mentor, directed him to do in service to Yahweh.

Scripture notes that God rarely spoke directly to His people during this time. There were no frequent visions being given by the Lord to His people through a prophet. During this era, speaking to His people through visions given to prophets was one of God's main forms of communication. The Lord would have much to say to Israel through Samuel and through later prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah. The Lord's near silence was about to be broken.

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.