1 Samuel 3:7 (DRB)

Passage

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither had the word of the Lord been revealed to him.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 3:5 And 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.

1 Samuel 3:6 And the Lord called Samuel again. And Samuel arose and went to Heli, and said: Here am I: for thou calledst me. He answered: I did not call thee, my son: return and sleep.

1 Samuel 3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither had the word of the Lord been revealed to him.

1 Samuel 3:8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose up and went to Heli,

1 Samuel 3:9 And said: Here am I: for thou didst call me. Then Heli understood that the Lord called the child, and he said to Samuel: Go, and sleep: and if he shall call thee any more, thou shalt say: Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went, and slept in his place.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "samuel", "lord", "neither", "word", "been", and "revealed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "samuel" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And the Lord called Samuel again And..." into verse 8's "And the Lord called Samuel again the...", so "samuel" 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 "samuel" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.