1 Samuel 3:4 (KJV)

Passage

That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

Nearby Context

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;

1 Samuel 3:3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

1 Samuel 3:4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

1 Samuel 3:5 And 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.

1 Samuel 3:6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "lord", "samuel", "answered", and "here". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And ere the lamp of God went..." into verse 5's "And he ran unto Eli and said...", so "called" and "lord" belong inside that flow. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.