1 Samuel 3 · Verse 1

1 Samuel 3:1

And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
1 Samuel 3:1, King James Version

1 Samuel 3:1 in other translations

BSBAnd the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare and visions were scarce.
WEBThe child Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. The LORD’s word was rare in those days. There were not many visions, then.
ASVAnd the child Samuel ministered unto Jehovah before Eli. And the word of Jehovah was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision.
YLTAnd the youth Samuel is serving Jehovah before Eli, and the word of Jehovah hath been precious in those days--there is no vision broken forth.
DARBYAnd the boy Samuel ministered to Jehovah before Eli. And the word of Jehovah was rare in those days; a vision was not frequent.
BBENow the young Samuel was the servant of the Lord before Eli. In those days the Lord kept his word secret from men; there was no open vision.
WebsterAnd the child Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

What does 1 Samuel 3:1 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
1Sa 3:1-10. The Lord Appears to Samuel in a Vision. 1. the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli--His ministry consisted, of course, of such duties in or about the sanctuary as were suited to his age, which is supposed now to have been about twelve years. Whether the office had been specially assigned him, or it arose from the interest inspired by the story of his birth, Eli kept him as his immediate attendant; and he resided not in the sanctuary, but in one of the tents or apartments around it, assigned for the accommodation of the priests and Levites, his being near to that of the high priest. the word of the Lord was precious in those days--It was very rarely known to the Israelites; and in point of fact only two prophets are mentioned as having appeared during the whole administration of the judges (Jud 4:4; 6:8). there was no open vision--no publicly recognized prophet whom the people could consult, and from whom they might learn the will of God. There must have been certain indubitable evidences by which a communication from heaven could be distinguished. Eli knew them, for he may have received them, though not so frequently as is implied in the idea of an "open vision."

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Introduction

Samuel ministers to the Lord before Eli, 1Sam 3:1. He is thrice called by the Lord; who informs him of the evils which shall be brought on the house of Eli, 1Sam 3:2-15. Eli inquires of Samuel what the Lord had said, 1Sam 3:16, 1Sam 3:17. He gives a faithful reunion of the whole, which Eli receives with great submission, 1Sam 3:18. Samuel prospers; is established as a prophet in Israel; and the Lord reveals himself to him to Shiloh, 1Sam 3:19-21. Verse 1 Samuel ministered unto the Lord - He performed minor services in the tabernacle, under the direction of Eli, such as opening the doors, etc. See 1Sam 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.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 3:1-10
The call which Divine grace designs shall be made effectual; will be repeated till it is so, till we come to the call. Eli, perceiving that it was the voice of God that Samuel heard, instructed him what to say. Though it was a disgrace to Eli, for God's call to be directed to Samuel, yet he told him how to meet it. Thus the elder should do their utmost to assist and improve the younger that are rising up. Let us never fail to teach those who are coming after us, even such as will soon be preferred before us, Joh 1:30. Good words should be put into children's mouths betimes, by which they may be prepared to learn Divine things, and be trained up to regard them.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

1 Samuel 3:1 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהַנַּ֧עַרve.ha.Na.'arand the ladH5288
שְׁמוּאֵ֛לshe.mu.'ElSamuelH8050
מְשָׁרֵ֥תme.sha.Ret[was] servingH8334
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
יְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehH3068
לִפְנֵ֣יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
עֵלִ֑י'e.LiEliH5941
וּדְבַר\־u.de.var-and [the] word ofH1697
יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068
הָיָ֤הha.Yahit wasH1961
יָקָר֙ya.KarrareH3368
בַּיָּמִ֣יםbai.ya.Mimin the daysH3117
הָהֵ֔םha.Hem<the> thoseH1992
אֵ֥ין'einnotH369
חָז֖וֹןcha.ZonvisionH2377
נִפְרָֽץ\׃\ \סnif.Ratz[was] spread outH6555

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 3:1

  • Amos 8:11-12

    Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

  • Psalms 74:9

    We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

  • 1 Samuel 3:21

    And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

  • 1 Samuel 2:11

    And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest.

  • 1 Samuel 2:18

    But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

  • 1 Samuel 3:15

    And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1 How the word of the Lord was first revealed to Samuel.
11 God tells Samuel the destruction of Eli's house.
15 Samuel, though loath, tells Eli the vision.
19 Samuel grows in credit.

the child.
15; 2:11,18
the word.
21; Ps 74:9; Isa 13:12; Am 8:11,12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 3:1

    And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

  • 1 Samuel 3:2

    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;

Read all of 1 Samuel 3

1 Samuel 3:1 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y EL joven Samuel ministraba á Jehová delante de Eli: y la palabra de Jehová era de estima en aquellos días; no había visión manifiesta.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et le jeune garçon Samuel servait l’ Éternel devant Éli; et la parole de l’ Éternel était rare en ces jours-là: la vision n’était pas répandue.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und der Knabe Samuel diente Jehova vor Eli. Und das Wort Jehovas war selten in jenen Tagen, Gesichte waren nicht häufig.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Puer autem Samuel ministrabat Domino coram Heli, et sermo Domini erat pretiosus in diebus illis: non erat visio manifesta.