New International VersionAnd he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
New Living TranslationHe got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.
English Standard Versionand ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
Berean Standard BibleHe ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
King James BibleAnd he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
New King James VersionSo he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.
New American Standard BibleThen he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
NASB 1995Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
NASB 1977Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
Legacy Standard BibleThen he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; go back, lie down.” So he went and lay down.
Amplified BibleHe ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call you; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
Christian Standard BibleHe ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “I didn’t call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
Holman Christian Standard BibleHe ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “I didn’t call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
American Standard VersionAnd he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
Contemporary English VersionThen he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. What do you want?" "I didn't call you," Eli answered. "Go back to bed." Samuel went back.
English Revised VersionAnd he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
GOD'S WORD® TranslationHe ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me." "I didn't call [you]," Eli replied. "Go back to bed." So Samuel went back and lay down.
Good News Translationand 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.
International Standard VersionHe ran to Eli and said, "Here I am! You called me." "I didn't call you," Eli said. "Go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.
NET BibleThen he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But Eli said, "I didn't call you. Go back and lie down." So he went back and lay down.
New Heart English BibleHe ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." He said, "I did not call; lie down again." He went and lay down.
Webster's Bible TranslationAnd he ran to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleHe ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
World English BibleHe ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” He said, “I didn’t call. Lie down again.” He went and lay down. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd he runs to Eli and says, “Here I [am], for you have called for me”; and he says, “I did not call; turn back, lie down”; and he goes and lies down.
Young's Literal Translation And he runneth unto Eli, and saith, 'Here am I, for thou hast called for me;' and he saith, 'I called not; turn back, lie down;' and he goeth and lieth down.
Smith's Literal TranslationAnd he will run to Eli, and say, Behold me, for thou didst call to me. And he will say, I called not; turn back, lie down. And he will go and lie down. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd he ran to Heli and said: Here am I: for thou didst call me. He said: I did not call: go back and sleep. And he went and slept.
Catholic Public Domain VersionAnd he ran to Eli, and he said, “Here I am. For you called me.” And he said: “I did not call. Return and sleep.” And he went away, and he slept.
New American BibleHe ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” “I did not call you,” Eli answered. “Go back to sleep.” So he went back to sleep.
New Revised Standard Versionand ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd he ran to Eli and said, Here I am; for you called me. And he said, I did not call; go back and lie down. And he went and lay down.
Peshitta Holy Bible TranslatedAnd he ran to Eli and said: “Behold, here I am, for you called me!” And he said, “I did not call. Go lie down.” And he went and he lay down OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And he ran unto Eli, and said: 'Here am I; for thou didst call me.' And he said: 'I called not; lie down again.' And he went and lay down.
Brenton Septuagint TranslationAnd he ran to Heli, and said, Here am I, for thou didst call me: and he said, I did not call thee; return, go to sleep; and he returned and went to sleep.
Additional Translations ... Audio Bible
Context The LORD Calls Samuel… 4Then the LORD called to Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.” 5He rantoEliand said,“Here I am,foryou have calledme.”“I did notcall,”Eli replied.“Go backand lie down.”So he wentand lay down.6Once again the LORD called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”…
Cross References Genesis 22:1-3Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered. / “Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” / So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated.
Exodus 3:4When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered.
Judges 6:11-14Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. / And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” / “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.” ...
1 Kings 19:11-13Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.” And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. / After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice. / When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Isaiah 6:8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” And I said: “Here am I. Send me!”
Jeremiah 1:4-7The word of the LORD came to me, saying: / “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” / “Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!” ...
Acts 9:4-6He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” / “Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied. / “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Acts 10:3-4One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” / Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.
Acts 22:7-10I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’ / ‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied. / My companions saw the light, but they could not understand the voice of the One speaking to me. ...
Acts 26:14-16We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ / ‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. / ‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you.
Matthew 2:13When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”
Matthew 4:19-20“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” / And at once they left their nets and followed Him.
Matthew 9:9As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.
Mark 1:17-18“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” / And at once they left their nets and followed Him.
