1 Samuel 3:7 (WEB)

Passage

Now Samuel didn’t yet know Yahweh, neither was Yahweh’s word yet revealed to him.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 3:5 He ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” He said, “I didn’t call. Lie down again.” He went and lay down.

1 Samuel 3:6 Yahweh called yet again, “Samuel!” Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” He answered, “I didn’t call, my son. Lie down again.”

1 Samuel 3:7 Now Samuel didn’t yet know Yahweh, neither was Yahweh’s word yet revealed to him.

1 Samuel 3:8 Yahweh called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” Eli perceived that Yahweh had called the child.

1 Samuel 3:9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down. It shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Yahweh; for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "samuel", "didn", "yahweh", "neither", "word", and "revealed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "samuel" and "didn", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Yahweh called yet again Samuel Samuel arose..." into verse 8's "Yahweh called Samuel again the third time...", so "samuel" and "didn" 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 "didn" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.