1 Samuel 3:3 (ASV)

Passage

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;

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;

1 Samuel 3:4 that Jehovah called Samuel; and he said, 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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lamp", "gone", "samuel", "laid", "down", "sleep", "temple", and "jehovah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lamp" and "gone", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And it came to pass at that..." into verse 4's "that Jehovah called Samuel and he said...", so "lamp" and "gone" 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 "lamp" and "gone" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.