1
And the boyוְהַנַּעַרSamuelשְׁמוּאֵלwas ministeringמְשָׁרֵתto YHWHאֶת יְהוָהbeforeלִפְנֵיEli.עֵלִיAnd the wordוּדְבַרof YHWHיְהוָהwasהָיָהrareיָקָרin thoseבַּ הָהֵםdays;יָּמִיםthere was noאֵיןvisionחָזוֹןbreaking through.נִפְרָץ
1 Samuel 3:1
Study it in the app“And the boy Samuel was ministering to YHWH before Eli. And the word of YHWH was rare in those days; there was no vision breaking through.”
With the Hebrew beneath
1 Samuel 3:1, word by word
- And the boyנַּעַרnaar
boy
A child or a young man who is still growing and does not rule a household.
Where else “naar” appears- Samuelשְׁמוּאֵלshemuel
Samuel
Samuel, the name of two persons. One was a chief of the tribe of Simeon (Numbers 34:20). The best known is the son of Elkanah and Hannah, prophet and last judge of Israel, who anointed the kings Saul and David. The name sounds like "heard by El" or "name of El."
Where else “shemuel” appears- was ministeringמְשָׁרֵתmesharet
minister
To serve in worship before YHWH.
Where else “mesharet” appears- to YHWHיְהוָהyehva
YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
Where else “yehva” appears- beforeפְנֵיfene
before
Literally "to the face of": in sight of someone, or on account of something.
Where else “fene” appears- Eliעֵלִיeli
Eli
Eli, priest at Shiloh who judged Israel forty years (1 Samuel 4:18); Samuel grew up with him.
Where else “eli” appears- And the wordדְבַרdevar
word
What someone says or announces, above all what YHWH says.
Where else “devar” appears- wasהָיָהhaya
be
To be: "I will be their Elohim".
Where else “haya” appears- rareיָקָרyakar
rare
Uncommon, hardly ever given.
Where else “yakar” appears- daysיָּמִיםyamim
time
Literally "the days": a period, an age, or the span of someone's life.
Where else “yamim” appears- visionחָזוֹןchazon
vision
Vision: what God makes a prophet see or understand; by extension, his message.
Where else “chazon” appears- breaking throughנִפְרָץnifrats
spread
To grow greatly, multiply.
Where else “nifrats” appears
The context
1 · This verse (above)
2And it happened on that day, as Eli was lying down in his place (and his eyes had begun to grow dim; he could not see),