1 Samuel 3:8

8 And the Lord added, and called yet Samuel the third time; the which rose up and went to Eli, and said, Lo! I; for thou calledest me. Then Eli understood, that the Lord had called the child; (And the Lord added, and called to Samuel yet the third time; and he rose up and went to Eli, and said, Lo! I am here; for thou hast called me. Then Eli understood, that the Lord had called the child;)

1 Samuel 3:8 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 3:8

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time
In the same manner he had done before, expressing his name no doubt:

and he arose and went to Eli, and said, here am I, for thou didst call
me;
as if he should say, it must certainly be so, I cannot be mistaken a third time:

and Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child;
he was satisfied now that Samuel must have heard a voice, and he knew there was no man in the tabernacle but himself, and therefore it must be the voice of the Lord out of the most holy place; and he had formerly been acquainted with such voices, and used to them, and now called them to mind; and besides, as Aben Ezra observes, he was the rather confirmed in this, that the Lord called Samuel, because Samuel heard the voice, and not Eli, though Eli lay nearer the most holy place than Samuel did; which showed that this must be the voice of prophecy the Lord makes whom he pleases to hear; and that Eli might be fully persuaded of this, before the matter of the prophecy was delivered to him, Samuel was so often directed to him.

1 Samuel 3:8 In-Context

6 And the Lord added again to call Samuel; and Samuel rose (up), and went to Eli, and said, Lo! I (am) here; for thou calledest me. And Eli answered, I called not thee, my son; turn thou again and sleep (And Eli answered, I did not call thee, my son; return thou, and go back to sleep).

7 Forsooth Samuel knew not yet the Lord, neither the word of the Lord was showed to him. (For Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord was not yet shown to him.)

8 And the Lord added, and called yet Samuel the third time; the which rose up and went to Eli, and said, Lo! I; for thou calledest me. Then Eli understood, that the Lord had called the child; (And the Lord added, and called to Samuel yet the third time; and he rose up and went to Eli, and said, Lo! I am here; for thou hast called me. Then Eli understood, that the Lord had called the child;)

9 and Eli said to Samuel, Go thou and sleep; and if he calleth thee afterward, thou shalt say, Speak thou, Lord, for thy servant heareth. Then Samuel went and slept in his place.

10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as he had called the second time (and called to him as he had called the other times, saying), Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said, Speak thou, Lord, for thy servant heareth.