1 Samuel 3:1 (WEB)

Passage

The child Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli. Yahweh’s word was precious in those days. There were not many visions, then.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 3:1 The child Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli. Yahweh’s word was precious in those days. There were not many visions, then.

1 Samuel 3:2 At that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see),

1 Samuel 3:3 and God’s lamp hadn’t yet gone out, and Samuel had laid down in Yahweh’s temple, where God’s ark was;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "child", "samuel", "ministered", "yahweh", "before", "word", and "precious". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "child" and "samuel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "At that time when Eli was laid...", so "child" and "samuel" should be read forward into that movement. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "child" and "samuel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.