1 Samuel 3:10

10 The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel responded, "Speak, for Your servant is listening."

1 Samuel 3:10 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 3:10

And the Lord came, and stood
At the place where Samuel lay; either there was, as Kimchi, a form before his eyes in the vision of prophecy, some visible corporeal shape assumed; or a bright splendour an illustrious appearance of the glory of God; or it may be rather the voice, which before seemed to be at some distance whereabout Eli lay; it now seemed nearer, and was as the voice of one just by him, that sounded in his ears:

and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel:
repeating his name, in order the more to excite his attention:

then Samuel answered, speak, for thy servant heareth;
he leaves out the word Lord, which Eli bid him use; for he might be afraid as yet to make mention of the name of the Lord in the vision of prophecy, as Kimchi speaks; or lest it should be the voice of another, as Jarchi; as yet he might not be quite certain whether it was the voice of the Lord, or the voice of a man; for that he should have any mistrust of its being the voice of a demon or spectre, there is no reason to believe.

1 Samuel 3:10 In-Context

8 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.

9 He told Samuel, "Go and lie down. If He calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel responded, "Speak, for Your servant is listening."

11 The Lord said to Samuel, "I am about to do something in Israel that everyone who hears about it will shudder.

12 On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I said about his family, from beginning to end.