1 Samuel 3:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place.

NIV: One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.

NASB: But it happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to be poor and he could not see well),

CSB: One day Eli, whose eyesight was failing, was lying in his usual place.

NLT: One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed.

KJV: And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

NKJV: And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see,

This chapter takes place at night in the tabernacle at Shiloh, north of Jerusalem. The sanctuary at Shiloh was the main place the people of Israel came to make sacrifices to God and to worship Him.

Eli the priest is now quite old, and his eyesight is failing. In fact, he is described as nearly blind, being unable to see much at all. It's likely that Samuel's work for the old priest has increased as Eli's eyesight has faded away. This verse adds that Eli was lying down in his normal place for sleeping. It will become clear that his sleeping spot was not in the same place as Samuel's, yet not far from the space where the ark of the covenant was kept (1 Samuel 3:3).

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 4/28/2024 5:13:30 PM