1 Samuel 15:27 (ASV)

Passage

And as Samuel turned about to go away, [Saul] laid hold upon the skirt of his robe, and it rent.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 15:25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship Jehovah.

1 Samuel 15:26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee; for thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, and Jehovah hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

1 Samuel 15:27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, [Saul] laid hold upon the skirt of his robe, and it rent.

1 Samuel 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, Jehovah hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou.

1 Samuel 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "samuel", "turned", "away", "saul", "laid", "hold", "upon", and "skirt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "samuel" and "turned", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "And Samuel said unto Saul I will..." into verse 28's "And Samuel said unto him Jehovah hath...", so "samuel" and "turned" 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 "samuel" and "turned" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.