1 Samuel 3:13-21

13 For I before-said to him, that I should deem his house without end for the wickedness thereof; for he knew, that his sons did unworthily, and he chastised not them. (For I said to him before, that I would judge his family forevermore for its wickedness; and he knoweth, that his sons have done unworthily, and yet he hath not chastised them.)
14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the wickedness of his family, or his house, shall not be cleansed with sacrifices and gifts till into without end.
15 And then Samuel slept till the morrowtide, and he opened the doors of the house of the Lord; and Samuel dreaded to show the revelation to Eli.
16 Therefore Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered and said, I am ready (And he answered, I am here).
17 And Eli asked him, What is the word that the Lord hath spoken to thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me; God do to thee these things, and increase these things, if thou hidest from me a word of all [the] words that be said to thee.
18 And Samuel showed to him all the words, and hid not (anything) from him. And Eli answered, He is the Lord; do he that, that is good in his eyes.
19 Forsooth Samuel increased (And so Samuel grew up), and the Lord was with him, and none of all his words felled into [the] earth, that is, (were) in vain, for all was (ful)filled.
20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew, that faithful Samuel was a prophet of the Lord. (And all Israel knew, from Dan to Beersheba, that truly Samuel was a prophet of the Lord.)
21 And the Lord added to appear again in Shiloh, for the Lord was showed to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord;

1 Samuel 3:13-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 3

This chapter gives an account of the Lord's calling to Samuel in the night season, which he first took for the voice of Eli, but being instructed by him, made answer to the voice, 1Sa 3:1-10, and of a message sent from him by Samuel to Eli, foretelling the destruction of his family, 1Sa 3:11-14 and of the delivery of it to him, which Samuel was first fearful of doing, but, encouraged by Eli, he delivered it to him, to which he patiently submitted, 1Sa 3:15-18 and the chapter is closed with the establishment of Samuel as a prophet of the Lord, who continued to appear and reveal himself to him, 1Sa 3:19-21.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.