1 Samuel 3:2

Good News Translation

One night Eli, who was now almost blind, was sleeping in his own room;

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
One day Eli, whose eyesight was failing, was lying in his usual place.

Hebrew Names Version
It happened at that time, when `Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see),

King James Version
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

Lexham English Bible
And then one day when Eli was lying in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow weak so that he was not able to see)

English Standard Version
At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place.

New Century Version
Eli's eyes were so weak he was almost blind. One night he was lying in bed.

New English Translation
Eli's eyes had begun to fail, so that he was unable to see well. At that time he was lying down in his place,

Amplified Bible
Yet it happened at that time, as Eli was lying down in his own place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well).

New American Standard Bible
But it happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to be poor and he could not see well),

Geneva Bible (1587)
And at that time, as Eli lay in his place, his eyes began to waxe dimme that he could not see.

Legacy Standard Bible
And it happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to fade, and he could not see well),

Complete Jewish Bible
Once, during that period, ‘Eli had gone to bed — his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that it was hard for him to see.

Darby Translation
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli lay in his place (now his eyes began to grow dim, he could not see),

Easy-to-Read Version
Eli's eyes were getting so weak that he was almost blind. One night he went to his room to go to bed.

George Lamsa Translation
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was lying down in his bed, and his eyes had begun to grow dim so that he could not see;

Literal Translation
And it happened at that time, Eli was lying down in his place, and his eyes had begun to be dim; he was not able to see.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And it fortuned at the same tyme, that Eli laye in his place, and his eyes beganne to be dymme, so that he coulde not se.

American Standard Version
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see),

Bible in Basic English
And at that time, when Eli was resting in his place, (now his eyes were becoming clouded so that he was not able to see,)

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And as at that tyme Eli lay in his place, his eyes began to waxe dymme that he coulde not see.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place--now his eyes had begun to wax dim, that he could not see--

King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe at that time, when Eli was layd downe in his place, and his eyes beganne to waxe dimme, that he could not see;

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass at that time that Heli was sleeping in his place; and his eyes began to fail, and could not see.

English Revised Version
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, that he could not see,)

Berean Standard Bible
And at that time Eli, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor it was doon in a dai, Heli lay in his bed, and hise iyen dasewiden, and he myyte not se the lanterne of God, bifor that it was quenchid.

Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, at that time, that Eli is lying down in his place, and his eyes have begun to be dim -- he is not able to see.

Update Bible Version
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see),

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli [was] laid down in his place, and his eyes began to grow dim, [that] he could not see;

World English Bible
It happened at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see),

New King James Version
And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see,

New Living Translation
One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed.

New Life Bible
At that time Eli was lying down in his own place. His eyes had become weak and he could not see well.

New Revised Standard
At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But it came to pass, at that time, when Eli was lying down in his place, his eyes, having begun to be dim, he could not see,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And it came to pass one day when Heli lay in his place, and his eyes were grown dim, that he could not see:

Revised Standard Version
At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well),

Contextual Overview

¹ In those days, when the boy Samuel was serving the Lord under the direction of Eli, there were very few messages from the Lord , and visions from him were quite rare. ² One night Eli, who was now almost blind, was sleeping in his own room; ³ Samuel was sleeping in the sanctuary, where the sacred Covenant Box was. Before dawn, while the lamp was still burning, ⁴ the Lord called Samuel. He answered, "Yes, sir!" ⁵ and ran to Eli and said, "You called me, and here I am." But Eli answered, "I didn't call you; go back to bed." So Samuel went back to bed. ⁶The Lord called Samuel again. The boy did not know that it was the Lord , because the Lord had never spoken to him before. So he got up, went to Eli, and said, "You called me, and here I am." But Eli answered, "My son, I didn't call you; go back to bed." ⁸ The Lord called Samuel a third time; he got up, went to Eli, and said, "You called me, and here I am." Then Eli realized that it was the Lord who was calling the boy, ⁹ so he said to him, "Go back to bed; and if he calls you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord , your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went back to bed. ¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, and called as he had before, "Samuel! Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak; your servant is listening."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

his eyes: 1 Samuel 2:22, 1 Samuel 4:15, Genesis 27:1, Genesis 48:19, Psalms 90:10, Ecclesiastes 12:3

Reciprocal: Genesis 48:10 - the eyes 1 Kings 14:4 - for his eyes Ecclesiastes 12:2 - the sun

Cross-References

Psalms 58:4
They are full of poison like snakes; they stop up their ears like a deaf cobra,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass at that time,.... When the word of the Lord was scarce and precious, and there was no open vision; or, as Ben Gersom, the same day the man of God came to Eli at night, the following affair happened:

when Eli was laid down in his place; on his bed to sleep, in one of the chambers or apartments of the tabernacle; for as there were such in the temple for the priests, so in that:

and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; to help himself to anything he might want when in bed; which seems to be the reason Samuel lay near him, and why, when he heard his voice, he immediately ran to him, supposing he needed his assistance. Some, as Kimchi and others, understand this not of the eyes of his body, but of his mind; and that the Holy Spirit, as a spirit of prophecy, was departing from him, because of his connivance at the sins of his sons; and so the following prophecy came not to him, but to Samuel.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The passage should be rendered thus: “And it came to pass at that time that Eli was sleeping in his place; and his eyes had begun to grow dim; he could not see. And the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was; and the Lord called Samuel, etc.” Eli’s old age and dimness of sight is probably mentioned as the reason why Samuel thought Eli had called him. Being a blind and feeble old man, he was likely to do so if he wanted anything, either for himself, or for the service of the temple.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 3:2. Eli was laid down in his place — It is very likely that as the ark was a long time at Shiloh, they had built near to it certain apartments for the high priest and others more immediately employed about the tabernacle. In one of these, near to that of Eli, perhaps under the same roof, Samuel lay when he was called by the Lord.