Only fear Yahweh, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you.
Parallel translations
- KJV Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
- BSB Above all, fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.
- NKJV Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.
- NASB Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.
- NLT But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
He urges them to fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all their heart, remembering His great deeds. Gratitude should fuel wholehearted obedience.
Overview
Samuel sums up Israel's duty as sincere, heartfelt reverence and service. Recalling 'what great things he has done' grounds obedience in grateful response to God's grace. This call to wholehearted devotion remains the abiding pattern of faithful life before the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Deut 10:21He is your praise, and he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things, which your eyes have seen.
- Prov 1:7The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
- Ps 126:2–3Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “Yahweh has done great things for them.”
- Heb 12:29for our God is a consuming fire.
- Isa 5:12The harp, lyre, tambourine, and flute, with wine, are at their feasts; but they don’t respect the work of Yahweh, neither have they considered the operation of his hands.
- Eccl 12:13This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
- Ps 111:10The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. All those who do his work have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
- Ps 119:80Let my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be disappointed. KAF
- Exod 12:13The blood shall be to you for a token on the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be on you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
- Job 28:28To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’”
- Rom 12:1Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
- John 1:47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
- Ezra 9:13–14“After all that has come on us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, since you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such a remnant,
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 12:24 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.