And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
Parallel translations
- WEB Samuel said, “Then what does this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the cattle which I hear mean?”
- BSB But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”
- NKJV But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
- NASB But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the bellowing of the oxen which I hear?”
- NLT “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded.
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
Samuel pointedly asks about the bleating sheep and lowing cattle that betray Saul's claim. The evidence of disobedience speaks louder than Saul's words.
Overview
Samuel's question is a masterful rebuke: the very sounds of the spared livestock refute Saul's profession of full obedience. It dramatizes how sin, however justified in words, leaves audible evidence. The scene teaches that God's representatives must confront disobedience plainly rather than accept hollow claims.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 50:16–21But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
- 1 Cor 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
- Jer 2:34–37Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.
- Rom 3:19Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
- Mal 3:13–15Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
- Jer 2:18–19And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
- Luke 19:22And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
- Ps 36:2For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
- Jer 2:22–23For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.
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 15:14 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.