1 Samuel 3:9

Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down. It shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

World English Bible

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Other translations

WEBBE

Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down. It shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD; for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

BSB

“Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

KJV

Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

ASV

Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Jehovah; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

BBE

So Eli said to Samuel, Go back: and if the voice comes again, let your answer be, Say on, Lord; for the ears of your servant are open. So Samuel went back to his bed.

Original Hebrew

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וַיֹּאמֶר vai·yo·mer and he said H559 עֵלִי 'e·li Eli H5941 לִשְׁמוּאֵל lish·mu·'el to Samuel H8050 לֵךְ lekh go H1980 שְׁכָב she·khav lie down H7901 וְהָיָה ve·ha·yah and it will be H1961 אִם־ 'im- that [if] H518 יִקְרָא yik·ra' he will call H7121 אֵלֶיךָ 'e·lei·kha to you H413 וְאָמַרְתָּ ve·'a·mar·ta and you will say H559 דַּבֵּר da·ber speak H1696 יְהוָה yah·weh O Yahweh H3068 כִּי ki for H3588 שֹׁמֵעַ sho·me·a' [is] listening H8085 עַבְדֶּךָ 'av·de·kha servant your H5650 וַיֵּלֶךְ vai·ye·lekh and he went H1980 שְׁמוּאֵל she·mu·'el Samuel H8050 וַיִּשְׁכַּב vai·yish·kav and he lay down H7901 בִּמְקוֹמוֹ bim·ko·mo in place his H4725

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 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.

Read Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 3 →

Cross-references

People & places

Samuel Eli

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.