Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had built an altar to the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB Saul built an altar to Yahweh. This was the first altar that he built to Yahweh.
- KJV And Saul built an altar unto the LORD: the same was the first altar that he built unto the LORD.
- NKJV Then Saul built an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
- NASB And Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
- NLT Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first of the altars he built to the Lord.
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
Saul builds an altar to the Lord, the first he is recorded to have built.
Overview
The note that this was Saul's first altar is telling, suggesting that genuine worship had not marked his reign. While building an altar is in itself an act of devotion, the timing, amid the disorder caused by his oath, raises questions about the depth of his piety. The verse invites reflection on the difference between religious acts and a heart wholly devoted to God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Sam 7:17Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.
- 1 Sam 7:12Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
- Judg 21:4The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings.
- 1 Sam 7:9Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on behalf of Israel, and the LORD answered him.
- Hos 8:14Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has multiplied its fortified cities. But I will send fire upon their cities, and it will consume their citadels.
- 2 Tim 3:5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 14:35 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.