Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
Attention!
For 10¢ a day you can enjoy StudyLight.org ads
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

New Life Version

1 Samuel 15:14

But Samuel said, "Then why do I hear the sounds of sheep and cattle?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Agency;   Amalekites;   Church and State;   Falsehood;   Gilgal;   Minister, Christian;   Presumption;   Repentance;   Reproof;   Rulers;   Self-Righteousness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Saul, King of Israel;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Amalekites, the;   Ox, the;   Sheep;   Sin;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Amalekites;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Gilgal;   Samuel;   Saul, king of israel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Hear, Hearing;   Mediator, Mediation;   Samuel, First and Second, Theology of;   Sin;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Agag;   Amalek, Amalekites;   Ban;   Israel;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Agag ;   Amalek, Amalekites ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mordecai;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Agag;   Amalek;   Saul;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Saul;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Parashiyyot, the Four;   Repentance;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Samuel replied, “Then what is this sound of sheep, goats, and cattle I hear?”
Hebrew Names Version
Shemu'el said, What means then this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
King James Version
And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
Lexham English Bible
But Samuel said, "Then what is this bleating of the sheep that I hear in my ears and the lowing of the cattle that I am hearing?"
English Standard Version
And Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?"
New Century Version
But Samuel said, "Then why do I hear cattle mooing and sheep bleating?"
New English Translation
Samuel replied, "If that is the case, then what is this sound of sheep in my ears and the sound of cattle that I hear?"
Amplified Bible
But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"
New American Standard Bible
But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the bellowing of the oxen which I hear?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
But Samuel saide, What meaneth then the bleating of the sheepe in mine eares, and the lowing of the oxen which I heare?
Legacy Standard Bible
But Samuel said, "What then is this sound of the sheep in my ears and the sound of the oxen which I am hearing?"
Contemporary English Version
"Then why," Samuel asked, "do I hear sheep and cattle?"
Complete Jewish Bible
But Sh'mu'el answered, "If so, why do I hear sheep bleating and cows mooing?"
Darby Translation
And Samuel said, What [means] then this bleating of sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of oxen which I hear?
Easy-to-Read Version
But Samuel said, "Then what is that sound I hear? Why do I hear sheep and cattle?"
George Lamsa Translation
And Samuel said, What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?
Good News Translation
Samuel asked, "Why, then, do I hear cattle mooing and sheep bleating?"
Literal Translation
And Samuel said, What then is this bleating of the flock in my ears, and the sound of the herd that I hear?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Samuel answered: What crye is this then of shepe in myne eares, and the crye of oxen which I heare?
American Standard Version
And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
Bible in Basic English
And Samuel said, What then is this sound of the crying of sheep and the noise of oxen which comes to my ears?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Samuel sayde: What meaneth then the bleating of the sheepe in mine eares and the lowing of the oxen which I heare?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Samuel said: 'What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?'
King James Version (1611)
And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheepe in mine eares, and the lowing of the oxen which I heare?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Samuel said, What then is the bleating of this flock in my ears, and the sound of the oxen which I hear?
English Revised Version
And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
Berean Standard Bible
But Samuel replied, "Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Samuel seide, And what is the vois of flockis, that sowneth in myn eeris, and of grete beestis, whiche Y here?
Young's Literal Translation
And Samuel saith, `And what [is] the noise of this flock in mine ears -- and the noise of the herd which I am hearing?'
Update Bible Version
And Samuel said, What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
Webster's Bible Translation
And Samuel said, What [meaneth] then this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
World English Bible
Samuel said, What means then this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
New King James Version
But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"
New Living Translation
"Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?" Samuel demanded.
New Revised Standard
But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of cattle that I hear?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Samuel said, What then is this bleating of sheep, in mine ears, - and the lowing of oxen, which I can hear?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Samuel said: What meaneth then this bleating of the flocks, which soundeth in my ears, and the lowing of the herds, which I hear?
Revised Standard Version
And Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"
THE MESSAGE
Samuel said, "So what's this I'm hearing—this bleating of sheep, this mooing of cattle?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"

Contextual Overview

10 The Word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 11 "I am sorry that I have made Saul king. For he has turned away from following Me. He has not done what I told him to do." Samuel was much troubled in his heart. He cried out to the Lord all night. 12 When Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul, he was told, "Saul came to Carmel and set up a stone in his honor. Then he turned and went down to Gilgal." 13 Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "May the Lord bring good to you. I have done what the Lord told me to do." 14 But Samuel said, "Then why do I hear the sounds of sheep and cattle?" 15 Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites. For the people saved the best of the sheep and cattle to give to the Lord your God. But we have destroyed all the rest." 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night." And Saul said to him, "Speak." 17 Samuel said, "Is it not true that even when you were not important in your own eyes, you were made the head of the families of Israel? The Lord chose you to be king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you to go and destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are no more. 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? You rushed upon what was left after the battle and did what was sinful in the Lord's eyes."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What meaneth: Psalms 36:2, Psalms 50:16-21, Jeremiah 2:18, Jeremiah 2:19, Jeremiah 2:22, Jeremiah 2:23, Jeremiah 2:34-37, Malachi 3:13-15, Luke 19:22, Romans 3:19, 1 Corinthians 4:5

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:29 - General Numbers 20:11 - smote Numbers 31:14 - wroth Judges 16:15 - when thine Psalms 36:1 - The transgression Proverbs 16:2 - the ways Proverbs 28:4 - but Proverbs 30:12 - that are Luke 15:29 - Lo Acts 21:13 - What

Cross-References

Genesis 15:1
After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a special dream, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your safe place. Your reward will be very great."
Genesis 15:2
Then Abram said, "O Lord God, what will You give me? For I have no child. And the one who is to receive what belongs to me is Eliezer of Damascus."
Genesis 15:4
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This man will not be given what is yours. But he who will come from your own body will be given what is yours."
Genesis 15:5
He took him outside and said, "Now look up into the heavens and add up the stars, if you are able to number them." Then He said to him, "Your children and your children's children will be as many as the stars."
Genesis 15:6
Then Abram believed in the Lord, and that made him right with God.
Genesis 15:7
God said to him, "I am the Lord Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land for your own."
Genesis 15:9
So the Lord said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon."
Genesis 15:11
When the meat-eating birds came down upon the dead animals, Abram made them go away.
Genesis 15:14
But I will punish the nation they will serve. And later they will come out with many riches.
Genesis 15:18
The Lord made an agreement with Abram on that day. He said, "I have given this land to your children and to their children's children, from the river of Egypt as far as the big Euphrates River,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Samuel said, what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears,.... For the orders were to destroy all living creatures belonging to the Amalekites, 1 Samuel 15:3 if therefore Saul had performed the commandment of the Lord, as he said he had, from whence were these sheep Samuel heard bleating?

and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? where do they come from? these questions he put to convict him of the falsehood he had delivered; the bleating and lowing of these creatures proved him a liar, and were witnesses of his breach of the divine command; and one would think every bleating and lowing of these must alarm his conscience, unless dreadfully stupefied.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile