Then Saul built an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar that he built 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.
- BSB Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had built an altar 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 7:17His return was to Ramah, for his house was there; and he judged Israel there; and he built an altar to Yahweh there.
- 1 Sam 7:12Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Yahweh helped us until now.”
- Judg 21:4On the next day, the people rose early, and built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
- 1 Sam 7:9Samuel took a suckling lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt offering to Yahweh. Samuel cried to Yahweh for Israel; and Yahweh answered him.
- Hos 8:14For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; but I will send a fire on his cities, and it will devour its fortresses.”
- 2 Tim 3:5holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.