1 Samuel 3:9 (GNV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

1 Samuel 3:10 And the Lord came, and stoode, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speake, for thy seruant heareth.

1 Samuel 3:11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, Beholde, I wil doe a thing in Israel, whereof whosoeuer shall heare, his two eares shall tingle.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "saide", "vnto", "samuel", "sleepe", "call", "thee", and "speake". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "saide", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And the Lord called Samuel againe the..." into verse 10's "And the Lord came and stoode and...", so "therefore" and "saide" 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 "therefore" and "saide" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.