1 Samuel 3:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy.

NIV: A third time the LORD called, 'Samuel!' And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am; you called me.' Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.

NASB: So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he got up and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.

CSB: Once again, for the third time, the Lord called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, "Here I am; you called me."Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy.

NLT: So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. 'Here I am. Did you call me?' Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy.

KJV: And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.

NKJV: And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy.

The Lord calls out Samuel's name for the third time. Once again, as before, Samuel thinks it must be Eli calling him (1 Samuel 3:4–6). After all, who else could it be? Nobody else seems likely to have been around the temple in the middle of the night. Samuel jumps up once more and rushes to the place where Eli is lying down. Does the boy think Eli is playing games with him? He announces himself a third time, saying that Eli called him.

Eli's response suggests something about Samuel. Eli does not react as he would to a boy prone to pranks and mischief. Nor does he respond as if Samuel had a habit of pretending to have been called because he couldn't sleep. Eli acts as if he knows Samuel is being sincere. Since he knew he wasn't calling Samuel, the priest finally realizes it must be the Lord calling the boy. After all, the boy was lying down and likely sleeping not too far from the ark of the covenant, behind the veil, upon which the presence of God rested (1 Samuel 3:3; Exodus 27:20–21).

Eli sends Samuel back to bed with instructions about what to do if he hears his name called again (1 Samuel 3:9).

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.