Luke 1:11-13Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. / When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear. / But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
Treasury of Scripture And he ran to Eli, and said, Here am I; for you called me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. Jump to Previous EliLieRanRestRunnethRunningTurnJump to Next EliLieRanRestRunnethRunningTurn1 Samuel 3 1.How the word of the Lord was first revealed to Samuel11.God tells Samuel the destruction of Eli's house15.Samuel, though loath, tells Eli the vision19.Samuel grows in creditHe ran to EliSamuel's immediate response to the voice calling him demonstrates his obedience and respect for Eli, the high priest. This reflects the cultural importance of honoring elders and leaders in ancient Israel. Samuel's willingness to serve Eli is indicative of his character and foreshadows his future role as a prophet who listens and responds to God's call. The act of running signifies urgency and eagerness, traits that are commendable in a servant of God. and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.”
Samuel's response, "Here I am," is a phrase often used in Scripture to denote readiness and availability to serve, as seen in the responses of Abraham (Genesis 22:1) and Moses (Exodus 3:4). This phrase indicates Samuel's readiness to serve and his attentiveness to Eli's needs. The assumption that Eli called him shows Samuel's trust and the close relationship between the two, as Eli was both his mentor and guardian. “I did not call,” Eli replied.
Eli's response indicates a lack of awareness of the divine encounter taking place. This moment highlights Eli's spiritual dullness, a theme that is evident in the preceding chapters where Eli's sons are described as corrupt, and Eli himself is portrayed as failing to restrain them. Eli's inability to recognize God's voice contrasts with Samuel's openness and sets the stage for the transition of spiritual leadership from Eli to Samuel. “Go back and lie down.”
Eli's instruction to Samuel to return to bed reflects a practical response, assuming that Samuel was mistaken. This instruction also serves to emphasize the setting of the narrative, which takes place at night, a time often associated with divine revelation in the Bible. The repetition of this command in the subsequent verses underscores the persistence of God's call and the importance of discernment in recognizing God's voice. So he went and lay down.
Samuel's obedience in returning to his place demonstrates his humility and willingness to follow Eli's guidance, even when he does not fully understand the situation. This act of lying down again symbolizes a posture of rest and readiness, preparing Samuel for the continued call of God. It also foreshadows the eventual revelation that will come to Samuel, marking the beginning of his prophetic ministry. Persons / Places / Events 1. SamuelA young boy serving in the temple under Eli's guidance. He is dedicated to God by his mother, Hannah, and is being prepared for his future role as a prophet. 2. EliThe high priest and judge of Israel at the time. He is responsible for mentoring Samuel in the ways of the Lord. 3. The TempleThe place where Samuel serves and where the Ark of the Covenant is kept. It is a central place of worship and spiritual activity in Israel. 4. The CallingThis event marks the beginning of God's direct communication with Samuel, which will lead to his prophetic ministry. Teaching Points Listening for God's VoiceJust as Samuel initially did not recognize God's voice, we must learn to discern when God is speaking to us. This requires a heart open to His guidance and a willingness to listen. Mentorship and GuidanceEli's role in guiding Samuel highlights the importance of spiritual mentorship. We should seek and provide godly counsel to help others grow in their faith. Obedience and ReadinessSamuel's immediate response to what he thought was Eli's call demonstrates a readiness to serve. We should cultivate a heart that is eager to respond to God's call in our lives. God's Patience and PersistenceGod calls Samuel multiple times, showing His patience and persistence. We can be encouraged that God does not give up on us, even when we are slow to understand His calling. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1.What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 3:5?
2.How does Samuel's response in 1 Samuel 3:5 demonstrate obedience to authority?
3.What can we learn from Eli's role in guiding Samuel in 1 Samuel 3?
4.How does Samuel's willingness to serve relate to Jesus' teachings on servanthood?
5.In what ways can we be attentive to God's call in our lives?
6.How does Samuel's experience encourage us to seek God's voice in daily life?
7.Why did Samuel not recognize the voice of God in 1 Samuel 3:5?
8.How does 1 Samuel 3:5 illustrate the importance of spiritual discernment?
