1 Samuel 3:7 (GNV)

Passage

Thus did Samuel, before hee knewe the Lord, and before the word of the Lord was reueiled vnto him.

Nearby Context

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.

1 Samuel 3:7 Thus did Samuel, before hee knewe the Lord, and before the word of the Lord was reueiled vnto him.

1 Samuel 3:8 And the Lord called Samuel againe the thirde time: and he arose, and went to Eli, and said, I am here: for thou hast called me. Then Eli perceiued that the Lord had called the childe.

1 Samuel 3:9 Therefore Eli saide vnto Samuel, Goe and sleepe: and if he call thee, then say, Speake Lord, for thy seruant heareth. So Samuel went, and slept in his place.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thus", "samuel", "before", "knewe", "lord", and "word". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thus" and "samuel", 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 once againe Samuel..." into verse 8's "And the Lord called Samuel againe the...", so "thus" and "samuel" 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 "thus" and "samuel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.