So Samuel went back with Saul; and Saul worshiped Yahweh.
Parallel translations
- KJV So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.
- BSB So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.
- NKJV So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
- NASB So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
- NLT So Samuel finally agreed and went back with him, and Saul worshiped 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
Samuel relents enough to accompany Saul, who then worships. Samuel maintains public order even as the divine verdict stands.
Overview
Samuel's return does not reverse God's judgment but preserves stability in Israel during the transition. Saul worships, yet the chapter has made clear that ritual worship without obedience does not restore his kingship. The scene shows God's patience in allowing an orderly transfer of the throne.
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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 15:31 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
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