1 Samuel 3:2 (YLT)

Passage

And it cometh to pass, at that time, that Eli is lying down in his place, and his eyes have begun to be dim--he is not able to see.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 3:1 And the youth Samuel is serving Jehovah before Eli, and the word of Jehovah hath been precious in those days--there is no vision broken forth.

1 Samuel 3:2 And it cometh to pass, at that time, that Eli is lying down in his place, and his eyes have begun to be dim--he is not able to see.

1 Samuel 3:3 And the lamp of God is not yet extinguished, and Samuel is lying down in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God <FI>is<Fi> ,

1 Samuel 3:4 and Jehovah calleth unto Samuel, and he saith, `Here <FI>am<Fi> I.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "cometh", "pass", "time", "lying", "down", "place", "eyes", and "begun". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "cometh" and "pass", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "And the youth Samuel is serving Jehovah..." into verse 3's "And the lamp of God is not...", so "cometh" and "pass" 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 "cometh" and "pass" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.