撒母耳记上 3:1

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

耶和華呼召撒母耳那孩子撒母耳在以利面前事奉耶和華，在那些日子，耶和華的言語稀少，異象也不常有。

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
童 子 撒 母 耳 在 以 利 面 前 事 奉 耶 和 华 。 当 那 些 日 子 ， 耶 和 华 的 言 语 稀 少 ， 不 常 有 默 示 。

Contextual Overview

¹ The boy Samuel served the Lord under Eli. In those days the Lord did not speak directly to people very often; there were very few visions. ² Eli's eyes were so weak he was almost blind. One night he was lying in bed. ³ Samuel was also in bed in the Lord 's house, where the Ark of the Agreement was. God's lamp was still burning. ⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel, and Samuel answered, "I am here!" ⁵ He ran to Eli and said, "I am here. You called me." But Eli said, "I didn't call you. Go back to bed." So Samuel went back to bed. ⁶ The Lord called again, "Samuel!" Samuel again went to Eli and said, "I am here. You called me." Again Eli said, "I didn't call you. Go back to bed." ⁷ Samuel did not yet know the Lord , and the Lord had not spoken directly to him yet. ⁸ The Lord called Samuel for the third time. Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "I am here. You called me." Then Eli realized the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ So he told Samuel, "Go to bed. If he calls you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord . I am your servant and I am listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in bed. ¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there and called as he had before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel said, "Speak, Lord . I am your servant and I am listening."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the child: 1 Samuel 3:15, 1 Samuel 2:11, 1 Samuel 2:18

the word: 1 Samuel 3:21, Psalms 74:9, Isaiah 13:12, Amos 8:11, Amos 8:12

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 1:22 - and there Proverbs 29:18 - there Isaiah 22:1 - of vision Matthew 20:2 - he sent Acts 3:24 - Samuel Hebrews 11:32 - Samuel

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
Then the Lord God said to the woman, "How could you have done such a thing?" She answered, "The snake tricked me, so I ate the fruit."

Genesis 3:15
I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your descendants and her descendants will be enemies. One of her descendants will crush your head, and you will bite his heel."

Ecclesiastes 4:10
If one falls down, the other can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help.

Isaiah 27:1
At that time the Lord will punish Leviathan, the gliding snake. He will punish Leviathan, the coiled snake, with his great and hard and powerful sword. He will kill the monster in the sea.

Matthew 4:3
The devil came to Jesus to tempt him, saying, "If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread."

Matthew 4:6
The devil said, "If you are the Son of God, jump down, because it is written in the Scriptures: ‘He has put his angels in charge of you. They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.'" Psalm 91:11–12

Matthew 4:9
The devil said, "If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things."

Matthew 10:16
"Listen, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as clever as snakes and as innocent as doves.

2 Corinthians 11:14
This does not surprise us. Even Satan changes himself to look like an angel of light.

1 Peter 3:7
In the same way, you husbands should live with your wives in an understanding way, since they are weaker than you. But show them respect, because God gives them the same blessing he gives you—the grace that gives true life. Do this so that nothing will stop your prayers.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli,.... Under his direction and instruction; the Targum is, in the life of Eli, and in such parts of service, relating to the tabernacle of the Lord, as he was capable of, such as opening and shutting the doors of it, lighting the lamps, singing the praises of God, c. according to Josephus n, and others, he was now about twelve years of age:

and the word of the Lord was precious in those days that is, a word from the Lord in a dream or vision, directing, informing, instructing, or reproving, this was very rarely had; of late there had been but very few instances; and which accounts for it why not only the child Samuel knew not that it was the voice of the Lord that called to him, but Eli himself thought nothing of it until he had called a third time, so rare and scarce was any instance of this kind; for which reason these words are premised in the following narration: and as everything that is scarce and rare is generally precious, so the word of God in this way also was; and so it is as considered in every view of it; as the written word of God; when there was but little of it penned, as at this time, and few or none to teach and instruct in it, Eli being old, and his sons so vile; or when it is forbidden to be read, and the copies of it destroyed, and become scarce, as in the times of Dioclesian; or when there are but very few faithful evangelical ministers of the word; which, though it is always precious to them that have precious faith in it, the promises of it being exceeding great and precious, and the truths of it more precious than fine gold, and the grand subject of it a precious Saviour, who is so in his person, offices, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; yet is generally more precious when there is a scarcity of it, when God makes a man, a Gospel minister, more precious than fine gold, even than the golden wedge of Ophir, see

Isaiah 13:12 where the word is used in the same sense as here:

there was no open vision; or prophecy, as the Targum; no publicly known prophet raised up, to whom the people could apply for counsel, direction, and instruction in divine things; in all the times of the judges we read only of Deborah the prophetess, and one prophet more, Judges 4:14, excepting the man of God lately sent to Eli, 1 Samuel 2:27, and this want of prophecy served to set off with greater foil the glory of Samuel as a prophet of the Lord, when he was an established one; there having been none of that character in the memory of man, and therefore he is spoken of as at the head of the prophets, Acts 3:24, for though there might be some private visions to particular persons, or God might appear in vision to private persons for their own special use and instruction; yet there was no public vision, or what was for public good and general use: some render it, "no broken up vision" o; it lay hid, concealed out of sight, as if it was immured and shut up within walls, or like water pent up, that cannot break through its fences, and spread itself; or "not multiplied", as R. Isaiah, not frequent and repeated, the instances of it few and rare; the sense of this clause is much the same as the former.

n Antiqu. l. 5. c. 10. sect. 4. o נפרץ "perrupta", Piscator; "fracta vel rupta", Drusius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the margin reference note. Josephus says that Samuel’s call to the prophetic office happened when he had just completed his twelfth year (compare Luke 2:42).

Was precious - (or rare) The song of Hannah, and the prophecy of the “man of God” (1 Samuel 2:27 note), are the only instances of prophecy since Deborah. Samuel is mentioned as the first of the series of prophets Acts 3:24.

No open vision - Better rendered, “There was no vision promulgated or published.” (Compare 2 Chronicles 31:5.)

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER III

Samuel ministers to the Lord before Eli, 1.

He is thrice called by the Lord; who informs him of the evils

which shall be brought on the house of Eli, 2-15.

Eli inquires of Samuel what the Lord had said, 16, 17.

He gives a faithful reunion of the whole, which Eli receives

with great submission, 18.

Samuel prospers; is established as a prophet in Israel; and the

Lord reveals himself to him to Shiloh, 19-21.

NOTES ON CHAP. III

Verse 1 Samuel 3:1. Samuel ministered unto the Lord — He performed minor services in the tabernacle, under the direction of Eli, such as opening the doors, c. See 1 Samuel 3:15.

The word of the Lord was precious — There were but few revelations from God and because the word was scarce, therefore it was valuable. The author of this book probably lived at a time when prophecy was frequent, See the preface.

There was no open vision. — There was no public accredited prophet; one with whom the secret of the Lord was known to dwell, and to whom all might have recourse in cases of doubt or public emergency.