1 Samuel 15:31 (LSB)

Passage

So Samuel returned, following after Saul, and Saul worshiped Yahweh.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 15:29 Also the Eternal One of Israel will not lie or have regret; for He is not a man that He should have regret.”

1 Samuel 15:30 Then he said, “I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship Yahweh your God.”

1 Samuel 15:31 So Samuel returned, following after Saul, and Saul worshiped Yahweh.

1 Samuel 15:32 Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag near to me, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him in chains. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death has departed.”

1 Samuel 15:33 But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before Yahweh at Gilgal.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "samuel", "returned", "following", "after", "saul", "worshiped", and "yahweh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "samuel" and "returned", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "Then he said I have sinned but..." into verse 32's "Then Samuel said Bring Agag near to...", so "samuel" and "returned" 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 "returned" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.