9.What does Eli's role in 1 Samuel 3:5 teach about mentorship in faith?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 1 Samuel 3?
11.What were the key events in Samuel's life?
12.1 Samuel 3:7 - How could a child with no prior knowledge of God accurately identify and respond to a supernatural voice?
13.Psalm 4:5: How do sacrifices of righteousness compare to other biblical texts that claim God does not desire sacrifice (e.g., Psalm 51:16), creating potential inconsistency?
14.Is the reference to enemies being like 'lions' in Psalm 57:4 simply poetic imagery, or does it exaggerate any verifiable historical threat David faced?What Does 1 Samuel 3:5 Mean He ran to Eli• Samuel, still a boy serving in the tabernacle (1 Samuel 2:18), hears a voice and immediately sprints to the priest who has raised him. • Quick, eager footsteps show a heart ready to serve—echoingPsalm 119:60, “I hurried and did not delay to keep Your commandments.” • Even before he knows it is God, Samuel’s instinct is to run toward spiritual authority. Compare the impulse of the shepherds inLuke 2:15 who “hurried off” to see what God had revealed.
And said, “Here I am, for you have called me.”• “Here I am” is the language of availability; Abraham (Genesis 22:1) and Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8) answered God the same way. • Samuel assumes a personal summons; there is no thought that God might speak directly to him—yet that is exactly what is happening (1 Samuel 3:10). • His words embody humility; he places himself at Eli’s disposal, just as believers are to present themselves as “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1).
“I did not call,” Eli replied.• Eli’s response underscores the spiritual drought of that era: “the word of the LORD was rare” (1 Samuel 3:1). • The aging priest does not yet discern that God could be breaking the silence. Similar dullness appears inMark 6:49-52 when the disciples miss the significance of Jesus walking on the sea. • Yet Eli does not chastise Samuel; he remains a mentor God will use moments later to guide the boy (1 Samuel 3:8-9).
“Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.• Samuel obeys without argument—a picture of simple trust. Jesus commends this childlike posture inMatthew 18:3. • Resting in obedience positions Samuel to hear the LORD again.Psalm 4:8 celebrates the safety of lying down under God’s watchful care. • Waiting quietly for further instruction is often how God unfolds His will (Lamentations 3:26).
summary1 Samuel 3:5 captures Samuel’s eager responsiveness, humble availability, and obedient waiting—traits God values in every servant. Though Eli initially misses heaven’s call, Samuel’s swift compliance keeps him in position to receive it. The verse invites us to cultivate the same readiness: run toward what we believe is right, present ourselves without reservation, listen carefully, and rest obediently until the LORD speaks again.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew He ranוַיָּ֣רָץ(way·yā·rāṣ)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7323:To runtoאֶל־(’el-)Preposition
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, toEliעֵלִ֗י(‘ê·lî)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5941:Eli -- a priest at Shilohand said,וַיֹּ֤אמֶר(way·yō·mer)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559:To utter, say“Here I am,הִנְנִי֙(hin·nî)Interjection | first person common singular
Strong's 2005:Lo! behold!forכִּֽי־(kî-)Conjunction
Strong's 3588:A relative conjunctionyou have calledקָרָ֣אתָ(qā·rā·ṯā)Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7121:To call, proclaim, readme.”לִּ֔י(lî)Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew“I did notלֹֽא־(lō-)Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808:Not, nocall,”קָרָ֖אתִי(qā·rā·ṯî)Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7121:To call, proclaim, readEli replied.וַיֹּ֥אמֶר(way·yō·mer)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559:To utter, say“Go backשׁ֣וּב(šūḇ)Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7725:To turn back, in, to retreat, againand lie down.”שְׁכָ֑ב(šə·ḵāḇ)Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7901:To lie downSo he wentוַיֵּ֖לֶךְ(way·yê·leḵ)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1980:To go, come, walkand lay down.וַיִּשְׁכָּֽב׃(way·yiš·kāḇ)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7901:To lie down
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OT History: 1 Samuel 3:5 He ran to Eli and said Here (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa) |
