1 Samuel 3:1 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto Jehovah before Eli. And the word of Jehovah was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision.

1 Samuel 3:2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see),

1 Samuel 3:3 and the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down [to sleep], in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "child", "samuel", "ministered", "jehovah", "before", "word", and "precious". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "child" and "samuel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "And it came to pass at that...", so "child" and "samuel" should be read forward into that movement. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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