1 Samuel 3:4 (GNV)

Passage

Then the Lord called Samuel: and hee said, Here I am.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 3:2 And at that time, as Eli lay in his place, his eyes began to waxe dimme that he could not see.

1 Samuel 3:3 And yet the light of God went out, Samuel slept in the temple of the Lord, where the Arke of God was.

1 Samuel 3:4 Then the Lord called Samuel: and hee said, Here I am.

1 Samuel 3:5 And he ranne vnto Eli, and said, Here am I, for thou calledst me. But he said, I called thee not: goe againe and sleepe. And he went and slept.

1 Samuel 3:6 And the Lord called once againe, Samuel. And Samuel arose, and went to Eli, and said, I am here: for thou diddest call me. And he answered, I called thee not, my sonne: go againe and sleepe.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "lord", "samuel", "said", 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 yet the light of God went..." into verse 5's "And he ranne vnto 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.