1 Samuel 3:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

NIV: The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

NASB: And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, because the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

CSB: The Lord continued to appear in Shiloh, because there he revealed himself to Samuel by his word.

NLT: The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.

KJV: And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

NKJV: Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

This verse suggests that, after this initial prophecy for Eli, the Lord continued to reveal information to Samuel for him to speak to others. Although the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant were at Shiloh, revelations from God were not frequent there before the time of Samuel (1 Samuel 3:1). Now that has changed. Shiloh has become known throughout Israel as the place where God speaks to His people through His official prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 3:20).

The sense in the land may have been that after the corruption of the house of Eli during his time as Israel's priest, the Lord was once again beginning to be at work among His people. God had declared that Eli and his household would be held accountable for their abuses of power as priests of Israel, a prophecy heard throughout the land, apparently (1 Samuel 3:11). Now the Lord had also stopped being silent and had begun to reveal His will to His people once more.

Still, darker times were ahead for God's people. They would be forced to choose to trust Him once more to deliver them from their enemies.

First Samuel 3:15–21 indicates Samuel was reluctant to share his first prophetic word from God. The Lord's message was dire: that Eli, the current priest, would suffer consequences for his sin. His sons and family were abusing their power and profaning God. With some prompting, Samuel delivers this message to Eli, who accepts it. Samuel continues to grow and is recognized by all of Israel as a prophet of 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 5/3/2024 6:25:28 AM